I have the impression that this is basically a tsumego with definite right and wrong answers, which is why participation has declined – the weaker players would rather let the stronger ones read it out.
At this juncture, understanding of the position depends on reading a lot of combat explanation from the participating dans, and I don’t think most of the kyus can be bothered with that (which is also clearly frustrating the more tactically powerful players like gennan).
I’d suggest that the impasse was brought about by the somewhat gratutious (71) D7. If Black had just covered at H7 then we would probably have maintained more interest – it wasn’t as though White would have had time to patch up the left and prevent that invasion any time soon anyway.
Hi everybody!
I’d like to suggest B6 as an offer to avoid bloodshed. Let white capture E6 (maybe D7 too) and let black connect underneath.
But I’m not sure what happens if white resists and blocks the connection underneath.
Let’s do a poll with the timing everyone expects. Two votes is barely democratic anyway.
As between F9 and my selection, D8, see below. After F9, White can deftly dodge to D8 and kill the aji. But Black playing there in advance is forcing and removes this option. That’s my thinking.
I also don’t see F9 working at the moment. But I’m also not sure about B7 as white’s answer to D8. It could lead to a ko, while C7 reduces black’s liberties enough for white to win the semeai without a ko.
