What to do when opponent invades here

Teaching Reviews requests
1

Hello everyone,
Today I played a game and my opponent invaded me twice in the middle of the 3 space extension. I still won the game, but felt I got a sub optimal result from the invasions. Anyone want to offer advice?
Here is the game:


Thanks in advance,
MrC

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2

I’m no better than you , and I’m not sure just where you mean, but I’ll venture an answer…

Move 40, at C7 seems a natural follow-up to W’s previous move at F6, aimed at attacking the B corner group. I would have played D7 in response to W’s F6.

I suppose the other one you mean is move 54 at G17. At move 53, you went for the last wide spot at R11, and W struck at a vulnerable location. It’s a trade-off. Had you instead defended the weak spot with G17 or G16, then W probably would have taken the wide spot with R12 or R13. I’m too weak to know which side of this trade is better. Perhaps someone else can say.

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3

This invasion is to be expected when you play the 3 space extension. If your stones are not strong - your case - then the attachment seems to be your best option.

I added two variations to the game. You could have punished white E17.

White played solid move on the outside but in return gave you an opportunity to take the corners (2-2 points). B18 was a big move that you could have played earlier.

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4

Thanks for both of your responses. :slight_smile: I have always wondered what exactly to do when your opponent invades like that, as it is a relatively common situation.

5

The first invasion you played correctly I think, but C11 threatens the invasion and if you don’t like the result from the invasion you have to protect. But after you got your wall in exchange for white territory, You should use your wall to attack white by playing B2 to take away his eyespace. Even if it’s easy for white to escape, B2 is such a big move in terms of points that just being able to play it in sente is quite nice.

As for the second invasion on the top side, you might be able to play kosumi at H16 to outright kill white but it’s very complicated. If you’re unsure about that, playing the way you played is OK too. But the thing is that when white “lives” with G19, after you exchange K19 for J19, white is only alive if eating K19 is sente (right now it is since it threatens to connect to O17 group). That means a move like N18 is sente against the invasion group, and after white defends, you can attack O17 group very severely since it only has half an eye.

Overall, if you don’t like getting invaded there, it’s probably better to play the ogeima instead of 3 space extension. It’s more common anyway, and even if the direct invasion isn’t that good for your opponent, playing the 3 space extension at least means that an approaching move like C11 or L17 is almost sente.

Also note that since your opponent played the (very bad) nobi at C4/D17 instead of the tiger’s mouth, you could just have haned at B18/B2 instead of extending to make life (and points in the corner!) for yourself while taking away life from your opponent (that doesn’t mean there was anything wrong with extending).

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