© 2011 Neil Moffatt

Double Digit Kyu Games

Neil Moffatt

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

A key feature in the Go books Neil has written is an evaluation of the intention behind each and every move played. The vast majority of game reviews on the Internet and in traditional books have sparse move commentary. Beginners and many intermediate players are thereby sold short—they have to guess why most moves were played.

In this book, Neil analyses 6 double digit kyu games. He illustrates shortcomings in the reactionary and localised, small-scale thinking that characterises play at this level. Every move is evaluated, with variations showing the effect of better moves. By commenting this way, the reader is made to think about each move – the repetition reinforcing better thinking, much as repeated Go problem solving sharpens your reading.

These game commentaries should help players tidy up their play, make them more efficient, and start to see new ways of appraising positions, moving them towards single digit kyu level.

This ePub reader does not support full scripting, so diagrams may not be interactive.

Contents

Double Digit Kyu Games

About the Author

Game 1: KGS player ‘Pedrito’ 18k – KGS player ‘Eridor’ 18k

The chapters in gray are included only in the full book.

Game 2: KGS player ‘kenshinlt’ 15k – KGS player ‘Speche’ 16k

Game 3: KGS player ‘shanth’ 13k – KGS player ‘Edmond’ 13k

Game 4: KGS player ‘sasu’ 11k – KGS player ‘Blackfoot’ 12k

Game 5: KGS player ‘toe’ 10k – KGS player ‘temnota’ 10k

Game 6: KGS player ‘Norimoto’ 9k – KGS player ‘Tetanos’ 9k

Buy This Book

About SmartGo Books

About the Author

Playing Go constantly since 1990, Neil has a passion for helping beginner and intermediate players learn and improve. He has published 3 books on Go – “Learn Go”, “Games of Go” and “Go by Example” – which are all available on Amazon. He also recently established a teaching web site – www.learngo.co.uk. Whilst not quite dan level yet, his proximity to double digit kyu player level allows him to understand their thinking and explain moves and positions in an accessible way.

Game 1

White: KGS player ‘Pedrito’ 18k
Black: KGS player ‘Eridor’ 18k
Komi: 6½ points
Time: 30 minutes each
Date: 2010–02–23
Place: The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/
Event: KGS Rated Game
Commentary: Neil Moffatt

A lively game between relative newcomers to Go

White fails to contain Black too many times, paying the price for too many slow moves.

Move 1

＞＜

A safe, secure, profit minded opening.

Move 2

＞＜

White chooses a more influential move. Note that by choosing this corner, he gives Black the option to play a split corner opening at around A.

I personally like to take that option up, since I prefer to avoid large moyo games where possible.

Move 3

＞＜

But Black chooses the moyo route, and makes a balanced right side.

Move 4

＞＜

White stays high again.

It might be nice to know that this is the preferred response by professionals to the Black formation.

Move 5

＞＜

Much better to play this shimari (a corner enclosure) at A, where the resulting wall faces downwards towards the lower corner.

If White were to play the natural extension at B now, he would negate a lot of the power of this Black corner.

Move 6

＞＜

After choosing two 4–4 corner openings, it is quite typical to play approaches to the opponent corners.

This is in part because the 4–4 opening is not designed for immediate corner sealing – it is designed for equal influence along the sides.

The approach White chooses is one that immediately stops Black completing his corner shimari.

This move, or one space further down at A is a fine way to continue the game for White.

Move 7

＞＜

A perfect defence by Black (introduced by Shusaku, one of the all-time greats of Go).

It favours the right side moyo ahead of a small corner, working well with the two lower side stones.

Move 8

＞＜

Fighting stuff from White, forcing a Black defence.

Move 9

＞＜

Black plays correctly, threatening to atari at A of course. Which is exactly where White should next play.

Move 10

＞＜

But White fails to see the problem, extending prematurely here.

Of course, this move would have been good if there was a White stone at A.

＞＜

By playing the solid defence instead, White is in good shape, threatening the obvious follow up at B.

＞＜

Black would normally defend here …

＞＜

… allowing White to settle his shape like this.

Looking at the whole board now, White has sketched out two side moyos to Black’s one, so this is favourable for White.

Move 11

＞＜

Black jumps at the opportunity of course to cut White apart.

Even if White now joins at A, Black is not under immediate pressure to take local action.

Move 12

＞＜

And here we see a basic problem at this level of play – White is in atari so he tries to save his stone.

It does not take too much reading to realise that extending here does not prevent capture – Black can simply descend to A, and White will have nowhere to run.

Move 13

＞＜

This is an interesting response by Black. Whilst it in effect allows White to slip under via the atari at A, it does start to build a powerful wall facing his lower side stones.

Trying to see the global effect of local play can be hard. It is human nature to narrow our vision when involved in something intense, but the benefits can be immense.

If White plays the atari at A, Black gets time to strengthen his moyo.

＞＜

If Black descends instead, White is reduced to two liberties again.

＞＜

He can stretch to three again, and threaten atari at B. But it is easy for Black to defend.

＞＜

And White is wrapped up in the corner with nowhere to go.

Move 14

＞＜

White duly looks to escape, but even if he does, his profit is tiny compared to the potential profit of the Black moyo below.

Move 15

＞＜

Black joins. Whilst he is a little over-concentrated here, he is in a powerful position, his stones like a fortress.

Move 16

＞＜

When escaping his position, White plays too thinly here.

He fails to let go of the marked stone, and creates further problems for himself as a result.

Move 17

＞＜

Black strengthens his wall further here, setting up the double atari at A in the process.

Move 18

＞＜

When White runs here, he allows Black the double atari that will further damage the White position.

Move 19

＞＜

And White is in deep trouble. Whichever of his stones he saves, the remaining White stones here will have difficulty living.

Move 20

＞＜

White saves the larger investment, but must be aware that when Black captures the marked stone, this five stone White group will be heavily constrained to the side. It will struggle to make life, and if it does it will earn very few points.

Move 21

＞＜

A huge move for Black.

Even this early in a game, many stronger players might think to resign. Not because of the territory that Black now commands, but because of the potential territory that his powerful groups can later acquire.

Move 22

＞＜

White tries to live.

Black captures the upper right corner.

Move 23

＞＜

When Black blocks, his wall has even greater influence along the upper side.

Move 24

＞＜

Sure, White can solidify this edge of his group in sente like this …

Move 25

＞＜

… Black ataries of course. (But he can still stop White making an eye with the superior defence of A).

Move 26

＞＜

… White defends, making an eye at A …

Move 27

＞＜

… and Black solidifies his wall further.

Note that all play has concentrated on this corner and will do so until it becomes settled for White. However, even if Black were to tenuki (to play elsewhere), and allow White to live, White’s gain will likely be smaller than the two moves Black would get to play elsewhere.

Move 28

＞＜

A natural move by White to try to make a second eye.

Move 29

＞＜

Black of course defends against the atari, preferring to squeeze White before playing elsewhere.

Move 30

＞＜

And White makes a catastrophic blunder, killing his corner. It puts the marked stone in atari, but can be immediately captured of course.

Move 31

＞＜

When Black captures, White is dead – he cannot play the two moves at A and B required to make two eyes. Whichever move he plays first will see Black play the other to stop the formation of a second eye.

Move 32

＞＜

White compounds his problem further. Much better to leave such moves for a ko fight.

＞＜

If White plays at A …

＞＜

… Black plays at B, and White can do nothing now.

＞＜

If White at B …

＞＜

… Black at B reduces the White shape to one eye.

Move 33

＞＜

Black captures, and White is really dead now. Very very dead.

And Black leads by nearly fifty points.

Move 34

＞＜

I can see the merit in this move, seeking as it does to neutralise the power of the Black wall. But it is simply too close.

But it is also in the wrong part of the board. It fails to address the prospects Black has on the right.

Take a look at a possible line of play White might have taken on the right side.

＞＜

The peek here is one that Black must respond to, or White can resurrect his dead stones.

＞＜

Black joins …

＞＜

… and then White descends here. He can use the marked stone as aji to establish a footing, from which he can then reduce the right side.

＞＜

Black will likely hane.

＞＜

But when White counter-hanes, this Black stone is made vulnerable.

The follow on possibilities from here are involved, but White should be able to carve out a base or run from here, thereby reducing the scale of the Black right side.

Move 35

＞＜

Whilst Black can and does protect his wall from this attack, he is a little cautious. Better here at A, which then sets up a follow up at B.

But in my view, better still at C, carving out a gigantic moyo.

Move 36

＞＜

White squeezes Black. This is safe so far because White can ultimately run towards to the centre.

Move 37

＞＜

Black blocks. This is slow, but keeps his stones connected, which is a sensible style of play. It leaves White with a dead corner group, and two pairs of stones hanging in mid air, gripped by the Black morass.

Move 38

＞＜

An obvious but effective move by White, both flattening out the Black wall here and creating a stronger central influence.

Move 39

＞＜

Black can afford to step along here, keeping White separated from the corner.

Move 40

＞＜

It is wise for White to push again, although it is no longer vital that Black continues along the third line. He can safely turn at A now.

Move 41

＞＜

And does so, keeping White separated from the corner and reducing the power of these four White stones.

If White hanes at A now, Black can simply extend to B.

If White cuts at C, Black can extend to A, keeping White on the run.

Move 42

＞＜

But White hanes instead of making the cut.

＞＜

If White did choose to cut, then he risked being separated into two groups …

＞＜

Black extends, because an atari at A or B on the marked stone does not help Black.

＞＜

White can descend to make shape, threatening to atari at C.

＞＜

After Black joins, White now has two groups to save. True, if he plays at A, he has a solid upper side, but the Black stones are like a wave pressing down the board, absorbing the six White stones in their path.

Move 43

＞＜

But Black fails to play the solid extension at A.

Move 44

＞＜

And this allows White to extend towards his corner, neutralising a lot of the power of the Black wall now.

Here, I am talking about the difference between solid profit on the upper side and the much larger influence that can be gained into the centre. Better to get the prospects of fifty points later rather than secure fifteen points now.

Move 45

＞＜

Play has settled now, so it is wise for Black to tenuki. But why kill a group that is already dead? By failing to read, White effectively gets two moves in a row.

Move 46

＞＜

And this allows White to strengthen, forcing Black to pay a price for his earlier weak shape.

Move 47

＞＜

Black is wise to defend, thereby securing better shape.

Move 48

＞＜

Solid and safe by White.

But if you look carefully at the board before jumping to the obvious move, you can often see a much more elegant way of defending.

Here, the variation sequence shows that White can threaten to mobilise the two marked stones as a way of protecting the cut at A.

Or he can ignore the cut entirely.

＞＜

If White turns here, Black can and will hane …

＞＜

… but before White takes further action, he can protect the cut at A by playing a peek …

＞＜

… the threat to atari is something that Black should respond to.

＞＜

And if Black were to later cut at A, White can safely start to atari the cutting stone because the marked stone will act as a linear ladder break.

＞＜

… or he can ignore the cut entirely …

＞＜

… if Black cuts, then White can capture Black in a geta (a net).

＞＜

First he ataries.

＞＜

Black defends, but only has two liberties.

＞＜

And White completes the geta.

If Black at A, White at B.

If Black at C, White at D.

Black expands his large moyo.

Move 49

＞＜

By playing cautiously, White gives Black sente, and he uses it superbly.

This corner approach works well with his lower right corner.

End of sample chapters. In the book, this game is commented to the end.

Buy This Book

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

© 2011 Neil Moffatt

About Go Books

We welcome your suggestions and feedback at books@gobooks.com. Please let us know which Go books you’d like to see included in SmartGo Books.

Go Books for Macintosh: Read about Go on your Mac. Use “Register Your Purchases” to access your books on other platforms.

Go Books is just one of several acclaimed SmartGo apps for iPad and iPhone:

SmartGo Kifu: The complete tool to study Go. With 101,000 pro games, 2,000 problems, joseki matching, and computer play.

SmartGo Player: Play a quick and challenging game of Go against the computer. SmartGo automatically adjusts the handicap to keep the game challenging, for beginners as well as seasoned players.

For up-to-date SmartGo info, we encourage you to follow @smartgo on Twitter. For information on books only, follow @gobooks.