1d+

My rank on IGS is now 1d+!

Slowly clawing my way up:

(The long flatline is from when I was in Japan and not playing online.)

Back to the grindstone

I'm back home and returning to my usual modes of study.

Guo Juan reviewed some games of mine from the club last week.  I lost both games by resignation.  Here's one with Mr. Cho, in which I played Black (no komi).

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.50] GN[2017-07-27a]PW[Mr. Cho]PB[Becci]WR[5d]DT[2017-07-27]EV[Diesel]PC[Cambridge]C[White+res.] ;B[pd] ;W[dp] ;B[pq] ;W[dd] ;B[fq] ;W[cn] ;B[jp] ;W[pn] ;B[qo] ;W[po] (;B[qp] (;W[jn]C[This move is strange. White should play P3.] (;B[cf]C[This is big, but not urgent.] ;W[fc] ;B[bd] ;W[ch] ;B[dh] ;W[ci] ;B[cc] ;W[ce] ;B[be] ;W[df] ;B[dg] ;W[cg] ;B[bf] ;W[dc] ;B[ef] ;W[de] (;B[qf] (;W[di]C[This move is good for White. ] ;B[pj] ;W[ld]C[Ambitious.] ;B[jd] ;W[je] ;B[ie] ;W[ke] ;B[hd]C[Black has no problem here.] ;W[eg] ;B[ig]C[Jump out -- very good.] ;W[kh] ;B[kg] ;W[lg] ;B[jg]C[This same shape came up in an earlier game between us. At that time, I was the one with the cut-able jump but he peeped instead of cutting, which (supposedly) helped me. ] (;W[lf] ;B[lh] ;W[ki] ;B[mh]C[Nobi -- very good.] ;W[ii] ;B[eh] ;W[fg] ;B[hh] ;W[ic] ;B[id] ;W[kb] ;B[hc] ;W[ib] ;B[hb] ;W[nc] (;B[ff]C[This move is wrong.] ;W[gg] ;B[gf] ;W[fi]C[I missed this geta. :(] ;B[hg] ;W[gi] ;B[hi] ;W[hj] ;B[kc] ;W[lc] ;B[jb] ;W[pb] ;B[qc] ;W[lb] ;B[ia]C[Game is better for White now.] ;W[ng] (;B[qn] (;W[pi]C[Tsuke here gives Black a chance.] ;B[qi] ;W[qh] ;B[ph] ;W[oi] ;B[rh] (;W[oh]C[This is a mistake for White.] ;B[qg]C[Very good for Black.] ;W[nk] ;B[dr] ;W[eq] ;B[er] ;W[fp] ;B[gp] ;W[go] ;B[hp] ;W[ho] ;B[io] ;W[in] ;B[cp] ;W[co] ;B[bp] ;W[kp] ;B[jq] ;W[jo] ;B[ip] ;W[ep] ;B[dq] ;W[kq] ;B[gr] ;W[pl] ;B[pm] ;W[om] ;B[qm] ;W[ol] (;B[nn]C[End of commentary.] ;W[op] ;B[ko] ;W[mp] ;B[oq] ;W[nq] ;B[pp] ;W[oo] ;B[am] ;W[bm] ;B[an] ;W[al] ;B[bo] ;W[bn] ;B[ao] ;W[bk] ;B[ql] ;W[qb] ;B[rb] ;W[ra] ;B[cb] ;W[rc] ;B[rd] ;W[sb] ;B[oj] ;W[nj] ;B[kr] ;W[lr] ;B[jr] ;W[or] ;B[pr] ;W[nr] ;B[og] ;W[of] ;B[pg] ;W[ne]) (;B[np] ;W[mo]C[Even like this, Black doesn't have enough.])) (;W[qj]C[White should play this way.] ;B[qg] ;W[pk] ;B[oh] ;W[oj] ;B[nh] ;W[mj] ;B[qb]LB[qb:A][nc:B]C[White B group should still be alive, even after Black A.])) (;W[pm]C[White should just nobi here, so there's nothing on the right side.])) (;B[np]C[Again, Black should play from this side.] ;W[qn] ;B[nn])) (;B[hi]C[Black should just come out.] (;W[ij] ;B[fi] ;W[fe]C[White can live,] ;B[gk]C[But Black comes out. This is quite ok for Black.]) (;W[fi] ;B[hk]C[This would be much better for Black.] ;W[jk]C[Say White tries to run away with these three stones,] ;B[ob]C[Black has the chance to save this corner, and White can't make much on the other side because Black is out in the center.]))) (;W[lh]C[If White plays this way,] ;B[lf] ;W[mf] ;B[me]C[Black can cut like this.])) (;W[fh]C[White could also play this one.])) (;B[di]C[Black should play here.] (;W[dj] ;B[cj]C[White can't hane because Black can cut.]) (;W[cj]C[White must play this way.] ;B[dj] ;W[dk] ;B[ek] ;W[dl] ;B[el]C[The left side is a very inefficient way for White to make territory, and White needs a move on the top.] ;W[ic]C[Say White plays here,] ;B[dm] ;W[cm] ;B[np]C[Black can do something like this (note this move coming up again). The game is more interesting for Black.]))) (;B[np]C[Black should respond here. (Throughout the game, GJ is looking for Black to play this move, but I never did...)] (;W[cf]C[If White plays here...] ;B[nn]C[Black jumps out. Now, what is K6 doing? The White stones on the right side are dying.]) (;W[nn]C[White needs to try to connect, ] ;B[cf]C[which leaves Black plenty of time to play here.]))) (;W[oq]LB[qp:A]C[White should play here to punish Black A. Black doesn't have the ladder.] (;B[or] ;W[nq]C[Playing this way is bad for Black.]) (;B[op]C[If Black wants to fight, this is the move, but it doesn't work.] ;W[pp] (;B[nq] ;W[or]) (;B[np]C[This would be the move, but...] ;W[qq] ;B[pr] ;W[rq] ;B[nq] ;W[qn]C[Now these stones die.])))) (;B[pp]C[Black must play like this.]))

My second game was with Cam, who is a student at MIT and who has been sprinting up the Go rank system.  He was in Thailand for part of the summer playing in the World Collegiate championship. He went 3-3 overall and is now gearing up for the US Go Congress in San Diego.  In this even game, I played White.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[7.50] GN[2017-07-27b]PW[Becci]PB[Cam]DT[2017-07-27]EV[Diesel]PC[Cambridge]C[Black+res.] ;B[cp] ;W[pd] ;B[dc] ;W[pq] ;B[fq] ;W[cj] ;B[cl] (;W[cf] (;B[nc] (;W[kd] ;B[de]C[GJ did not like this move. She suggested White C16 in response.] ;W[bd]C[Going into the corner is a good choice for White. (Though GJ's first instinct was C16.)] ;B[ne] ;W[pf] ;B[ic] ;W[df] ;B[ef] ;W[ce] ;B[ee] ;W[id] ;B[hd] (;W[ie] ;B[jc] ;W[kc] (;B[po] (;W[qm] ;B[qq] ;W[qr] ;B[qp] (;W[mq] ;B[om]C[The ladder is good for Black, so he can play this way.] ;W[qj] ;B[or] ;W[pr] ;B[oq] ;W[op] ;B[pp] ;W[os] ;B[np] ;W[nr] ;B[oo] ;W[jq] (;B[pg]C[This is overplay.] ;W[of]C[Coming out is very good.] (;B[qc] ;W[pc] ;B[pb] ;W[ob] ;B[qb] ;W[oc] ;B[re] ;W[rf] ;B[qe] ;W[qf] ;B[sf] ;W[sg] ;B[se] (;W[rh]C[Good for White. But...] (;B[qd]C[Slow. Black can live in seki even without this move.] ;W[hc]C[Cutting here is good.] ;B[gc] ;W[hb] ;B[gb] ;W[he] ;B[gd] (;W[cq]C[The upper side is big. ] (;B[bq]C[This is not the correct move.] ;W[dq] ;B[bp]C[Ooh, really?] ;W[ep]C[White comes out; very good for White.] ;B[iq] (;W[fp]C[Running away is good for White.] ;B[jp] ;W[kq] ;B[gp] ;W[dn] ;B[do] ;W[fn] ;B[eo] ;W[fo] ;B[en] ;W[lo] ;B[ho] ;W[fm] ;B[hm] ;W[in] ;B[hn] (;W[dl]C[This is not a good idea.] ;B[em] ;W[el] ;B[fl] ;W[gl] ;B[fk] ;W[gk] ;B[fj] ;W[gm]C[Now White has a problem.] (;B[dk] (;W[ck]C[No. This side is not important now.] ;B[dj] ;W[bl] ;B[cm] ;W[jl] ;B[ik] ;W[il] ;B[hl] ;W[hk]C[Cut is good.] ;B[di] ;W[bh] ;B[ij] ;W[fr] ;B[gr] (;W[hi] ;B[hj] ;W[gj] ;B[gi] ;W[gh] ;B[fi] ;W[kj] ;B[ii] ;W[hh] ;B[ih] ;W[ig] ;B[jg] ;W[if] ;B[ki] ;W[kh] ;B[li] ;W[kg] ;B[lj] ;W[kk] ;B[ji] ;W[er] ;B[cr] ;W[dr] ;B[br] ;W[hr] ;B[fs] ;W[hq] ;B[gq] ;W[ir] ;B[dp]) (;W[gi]C[This side is the shape.] ;B[hi] ;W[gj] ;B[gh] ;W[fh] ;B[hh] ;W[fi]C[It's not easy for Black to kill.])) (;W[ir]C[White should still play here.])) (;B[ir]C[Black should play this way.])) (;W[ir]C[This move is key to the game at this point (for both sides, and we both missed it repeatedly). This move is super big, both for points and for the base. If Black gets this move, White almost has to go back to live in the lower right.]) (;W[em]C[To be safe, White can exchange this sente move first, ] (;B[cn] ;W[ir]C[and then play here.] ;B[gl]C[Black can't kill White here, ] ;W[hq]C[Because this is also White's sente.] ;B[gq] ;W[ek]C[Then White comes out, and White got the points and took Black's base away.]) (;B[dm]C[If he plays this way, White still has an atari] ;W[ir]C[Again, this is the move.]))) (;W[jp]C[White can also nobi.])) (;B[nb] ;W[oa] ;B[nd]C[This is sente.] ;W[pe] ;B[le]C[If Black comes out like this, White's top group is not safe. So the upper side is really big.])) (;W[lg]C[Capturing here is big.]) (;W[kb] ;B[ib] ;W[lg]C[Or this way.])) (;B[] ;W[qd] ;B[rd] ;W[sc] ;B[rc] ;W[sb] ;B[pa] ;W[ra] ;B[rb]C[Alive in seki, and Black has lots of forcing moves outside.])) (;W[qd]C[White can play this way instead.] ;B[rd] ;W[pe]C[and then connect.] (;B[rg]C[Is Black going to cut here? "I don't believe it.."] ;W[rc] ;B[sh] ;W[rb]C[This is much too big for White.]) (;B[sc] ;W[lg]C[White takes the all-important sente.] ;B[rg] ;W[qg]C[There's nothing for Black over here.]))) (;B[pi]LB[pg:A][pi:B]C[After A, Black should follow up with B. (But jumping out instead of A is better.)])) (;B[ng]C[Black can simply play this way,] ;W[ph] ;B[jh]C[attack the middle a bit, and still jump into the corner.])) (;W[or]C[This might be better for White.] ;B[on] ;W[om]C[White could consider this...] ;B[nm] ;W[ol] ;B[nq] (;W[nn] ;B[no] ;W[mn] ;B[mo] ;W[ln] ;B[nr]C[Black still needs a move on the bottom, ] ;W[ng]C[White can switch to the top.]) (;W[mq]))) (;W[hc] ;B[hb] ;W[gc] ;B[gb] ;W[fc] ;B[fb] ;W[ng]C[Feels like the upper side is big, and should be dealt with. (White can treat the G17 stones as kikashi.)])) (;B[ng]C[Black should probably just jump out.] ;W[ph] ;B[dg] ;W[cg] ;B[dh] ;W[ch]C[These moves are sente for Black, ] ;B[jh]C[So Black can play something like this. White shouldn't die, but gets closed in, which is painful.])) (;W[jc]C[GJ suggested this move.] ;B[ie] ;W[jd] ;B[hc] ;W[kf]C[Normally, this is terrible for White, but now Black is overconcentrated.] ;B[ng] ;W[oc] ;B[nb] ;W[ph] ;B[kh]C[If Black plays here,] (;W[if]C[White has this. And Black has to watch out for N14. ] ;B[] ;W[mf] ;B[nf] ;W[lh]) (;W[mf]C[Maybe White can even play this directly.] ;B[nf] ;W[md] ;B[nd] ;W[lh]C[This is not so easy for Black.]))) (;W[bc]C[White should take the corner.] ;B[gc]C[If Black defends, ] ;W[qf]C[White can play somewhere else like this.] ;B[ch]C[If Black invades here, it doesn't matter, because White is already alive.] ;W[ef])) (;B[cd] ;W[dh]C[This way, White is smaller.])) (;W[ce]C[White should go further, like this, because it shares the corner.] (;B[cg]C[If Black invades, it's ok...] ;W[ee] ;B[fd] ;W[dh] ;B[cd] ;W[be]C[This is fine.]) (;B[ed]C[If Black plays this way...] ;W[dg] ;B[cd] ;W[de]C[This is different, because now...] ;B[] ;W[gd]C[White has this attack as a follow-up.])))

I'm so fortunate to have strong players around who are willing to play with me.  I just learned that we have another strong player (around 5 dan) who will be enrolling at Brandeis as an undergrad this fall!  I might have to share An...