A Tale of Two Games

Last week I lost my first AYD game.  But then, the next morning I played a game that I knew would be reviewed by Guo Juan.  In my AYD game, I had played Black.  In my GJ game, I played White and my opponent obligingly played the exact same opening I had played as Black the day before!  So I got to try the same game from the other side.  :)  Unfortunately, I didn't get my AYD review until after my second game.  Here are comments from both.

AYD game:

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[6.50]TM[2400]OT[3x30 byo-yomi] PW[boltar]PB[greyhound]WR[1d]DT[2017-05-16]PC[The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/]RE[W+Resign] ;B[pd]BL[2381.788]C[boltar [1d\]: no problem, works better for me too ] ;W[dd]WL[2390.361] ;B[qp]BL[2372.476] ;W[dq]WL[2384.902] ;B[oq]BL[2360.233] ;W[qf]WL[2382.066] ;B[pi]BL[2352.092] ;W[nd]WL[2319.785] ;B[pf]BL[2343.375] (;W[pg]WL[2311.561] ;B[of]BL[2340.096] ;W[qc]WL[2251.359] ;B[qe]BL[2323.704] ;W[pc]WL[2248.709] (;B[rf]BL[2318.958]C[But this opening is pretty ok for Black.] ;W[jp]WL[2214.295] ;B[cf]BL[2268.379] ;W[fc]WL[2134.712] ;B[do]BL[2222.807] ;W[dl]WL[2099.643] (;B[eq]BL[2176.909] (;W[er]WL[2046.58] ;B[ep]BL[2172.882] ;W[fr]WL[1992.905] ;B[cq]BL[2168.879] (;W[cr]WL[1988.247] ;B[dp]BL[2163.537] ;W[dr]WL[1986.479] ;B[hp]BL[2156.975]LB[cp:A]C[Now White's cut at A is not big (Black can extend and squeeze) and White is pressed down to the second line.] ;W[ch]WL[1809.669] (;B[lq]BL[2108.25] ;W[bq]WL[1694.073] (;B[lc]BL[2067.852] ;W[nb]WL[1678.963] ;B[ic]BL[2061.339] ;W[df]WL[1594.144]C[Good move locally, but right side is more urgent.] (;B[dg]BL[1975.776]C[Black should also play the right side, which is bigger. Also, locally, this is not the right move. This is a well-known bad move. ] ;W[cg]WL[1588.806] ;B[de]BL[1948.907] ;W[ef]WL[1586.815] ;B[cd]BL[1933.321] ;W[ee]WL[1583.2] ;B[ce]BL[1918.805] ;W[cc]WL[1484.614] ;B[dc]BL[1908.3] ;W[ed]WL[1482.179] ;B[bc]BL[1893.977] ;W[cb]WL[1480.614] ;B[bb]BL[1891.044] ;W[db]WL[1478.427] ;B[bg]BL[1829.142] ;W[bh]WL[1475.516] ;B[bf]BL[1758.447] ;W[iq]WL[1436.622] ;B[hq]BL[1754.224] ;W[hr]WL[1433.97] ;B[hm]BL[1703.659] ;W[qo]WL[1321.654] (;B[po]BL[1663.593] ;W[qn]WL[1318.579] ;B[rp]BL[1661.832] ;W[pn]WL[1308.399] ;B[oo]BL[1659.78] ;W[qk]WL[1293.912] ;B[rj]BL[1624.182] ;W[nm]WL[1263.208]C[In-seong prefers White now, though Black is not behind by points. But White was bad before, but now made an even game.] ;B[nk]BL[1469.054] ;W[lm]WL[1159.95] ;B[mn]BL[1437.103] ;W[mm]WL[1097.264] ;B[ko]BL[1424.167] ;W[lk]WL[1055.995] (;B[jl]BL[1401.319]C["better than nothing" but not really doing much.] ;W[li]WL[1023.828] ;B[ie]BL[1377.265] ;W[kr]WL[926.481]C[White does not need to play here.] (;B[ek]BL[1360.275]C[Black gets a chance to come in, but this move is slack.] ;W[dk]WL[905.428] ;B[ej]BL[1356.348] ;W[di]WL[831.616] ;B[cm]BL[1346.036] ;W[dm]WL[698.441] ;B[cn]BL[1334.074] ;W[fm]WL[693.889]C[Black is thin.] ;B[gn]BL[1307.496] ;W[gk]WL[677.545] ;B[bk]BL[1292.899] (;W[dj]WL[669.419] ;B[rd]BL[1143.49] ;W[rc]WL[663.929] (;B[rk]BL[1024.412]C[This move is also wrong.] ;W[hh]WL[487.505] ;B[kj]BL[972.155] ;W[lj]WL[484.075] ;B[ij]BL[967.669] ;W[hi]WL[467.468] ;B[jh]BL[916.979] ;W[oj]WL[462.498] ;B[pl]BL[876.76] ;W[ql]WL[371.127] ;B[oi]BL[826.648] ;W[nj]WL[325.259] ;B[qj]BL[805.328] ;W[pj]WL[314.9] ;B[rl]BL[767.949] ;W[rm]WL[294.046] ;B[on]BL[753.468] ;W[om]WL[278.377] ;B[pk]BL[747.069] ;W[qm]WL[275.783] ;B[ni]BL[742.954] ;W[mi]WL[238.997] ;B[ok]BL[732.005] ;W[mj]WL[232.715] ;B[pm]BL[710.007] ;W[sm]WL[145.26] ;B[ro]BL[705.753] ;W[mk]WL[142.007] ;B[lr]BL[682.923] ;W[ba]WL[91.863] ;B[ad]BL[667.995] ;W[jd]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[jc]BL[651.704] ;W[id]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[hd]BL[640.47] ;W[hc]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[ke]BL[521.385] ;W[he]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[gd]BL[487.727] ;W[je]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[jf]BL[482.339] ;W[kd]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[ld]BL[477.603] ;W[if]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[kc]BL[476.2] ;W[ie]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[gc]BL[445.962] ;W[kf]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[jg]BL[420.519] ;W[le]WL[30]OW[3] ;B[gb]BL[411.896] ;W[il]WL[30]OW[2] ;B[im]BL[321.282] ;W[nh]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[og]BL[276.266] ;W[ji]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ii]BL[200.146] ;W[jn]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[jm]BL[168.995] ;W[la]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[kb]BL[141.641] ;W[ls]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[jr]BL[29.574] ;W[kq]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ir]BL[13.746] ;W[hs]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ms]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[js]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ip]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[jq]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[jo]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[mr]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ks]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ab]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[be]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ls]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[rn]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[nl]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ks]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ag]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[af]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ls]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[sn]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ol]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ks]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[oh]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ph]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ls]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[hj]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[gj]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[kp]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[is]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[mq]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[ns]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[nr]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[or]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ms]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[qi]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[qh]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[mr]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[sc]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[sb]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[sd]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[nq]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[rb]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[qb]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[sa]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[md]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[ge]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[gf]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[qr]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[np]WL[30]OW[1] ;B[mo]BL[30]OB[2] ;W[kn]WL[30]OW[1]) (;B[pl]C[Black needs to play the shoulder hit. Much more annoying.] (;W[on] ;B[ql]) (;W[ql] ;B[on] ;W[om] ;B[pm] ;W[pk] ;B[ol] ;W[ok] ;B[nl] (;W[nj] ;B[qm] ;W[rm]) (;W[qm] ;B[nj])))) (;W[gi]C[White can just capture -- the cut is not working.])) (;B[cj]C[Black should invade directly. Much more annoying for White.] (;W[dj] ;B[di] ;W[ci] ;B[dk] ;W[ej] ;B[ck] ;W[ek] ;B[dh]C[White's stones are dead.]) (;W[di] ;B[dj] ;W[ej] ;B[ei]C[Working]))) (;B[jm]C[This one at least makes Black connected.]) (;B[cj]C[But invading here now is probably better.])) (;B[qm]C[Maybe Black should play this way, to still focus on the side.])) (;B[de]C[Black should wedge.] (;W[ce] ;B[ee] (;W[bf] ;B[ed]C[Black can push and cut -- good for Black.]) (;W[cd]C[White must connect.] ;B[dg]C[Ladder works for Black.])) (;W[ee] ;B[ce] ;W[ef] (;B[dg] ;W[cg]C[Now Black will not make this exchange.]) (;B[cg] ;W[dh] ;B[cd] ;W[cc] ;B[bc] ;W[dc] ;B[bb]C[Much better living shape for Black than the game.])))) (;B[pl]C[Black's potential on the right is bigger than White's potential on the top, so Black should just stay in her area.])) (;B[lp]C[Fourth line looks better, because Black cares about the right side.])) (;W[dr]LB[cp:A][gp:B]C[White should choose this variation, to look for A or B.] ;B[co] ;W[gp] ;B[bl])) (;W[ep]C[In-seong likes this move when White has K4.] ;B[dp] ;W[fq] (;B[cq] ;W[er]C[Black cannot give this ponnuki.]) (;B[er] ;W[cq] ;B[fr] ;W[eo] ;B[bp] ;W[bq] ;B[cp] ;W[en] ;B[dr]C[White's three stones are dead,] ;W[bo] ;B[aq] ;W[dn] ;B[br] ;W[ch]C[But White can squeeze and pincer (or kick) to attack.]))) (;B[fo]C[Better for Black to jump.] ;W[fq] ;B[ho]C[Maybe jump twice.] ;W[gp] ;B[go] ;W[lq]C[White needs to protect this rather thin connection.] ;B[di]C[Better for Black than the game.])) (;B[og]C[Usually, Black plays here (thicker, build the outside).])) (;W[qc]C[Professionals prefer to jump straight into the corner now.] ;B[qe] ;W[pc]C[This way Black is not as thick as the other variation.]))

GJ game:

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[7.50]TM[2700]OT[5x30 byo-yomi] PW[greyhound]PB[Ethelor]DT[2017-05-17]PC[The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/]C[White+Res.]RE[W+Resign] ;B[qd]BL[2689.627] ;W[dc]WL[2686.238] ;B[pp]BL[2684.115] ;W[dp]WL[2680.581] ;B[oc]BL[2678.732] ;W[qn]WL[2672.213] ;B[pk]BL[2644.588] ;W[np]WL[2658.314] ;B[pn]BL[2629.337] ;W[pm]WL[2655.355] ;B[on]BL[2625.144] ;W[qq]WL[2648.988] ;B[qo]BL[2620.202] ;W[pq]WL[2646.631] ;B[rn]BL[2614.453] ;W[jd]WL[2635.338]C[Up to here, this is *exactly* the same as my AYD game from the night before, except this time I'm White. ] ;B[cf]BL[2606.162] ;W[cd]WL[2610.712] ;B[ci]BL[2596.17] ;W[ck]WL[2607.143] ;B[ef]BL[2584.176] ;W[dg]WL[2596.738] ;B[cg]BL[2481.998] (;W[dn]WL[2548.392] ;B[lq]BL[2375.91] ;W[nr]WL[2538.768] ;B[iq]BL[2358.396] ;W[qe]WL[2523.197] ;B[pe]BL[2353.008] ;W[qf]WL[2520.809] ;B[rd]BL[2351.696] ;W[pf]WL[2519.576] ;B[oe]BL[2349.917] ;W[qi]WL[2518.009] ;B[rj]BL[2348.955] ;W[ng]WL[2500.613]C[I probably would not have chosen this move (maybe P11 or something?) but my opponent the night before played this one, so I thought I'd try it too. :)] ;B[ph]BL[2321.475]C[My opponent jumped at the opportunity to play ths move immediately (the one I never got to in my AYD game, but was recommended by In-seong), but GJ didn't think Black had much to do here. Probably it's too early, so White can just run away. When In-seong recommended this in my AYD game the surrounding situation was quite different.] (;W[qh]WL[2405.215]C[This is not a good response. (White should have nobi'd up.)] ;B[of]BL[2308.547] ;W[og]WL[2356.961] ;B[pg]BL[2305.387] ;W[qj]WL[2239.72] ;B[qk]BL[2295.78] ;W[qg]WL[2144.703] ;B[oi]BL[2278.686] ;W[oj]WL[2099.227] (;B[nj]BL[2253.988] ;W[pi]WL[2081.592] ;B[cq]BL[2169.599] ;W[dq]WL[2061.277] (;B[cp]BL[2168.25] ;W[co]WL[2057.356] ;B[dr]BL[2161.795] ;W[er]WL[2036.614] ;B[cr]BL[2160.941] ;W[fq]WL[2034.185] ;B[bo]BL[2159.551] ;W[bn]WL[2032.122] ;B[ap]BL[2156.084] (;W[an]WL[2023.732]C[This is: a) too soon, and b) the wrong place to start, and c) I totally know both of these things, so this is extremely embarrassing. ] ;B[ar]BL[2132.607] ;W[kp]WL[1958.821] ;B[io]BL[2128.734] ;W[kq]WL[1951.446] ;B[ko]BL[2124.613] ;W[lp]WL[1941.963]SQ[ng][pg][ph]C[GJ says Black doesn't have enough territory now. It's hard because White's head is out and, with the two captured stones, White is very strong.] ;B[lo]BL[2120.599] ;W[nn]WL[1845.17] ;B[mn]BL[2101.314] ;W[no]WL[1669.304] ;B[nm]BL[2097.073] ;W[jo]WL[1667.07] ;B[jn]BL[2092.779] ;W[jp]WL[1665.214] ;B[in]BL[2081.651] ;W[ip]WL[1663.205] ;B[hd]BL[2033.31] ;W[mc]WL[1643.933] ;B[ok]BL[2005.645] ;W[oh]WL[1639.697] ;B[me]BL[1998.862] ;W[ob]WL[1545.43] ;B[nb]BL[1987.843] ;W[nc]WL[1543.479] ;B[pb]BL[1986.542] ;W[od]WL[1531.97] ;B[pc]BL[1982.483] ;W[mb]WL[1528.913] ;B[oa]BL[1981.125] (;W[nd]WL[1526.94]C[White's cutting here is a bad idea.] ;B[mf]BL[1979.306] ;W[pd]WL[1513.436]C[Cutting does not give White any territory.] ;B[jf]BL[1969.942] ;W[ie]WL[1490.896]C[This is also a bad move for White, because...] ;B[kc]BL[1947.181]C[Black has this nice rush invasion.] ;W[jc]WL[1360.665] ;B[kd]BL[1937.419] ;W[kb]WL[1352.5] ;B[ib]BL[1928.264] ;W[jb]WL[1329.238] ;B[ig]BL[1892.492]C[But once White is ok, the game is just hard for Black.] ;W[nf]WL[1242.404] ;B[ne]BL[1883.881] ;W[ke]WL[1207.3] ;B[ld]BL[1877.694] ;W[je]WL[1202.329] ;B[lg]BL[1867.998] ;W[hc]WL[1162.937] ;B[ic]BL[1858.142] ;W[id]WL[1148.906] ;B[ni]BL[1854.528] ;W[ri]WL[1125.843] ;B[rk]BL[1839.438] ;W[re]WL[1099.856] ;B[ek]BL[1826.905] ;W[fl]WL[1043.749] ;B[fn]BL[1759.816] ;W[el]WL[972.935] ;B[hp]BL[1757.806] ;W[hl]WL[950.734] ;B[ik]BL[1724.472] ;W[il]WL[947.701] ;B[jl]BL[1723.336] ;W[hk]WL[921.726] ;B[ij]BL[1721.657] ;W[mh]WL[918.545] ;B[mp]BL[1707.101] ;W[mq]WL[909.613] ;B[lj]BL[1512.656] ;W[gc]WL[838.5] ;B[hj]BL[1459.706] ;W[hg]WL[754.748] ;B[hh]BL[1362.79] ;W[gg]WL[731.229] ;B[gh]BL[1361.329] ;W[fg]WL[720.482] ;B[fh]BL[1360.157] ;W[eg]WL[718.152] ;B[dh]BL[1358.946] ;W[df]WL[699.495] ;B[rp]BL[1345.72] ;W[hq]WL[669.133]) (;W[jf]C[Better to just come out or something like this.])) (;W[ar]C[If White is going to play here now at all (which White shouldn't, because White is just throwing away ko threats), then White should start here, to gain 3 points in gote later.] ;B[br] ;W[an] ;B[aq])) (;B[bp]C[Normally, Black plays this way when White has D6.] ;W[bn] ;B[dr] ;W[er] ;B[br] ;W[ds] ;B[cr])) (;B[ni]C[Black missed this chance. (I saw this in the game, and was expecting to have a terrible result at this point, but my opponent missed it.)] ;W[pj] ;B[mj] ;W[ok] ;B[qm] ;W[mk] ;B[lk] ;W[ml] ;B[ll] ;W[mm]C[Black is outside.])) (;W[pi] (;B[oh] ;W[qh] (;B[of] ;W[qk] ;B[qj] ;W[pj] ;B[ql] ;W[ok] ;B[rk] ;W[og] ;B[pg] ;W[nh]C[The whole thing is kind of small, and White can even come back to kill the Black stones.]) (;B[oi] ;W[of]LB[qk:A]C[White runs away, and White still has A.])) (;B[qh] ;W[ri] ;B[oh] ;W[rh] ;B[of] ;W[qk] ;B[qj] ;W[pj] ;B[rk] ;W[ok] ;B[ql] ;W[og] ;B[pg] ;W[nh]C[Same.]))) (;W[kq]C[GJ recommends closing this, to avoid the annoying Black attachment at O3. ]) (;W[] ;B[nq] (;W[mq] ;B[oq] ;W[op] ;B[mr] ;W[lq] (;B[mp]C[In this case, the ladder is good (just) for White, but...]) (;B[pr] ;W[qr] ;B[lr]C[Black can still play this way. It's a big fight, but doesn't look so great for White.])) (;W[oq]C[If White can't fight, White has to play this way.] ;B[mq] ;W[op] ;B[mp]C[Better for Black than just playing M3.])))

Back in the Game!

Finals are over!



Now I delve deep into Go (and Japanese -- と日本語), in preparation for Japan and in an attempt to get to a solid 3 dan by the end of the summer.

Yesterday I beat Mr. Park in an even game for the first time at CPL!  He's 4 dan.  :)  Technically, it was no komi but I won by resignation.  It's definitely not indicative of my tournament strength though.  I play much too slowly.

More importantly, I have some serious games lined up for this week.  I'm resuming play in AYD, with my first game on Tuesday.  (But I'll only play for one month, because I'll be leaving for Japan after that.)  I'm arranging to play a game online to be reviewed by Guo Juan at the end of the week.  And An and I are going to try to play this week at Diesel at some point.  Plus, there are all the regular MGA meetups.

It's good to be back!

Rank Update

I finally clawed my way up to 1 dan on IGS!

I'm proud of this because it's really hard to win your way up in rank.  (The other option is to start a new account at a higher level and try to defend it, which can be easier to do.)

Of course, my AGA rank is higher (though, after the last MGA tournament, no longer at my high-water mark):

But Sensei's Library puts IGS 1 dan as equivalent to AGA 3 dan:

So if I can defend 1 dan on IGS, maybe I can justify entering an AGA tournament at 3 dan at some point.  (I just got to 1 dan on IGS, so I might very well drop back down.)

West of the Sun

In addition to chipping away at my Japanese language skills (わたしの日本語がおじょおずじゃありません）I thought I'd read some Murakami (in English) to get ready for my trip to Japan this summer.  I just started reading South of the Border, West of the Sun, in which the main character (Hajime, meaning "beginning", which I know from "Hajimemashita", meaning "hello" when meeting someone for the first time), is complaining extensively about being an only child.  He says,

I detested the term only child.  Every time I heard it, I felt something was missing from me -- like I wasn't quite a complete human being.  The phrase only child stood there, pointing an accusatory finger at me.  "Something's not quite all there, pal," it told me.

Since I'm reading a translation in English, this made me wonder what the corresponding phrase for "only child" was in Japanese.  Then, in my Mango lesson today (#103), I learned how to say "only child"!  :)  It's ひとりっこ、which is literally "one child".

New Hampshire High School Club

Eva (our intrepid tournament director) shared this delightful photo of part of the crew that came down from NH for our MGA spring handicap tournament:

MGA Spring Handicap Tournament 2017

I played in a tournament!  I missed the Boston Spring Open (too busy with work).  But this one was right at the start of spring break for me, so it was perfect timing.  I actually played all four games too!

• Game 1: played white, no komi vs. Karen and won on time
• Game 2: took five (five) stones from Ethan (7 dan high schooler from Philly) and lost by 1.5...  yeesh!  The time setting is just too fast for me.  Basically the whole game was on my clock.
• Game 3: It was such a beautiful day, so Shawn and I went outside to eat lunch...  and came back late for round 3.  I lost 5 minutes on my clock, and lost by resignation to Cam (black, no komi).
• Game 4: Gave three stones to Charlie and won by about 15 points.  It was so nice to see him again!  Apparently he played in the Boston Spring Open a few weeks ago, but he hasn't been around much lately.  Even so, I think he's gotten stronger.  He's counting and doing a better job of taking sente.  He'll be stronger than me in no time.

I think the best part of the tournament was our new out-of-towners.  Ethan has been playing Go his whole life, but only recently learned of our American organization, and was happy to travel up here on his spring break to play with us.  We tried to emphasize all the great colleges in the Boston area.

We also had a contingent of new players from a high school Go club in New Hampshire:

They've only been playing for about a year, and this was their first tournament.  It was really fun to have them join us.  Their visit sparked some discussion about how we can get more high schools in the area to do this.  The AGF starter kit is fantastic, but you need someone at the high school to take the lead.  

I'm on spring break for the week and it feels like summer: warm weather and unscheduled days ready to be filled with Go study & play.  

Rank Update

Joe of the Go cookies asked at Audrey's birthday party of many surprises about my progress toward my 5 dan goal.  I think he was making fun of me when I said I was at 2 dan now and he pointedly asked what my rank was at the beginning of my 5Yto5D plan (1 dan).  But I still have 3.5 years to go, so I'm right on track (because we all know progress is linear, right?).

Thanks to Andrew's hard work on setting up Ronin League, I'm getting an occasional rated game in between tournaments.  My current rank is at an all-time high for me of 2.85:

(We use the floor function to decide rank, so I don't get to round up to 3 dan.)

My latest bump in rank came from my Season 1, Episode 3 game against Andrew:

I'll have another bump from my Season 1, Episode 4 game against Andrew played at our most recent Gojo.  I wonder if I can get to 3 dan just by beating Andrew...  ;)