Anonymous Game

British Go Journal No. 0. Spring 1967. Page 5.

Black: Unknown
White: Unknown
The game-file in SGF format.

Figure 1 (1-12)

• Black 1 is the commonest opening; White can respond in any corner.
• Black 3 is a solid move which gives White, and not Black, the choice of playing in opposite corners or down the sides.
• White 4 is an influential move (4^th line) balancing 1 & 3.
• White 10 is another influential move, threatening Black's stone 7 (e.g. by playing A) and Black's 5 & 9 group.
• White 12 secures room for eyes and takes away similar possibilities from Black.

Figure 2 (13-31)

• Black 13 has a similar, but smaller, effect to that of White 12. It could be replaced by an extension to B but 13 by White will then threaten strong invasion.
• Black 15 is necessary to prevent white from jumping any nearer the black group after the attack with 14.
• White 16 is to discourage black from invading at C and threatens to wall black in at 17, leaving Black with a small live group and no influence at all in this area.
• White 18 still threatens to enclose black.
• White 20 is good form, better than any other move in this area.
  Also white cannot cut black at 21 because of Dia 1, attacking the white group.
• Black 21 concludes the sequence stared with 18 by which White has strengthened his lower group with sente. White now has time to support his last corner with 22 giving Black a choice between extension along the top or down the right hand side.
• Black 23 stops White forming an ideal formation of 5 stones in the top left corner.
• White 24 then automatically grabs the other side - 24 is the best point - and now threatens to dominate the lower centre and right part of the board. Should black invade the corner white would wall him in and feel very pleased with his great outward influence from his right and left groups working together.
• Black 25: So Black plays the usual attack and pushes further into the corner to strengthen his group against attack.
• White 28 is large and best.
• Black 29 is a good extension, threatening invasion at G.
• White 30: prevents the invasion at G, forming an ideally strong 5- stone formation.
• Black 31 leaves White to do something about Black's great sphere of influence and good prospects in the top right corner.

Diagram 1

See white 20.

Figure 3 (32-57)

• White 32 is not the best way for to do something about Black's great sphere of influence and good prospects in the top right corner; H is better, and if black replies at 32 then white invades at, for example, 34.
• Black 33 is a good defensive move, though heavy, because it anticipates 39.
• White 34: Light, as it should be. Heavy play is far worse when attacking than when defending.
• White 38 is best. If White is tempted to play 42, black will just cut at 38.
• Black 39: The profitable move, threatening invasion of the corner, for example at J, which White should have anticipated at move 32.
• White 46 protects against a black invasion of White's territory, which black's creep to the left is threatening despite the strengthening exchange of 40 for 41. Now Black takes as much profit as he can in this bit of the board and then turns elsewhere ...
• Black 57: ... to make this valuable move (about 8 points).

Figure 4 (58-108)

• White 58: A necessary defensive move.
• Black 59: An excellent move, increasing Black's territory while preventing White from doing likewise with the same move.
• White 60: After 59, this is the furthest that white can safely come into the black group.
• White 64 is the usual attack on this corner formation and 65 the usual defensive reply on that side.
• White 66, 68: help to make White's large group alive.
• Black 69 threatens K or L spoiling White's territory. But it is a risky move because it can be cut, as happens with the game, thereby jeopardising Black's chances in a position that is favourable to him, thanks to White's earlier mistake (32).
• Black 75' could be changed to N as in Dia 2. This either captures three white stones or connects to the black stones above.
• White 80 is the best way to save the two stones and prevent black from invading. Black now tries to connect to the top right corner but fails and has to try and make eyes in the centre or connect to another black group.
• Black 93: Black supposed that this gave him the chance of playing at L later, but this is answered by M.
• White 100: After this, White threatens to cut with 108 thanks to 66 & 68.
• White 108: Now Black has saved only part of his group, The rest is lost.

Diagram 2

See black 75.

Figure 5 (109-130)

• Black 109 is a mistake as will be seen later.
• Black 111 - 127: All Black's moves from 111 to 127 are strong sente moves, profitable enough to put Black back in the game with a chance.
• White 116 is necessary by white because of the alternative in Dia 3 where black is alive in the corner.
• Black 129 should be played at P to prevent White's next coup.

Diagram 3

See white 116.

Figure 6 (131-142)

• Black 137: If black had not earlier made the exchange of 109 (Q) for 110 (R), he could have saved himself after white 136 by playing 137' at 138.
• Black 139: After this, the black stones are white's because if black plays at S then white T, black U, white V and Black cannot fill both false eyes at once.
• White 140, 142: After these two valuable moves, which reduce black's potential territory while slightly increasing white's, Black is losing by about 15 points.

Black resigned shortly after 142.