Decider

British Go Journal No. 62. July 1984. Page 17.

Richard Granville

This game comes from the fifth round of the Candidates tournament. Both players had perfect 4/4 records, so the winner was sure to qualify.

Black: Richard Granville, 3d
White: John Smith, 2d
The game-file in SGF format.

Figure 1 (1-55)

• Black 7,9: A very inappropriate choice of joseki - white 2 is ideally placed to nullify blacks influence. Blacks simplest way to play is to play 7' at A. Having decided on the actual move 7, he should play 9' at 13.
• 12 - 19: White l6 is usually played at B, but the result is good for white once he has played 12.
• White 20: Very good. Black 21 and 23 are probably the best he can do, but his position becomes very over-concentrated.
• White 24: However this move is too small at this stage of the game. Black is happy to make a shimari with 25 and answer whites approach to the bottom with a pincer at 27.
• White 36: The moves 28 - 35 are a standard joseki, but this move is a serious mistake. If white wants to play here, he should first push at 43; if not, he must play 36' at 39.
• Black 37: White has no answer. Black builds thickness in sente up to 43 and gets the good extension to 45.
• White 46: White should answer blacks approach, e.g. by playing at C. Since Black can safely ignore 50, he can jump to 51, which almost turns the side into black territory.
• White 52 - 58: These moves seal black in, but in gote. Black decides to make sure of the territory on the left with 59, allowing white to break up the right side.

Figure 2 (56-101)

• White 60-80: Whites invading group escapes quite easily, but black is able to defend his positions both above and below.
• Black 85: Black is already far ahead in territory, so 86 would be safer.
• Black 87: Bad - 88 instead would live easily.
• Black 91: Better at 92 - white cannot achieve much by cutting at 91. After 92 - 96, black appears to be in trouble, but saves himself by playing 99 and 101.
  After 103^* black is alive; whites best attempt to kill is D, Black E, White F but Black can play the sequence to J and then A making a second eye in the centre.
  * [Not in BGJ diagram, perhaps should be 101?]

White played on by invading the left side, but resigned when his group died.