(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[9]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.13b]

GN[hernand4]
PB[Human]
HA[2]
PW[Igo for windows]
KM[0]
RU[Japanese]

AB[gc][cg]C[Human strength is 15 Kyu.  Computer playing at level 3


Pajaro: Hi. This is my first review for the GTL. I'll try to do my best to explain what happened here. My comments begin with pajaro, my nick in IGS.


Fabian (european 3k): This is a review of a review, so it is my first time too ;)]
;W[cd];B[gg]LB[fg:a][ec:b]TR[cg]C[How do I attack the centre? It always ends to be the case that my territory is along the edges and I end up with nothing in the center.

Pajaro: You **must not** attack the center. This is very important. The points are in the corners, then the edges and then the centre. In a small board, this is more true. So it is natural that you end with no territoy in the center. This is like this for your opponent, too.
Your move here is ok.


Fabian: There is usually less territory in the center than along the edges of the board, this holds true especially on 13x13, but also on 19x19. However the center can be an important source of power for fighting. On 9x9 the game is completely different than on bigger boards as it is almost only a single fight. Professional players often start on E5 in the center when playing 9x9 and although this is no simple move the influence and power of such a move can be felt in all 4 corners on 9x9.

Anyway don't worry too much about this right now, u should focus on keeping your stones connected, splitting the opponents and build alive groups. Then your territory will evolve naturally.

Your move here is a little low, but ok for handicap, maybe A would be better, as it works together with the triangled stone.
Also a move at B would strenghten your upper corner as well as threaten the white corner, but is more aggressive, white would probably have to play somewhere in the 4th corner and things would get more complicated.]
;W[ec]C[Fabian: Note how the same spot where white plays now would have been a good spot for black. "The opponents key point is your own", says the proverb. Often it is good to consider playing somewhere yourself, when you are worried about your opponent playing there.]

(;B[fe]LB[ff:a]C[Is F6 better?

Pajaro: I think this move is ok.  Look at the var how F6 looks like.



Fabian: This move is ok, however if you mostly want to connect consider A (see var), especially since it has effect on both sides.]
;W[fb]
(;B[gb]MA[ai][bi][ci][ch][dh][di][ei][eh][fh][fi][gi][gh][hg]
[ig][if][hf][he][ie][id][hd][hc][ic][ib][ia][hh][ih][ii][hi]
[ae][ad][bd][bc][cc][dc][eb][ea][da][db][cb][ca][ba][bb][ac]
[ab][aa]C[Fabian: This move is ok, especially since you have  a significant lead in territory. Consider marked points, which already assume you are going to defend all the time and white get more than it deserves.

However, if you always keep answering your opponents moves like this, you will loose in an equal match. Consider variation for what could happen if you return white the favor of threatening to jump into his corner...]
;W[be]
(;B[bf]C[Is D4 better?

Pajaro: No, this is ok. You protect the corner and stop white. Look at D4.


Fabian: I think so too, however, I would have played in this place before and ignored white on the upper side, before. But since things on the upper side are already more settled, answering here is biggest.]
;W[df]C[I wasn't quite sure how to answer this. I wanted to avoid getting cut-off from my stones on the right side so I played D3. But this resulted in my stones on C3 and B4 getting slaughtered. Perhaps the problem elsewhere :-).]

(;B[dg]C[Fabian: you are right about this, black really shouldn't allow white to cut here. Consider variation]
;W[ef]
(;B[eg]C[Should I have played F3 instead?

Pajaro: I think this is ok. F3 could lead to trouble.


Fabian: I think F3 is ok as well (as is shown in the variation)]
;W[ff]
(;B[fg]C[G4 better?

Pajaro. Yes. Now you have no other way to stop white. He has been able to cut you, so G4 was ver important.



Fabian: G4 only move. F3 now is the game losing mistake];W[gf]
;B[hf]MA[hf]C[Pajaro: At this point, your C6 group was already safe, but, what about the G8 group? This H4 just drives white towards your weak group. Instead, you must always push from the weak to the strong side.



Fabian: That is correct, see how in Pajaros variation, the only way for black to live is by sacrifcing the marked stone.]
;W[he]
(;B[ge]MA[hf]LB[hd:a]C[Should I have connected at H3 instead?

Pajaro: I think no. Maybe H6 would be better. The H4 stone is small. You don't need it to live, but your upper group is still in danger.

Fabian: This move doesn't  make sense. What if white plays at A? Then all your stones on the upper side are dead, A is the only way, see Pajaros variation]

(;W[hg]MA[fb][gb]TR[bf][be]C[Is there any way now to salvage the stones in top right? I ended up losing all the stones I put there. Also is there anything I can do to push into white's territory - I seem to be on the defensive all the time.


Fabian: this white is a mistake, maybe black can live now

In the exchange of the triangled and x-ed stones you have let yourself be forced, there was no big trouble ahead and you could have at taken the other side. White's shape is solid right now and only some small endgame moves remain.]

(;B[hh]C[Fabian: you definitely can't afford this atari from the wrong side though, see variation hao you could have exploited white's mistake to live.]
;W[if];B[ih]C[Pajaro: You are protecting very little, and forgetting the important group.


Fabian: now black is already dead. see variations]
(;W[hd]C[Fabian: white is playing inside it's territory, see variations]
;B[gd]C[Pajaro: Again, these two stones aren't important.


Fabian: and connecting two groups of dead stones doesn't help...]
;W[hc];B[hb];W[ib]C[Fabian: it is amazing how weak moves this computer program makes ;)

go and play on igs or kiseido (many helpful players on kiseido, even when igs has the most strong players), maybe you will even get helpful comments, forget about that igowin ;)]
;B[ha];W[ee];B[ce]LB[ig:a]C[I was trying to save my stones by cutting white off. It didn't quite work.



Fabian: white is connected you can't split him off];W[bc];B[ed]
;W[dd];B[fd];W[cf];B[bg];W[hf];B[fa];W[eb];B[cc];W[cb];B[ae]
;W[de];B[ad];W[ac];B[af];W[gh];B[gi];W[bd];B[tt]C[Pajaro: Well, you lost because:
- You weren't connected.
- You took care of small stones, forgetting the important ones.
- One of your groups was killed while you could still have saved it.


Fabian: You lost because:
-You weren't connected. You could have easily connected and failed to do so, which caused you all this trouble. As long as you make this mistakes, even a lousy computer program can give you 2 stones and win.

- Ok, basically i just realized that i completely missed the point of reviewing the review so far. hmm.  I think I mostly added comments on the points of the review that I was unhappy with.

a) the question of why black always had to defend wasn't answered, so I added a suggestion there, usually if the player asks a question and you have a good answer it will be the best point to start for pointing out something useful.

b) include more variations, when commenting, I realized that it would be difficult to understand all this stuff that is clear too me. I picked a topic (life and death of the upper right group and really played out a lot of moves in order to show it doesn't work, so that someone else could understand it.

c) this also goes along with focusing on things that one is sure about. the variation about the upper right group not being cut off originally was very good, as it explained that this could have easily been avoided.

d) I think your 2nd and 3rd conclusion are not backed up enough, I think that if you want to say such a thing one should try to include more variations to show that things are really clear. I had a few ideas, that turned out to be mistakes when I examined them more closely in variations. So this both makes sure you are not making mistakes and explains in more detail.


I disliked the general comment about only playing close to the edge, while it holds true on 13x13 and 19x19 it is questionable on 9x9.  I am not very sure about this topic, so I restricted myself to the fact that pros often start in the center, and they know what they are doing. So it is probably best to explain things that one can easily understand, because everything else might rather confuse the weaker player than anything else (I am not sure about my life and death stuff, looking at it from this side).


So hopefully this is helpful in some way to both of you. Tell me if you have questions or comments.  (linzberger@gmx.net)

Have fun playing!];W[ig];B[fh])
(;W[cf];B[hd];W[fc]
(;B[ga];W[ib]
(;B[id];W[hb])
(;B[ic];W[hb];B[ie];W[hf])
(;B[hb];W[id];B[ic];W[hc]C[Fabian: Black has no ko-threats]
;B[ae];W[gd];B[bd];W[ce];B[bg];W[bc];B[ad];W[ac];B[af]C[Fabian: Black loses]
))
(;B[id];W[ga];B[ha];W[ib]C[Fabian: bulky five is dead];B[hb]
;W[ic])
(;B[ib];W[id]
(;B[ic];W[ha]
(;B[hb];W[ga])
(;B[ga];W[hb]))
(;B[ha];W[hc];B[gd];W[ic]))))
(;B[hd];W[if];B[ib];W[id];B[ic];W[ha];B[hb];W[ga];B[fc];W[eb]
;B[fd]C[Fabian: black is alive]))
(;W[hd]LB[gd:a][hg:b]C[Fabian: now A and B are miai for white (if black takes one white takes the other and is happy)]

(;B[hg];W[gd];B[fd];W[fc];B[hc];W[ed]C[Fabian: black in trouble (upper right cut off and dead)]
)
(;B[gd];W[hg];B[hc];W[if]C[Fabian: Black upper right cut off and dead]
)))
(;B[hd];W[ie];B[id];W[ge];B[hb]C[Pajaro: Black is alive. Now white  can play H3, but black is still fine.]
;W[hg];B[hh];W[if];B[fc]
(;W[eb];B[ed])
(;W[fd];B[eb];W[db];B[ed]C[Pajaro: lots of things can happen.]
)))
(;B[gf];W[fg];B[fh];W[ge];B[he];W[gd];B[fd];W[hd];B[hc];W[eh]
;B[gh]C[Pajaro. White can't do anything. You are connected.]
))
(;B[fg];W[eg];B[eh];W[ff];B[gf];W[ge];B[he];W[gd];B[fd]C[Pajaro: If you play well, it's ok, but maybe E3 in the game was safer.]
))
(;B[fa];W[dg];B[dh];W[eh];B[ch];W[fg];B[gf];W[cf];B[ah]C[Fabian: Black is alive, if white plays safely, but he has split black and destroyed all his territory on the lower side, this is intolerable for black.]
))
(;B[df]C[pajaro: Now all your stones are connected, true, but you let white go into your territory.


Fabian: as we can see in your variation,Black is connected anyway.
However this Black move also forestalls white playing all those moves in sente that destroy a lot of territory in the center, however there is a lot of points in the corner too, so I would probably agree.]
;W[bg];B[bh];W[bf];B[ah]))
(;B[be];W[gb]C[Fabian: White will now destroy some of your territory...]
;B[hc]C[Fabian: but even if you defend now, you have already gained back something back on the left side.]

(;W[bd]C[Fabian: white must now at some point come back to defend here or you can crawl into his corner (see var)]
)
(;W[df]C[Fabian: Let's assume white starts as he did in your game...]
;B[dg]C[Fabian: first you defend...];W[ef];B[eg];W[ff];B[gf]
;W[fg];B[fh];W[hb]C[Fabian: But if white keeps on attacking...]
;B[bd]C[Fabian: Black will gain some profit too];W[bc];B[ac]
;W[bb];B[ab]C[Fabian: maybe this is not a perfect variation (certainly not), but i hope it explains a little the idea of trying to resist, being forced to defend all the time. If your opponents move, does not immediately threaten to cut you up and cause lots of trouble, check if you can't find a move, that is better for you (builds some territory or takes away from your opponent or both).]
)))
(;B[fd]MA[gg][gc]LB[gf:a][ge:b]C[Pajaro: Here, you are attacking the white stones more strongly, but as F5 connected your G7-G3 stones, it was better.]
)
(;B[ff]C[Fabian: if you are mostly worried about connecting, this makes a strong shape where White cannot split Black - see two variations for how he could try and fails.]
;W[gd];B[hd]
(;W[hc];B[hb];W[he];B[ic];W[ge];B[fd];W[fe];B[ee];W[ed];B[fc]
;W[ef];B[de];W[gf];B[fg];W[hg];B[ie];W[hf];B[hh]C[Fabian: white is captured]
)
(;W[ge];B[he];W[gf];B[hf];W[ee];B[fg]C[Fabian: Black is connected]
)))
