(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[9]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.15]

GN[hershoff-spider8-312498-20070524]
PB[Spider8]
BR[7k]
PW[Hershoff]
WR[3k]
KM[0.5]
DT[2007-04-30,05-24]
PC[Dragon Go Server: http://www.dragongoserver.net/]
RE[B+Resign]
RU[Japanese]

C[Dear Reviewer,

In this game I was black and I am hoping you can help with my opening moves in this 9x9 game.

My opponent who has a higher rating of 4 stones had a komi of 0.5. However, he quickly made the game even and I struggled to win.

In short, I believe my opening was horrible.

I only won because of a mistake White made in a capturing race in the endgame.

I put my comments after certain moves to let you know what I was thinking.

Thank you,

Philippe

Peter: Hi Philippe,  I´m a 2 Kyu on dragongoserver and I hope, I can help you to make progress in Go. 
My first impression:  you are a fighter and you have a high level of calculation for a 7 Kyu, but you´re right, I miss some fundamentals in the opening of  your game.]
;B[gd];W[dc];B[fg];W[fe]
(;B[cf]LB[ge:A]C[I hesitated somewhat before playing this move. Looking back I doubt this move was correct.

But A (G5) seems submissive and I wonder if there are better alternatives.

Peter:G5 isn´t submissive. I would Wf5 call a thank-you-move (Thank you ,that it is allowed and that you give me time to play Bg5).
(see variation)];W[ge]C[Now White already makes the outcome close very quickly even though he only has a 0.5 komi.
Peter: Wg5 is the only move and it is very strong. It separate the black stones and White get the control over the board.
Surely, this isn´t territory for White, but the territory will come while attacking the separeted black stones.]
;B[ed]C[Trying to use the aji of my black stone at G6 and threaten to cut-off the white stones.
Peter: a very strong move!];W[fd]
(;B[dd]C[The shape of the black stones seems constrained though. However, I felt I had to push.

Peter: I don´t understand, why you doesn´t  play at e7. It would finished the work which is started by playing e6 (See your own comment to e6: "cut-off the white stones")
If you afraid of  We4, think about to change the corners.(See variation) 
Don´t look after territory in this early stage of the game!
Keep your own stones connected and separate the enemy stones - that´s all (I would say)]
;W[ec]TR[dd][ed]C[Peter: The white stones connected! The worth of a triangle stones is going to nothing because there is a weakness around e4.]
;B[cc]
(;W[cb]LB[fc:B][hg:A]C[I hesitated a long time but in the end playing A (H3) seemed too early for black.
Peter: It´s difficult to say. Wg3 instead of c8 seems to be big too, but White have to be carefull of the cut at B. (See variation)]
;B[bc]C[This seemed necessary];W[de];B[df]C[I was prepared to sacrifice the 2 black stones.
Peter: very good. I think Wd5 was a mistake. After the exchange Wc3/Bb7  Wg3 seems to be bigger.]
;W[cd];B[bd];W[ee];B[hg]C[The game is very tight, I thought I could maybe win by 0.5 point.

However considering white only had a 0.5 komi, I find that I did not do well in the opening.

I am looking for any ideas on how I could have better started this game.]
;W[hf];B[gf];W[ff];B[gg];W[he]LB[if:A]C[At this stage I estimated that if I played A (J4) black could win by 0.5 point if the game progressed peacefully with each side closing their territories.

However, I wanted to be more ambitious and played a bigger point.

Peter: Bb5 is bigger than A, but there is the cut at e3 Black having  to look for. So Black has to defend at e4 and White will win the game.]
;B[bb];W[eg]C[Not surprising by white, I under-estimated the aji white had in the lower left]
;B[ef];W[eh];B[fh];W[ch]C[Black is not yet unconditionaly alive in the lower right but white is threatening to make life in the lower left.]

(;B[bg]C[This move should be played at c3 (see variations)]
;W[bh];B[ah];W[hh]C[At this stage I thought white would win, I got lucky.]
;B[ei]
(;W[di]LB[ig:A]C[In my view a mistake by white. White at A (J3) would have given white a win of 4 to 5 points.
Peter: I would play Wd2 and after that I would look for the Ko. The Ko is bigger than A. (see variation)]
;B[ih]C[The only move for black at this difficult stage.];W[hi]
C[The loosing move in my view for White.

I believe playing A (G3) to start a ko would have given white a clear win of 4 to 5 points.
Peter: Yes, White must play at A. [end of comment\]];B[fi]C[Black wins the capturing race.]
;W[gi];B[cg]C[I think black could tenuki and still win the capturing race by 1 move but at this point with a clear win for black, I wanted to finish the game.

END OF COMMENTS (B+R at move 44)];W[dh];B[bi];C[Result: B+Resign]
N[RESULT])
(;W[dh];B[ih];W[gi];B[fi];W[if];B[ig];W[ii];B[bi];W[di]C[Peter: White has one more liberty, than Black played B31 at c3.]
;B[hi];W[bf]C[Peter: Because of Bb3 instead of  c3 there is a well working Ko-threat.]
;B[gh];W[cg]))
(;B[cg]
(;W[dh];B[bh];W[hh]
(;B[ih];W[gi];B[fi];W[ii];B[ig];W[if];B[ci];W[ei]C[Peter: It can´t be helped, that White get a Ko.]
;B[hi]
(;W[bg];B[gh];W[ah];B[bi];W[bf];B[ce];W[be];B[dd];W[ag];B[ae]
C[Peter: If Bb3 at  c3 this Ko-threat doesn´t work.])
(;W[ce];B[gh];W[bf];B[bg];W[be];B[db];W[eb];B[ca];W[ea];B[da]
;W[ag];B[dg];W[ah];B[di];W[ad];B[ac];W[ae]C[Peter: In spite of that, the ko-threat at Wc5 seems to be big enough:
I count half a point for White.]))
(;B[ig];W[gi];B[fi];W[if];B[ih];W[ii];B[ci];W[ei]C[Peter: The same result like Bj3 at j2.]
))
(;W[bh]C[Peter: Wb2 doesn´t work...];B[dh];W[di];B[dg];W[ei]
;B[ci];W[bi];B[fi];W[ci];B[bg])))
(;W[gg];B[fc];W[fb];B[gc];W[gb];B[he];W[hf];B[cb]C[Peter: I don´t see a possibility for the black stones to live in the corner, but  White have to take away the black stones and this gives Black the possibilty, to play from the outside in sente and this might be enough  for Black to win the game.]
))
(;B[ec];W[ef];B[dd]))
(;B[ge]C[Peter: There is no reason, to play tenuki. Bg5 is a very strong move:
1) You get  a strong position by keeping your stones together! (the white stone stands alone in front of a black wall and haven´t any function)
2) You make territory on the right side! (the white stone makes nothing)]
;W[ff];B[gf];W[eg];B[ed]C[For example: if white keep on pressing, Be6 separate the white stones.]
))
