EVENT WHITE Matthew Macfadyen BLACK Matthew Cocke RESULT W+R BOARDSIZE 19 DATE 1999-07-11 PLACE Erasmus Room, Queens' College, Cambridge, U.K. KOMI 5.5 TIMELIMIT 180:00:00+10:00/10 RULES Japanese SOURCE Recorded by Tim Hunt (1 dan). COM (Comments by Tim Hunt, game referee. My main duty was to produce an accurate record of the game. Since this did not require all of my attention I also noted down how the time was passing during the game. I also noted when the players thought for significantly longer than average about a particular move, but this was rather subjective. After the game the players replayed and discussed it and so I have added some of the variations and comments that I remember. I expect that there will be a proper game commentary in the British Go Journal in due course. Actually I seem to have added a lot of comments, mostly just trying to explain what was going on.) The game started at 9:55am. Colours where decided by nigiri. Matthew Macfadyen, as senior player placed a handful of white stones on the board, hidden by his hand. Matthew Cocke placed a single black stone on the board to indicate that he thought that Macfadyen had picked up an odd number of stones. Macfadyen lifted his hand to reveal that Cocke had guessed correctly, and so Cocke played black. Colours will alternate throughout the best of 5 match. Game Name: British Go Championship Title Match 1999, Game 1 Black Rank: 5 dan Write Rank: 6 dan ENDCOM B 1 R16 W 2 Q4 B 3 C17 W 4 C4 B 5 P17 W 6 R10 COM The books say "Empty corners, then corner enclosures, then side extensions." It is worth asking why white chooses not to make a corner enclosure. See the variation for an answer. ENDCOM VAR W 1 E3 COM If white makes a corner enclosure then it starts to look like mirror go, but ... ENDCOM B 2 R10 W 3 C10 B 4 R6 W 5 C14 COM ... but because of the difference between the 3-3 point and the 4-4 point the black moves start to be worth more than the white moves. White will have to break the symmetry sooner or later and in the game white chooses sooner. ENDCOM ENDVAR B 7 F3 W 8 D3 B 9 J3 W 10 D14 COM The other big moves at this point are the extension towards the shimari in the top right corner (R13 or R14) or the extension across the bottom to put pressure on the black group there (L3). ENDCOM B 11 E16 W 12 D10 B 13 J16 COM There is a good reason for black to make the slightly thin 3-space extension. See the variations. ENDCOM VAR B 1 H16 COM With the slightly more conservative 2-space extension ... ENDCOM W 2 K17 COM ... if white ever invades ... ENDCOM B 3 H17 W 4 N17 COM ... white has room for a 2-space extension and so can make a relatively stable group. Black would have to find some other way to answer the invasion which is difficult. This is why black played the 3-space extension in the game. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 14 L3 COM This puts some pressure on the black group. It is not a weak group yet, but it could become one in future. This means that black would have to think very carefully before invading the left hand side. If black invades recklessly then black might end up with 2 weak groups in the same part of the board - a good way to lose a game of go. ENDCOM VAR W 1 L17 COM It is to do with this invasion point. ENDCOM B 2 J17 COM In the game black can answer here. White's stone does not have much space and so will probably become a weak group. ENDCOM ENDVAR B 15 R13 COM The last of the 3 big points referred to earlier. It was agreed that black was correct to make the 2-space extension here. The other option is the 3-space extension to R12. This seems to be less good because white is happy to answer with the 1 point jump to P10, and then black is left with an embarrasing weakness at R14. ENDCOM W 16 L17 B 17 J17 COM Both players agreed that this was the correct answer to the invasion. ENDCOM VAR B 1 L15 COM I asked about this capping move as a way for black to build thickness ... ENDCOM W 2 J18 B 3 H17 W 4 N17 COM but then white can live too easily and now the 2-space extension on the right looks too narrow. ENDCOM ENDVAR VAR B 1 K17 W 2 L16 B 3 N17 COM Matthew Cocke said that he had also considered this. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 18 L15 B 19 D12 COM Black decides to extend the field of battle, rather than simply attack the white group at the top. ENDCOM VAR B 1 M16 W 2 L16 B 3 K14 COM This was thought to be the way to attack. Presumably black can build a bit of thickness in the middle, or a bit of territory in the top right corner, whilst attacking, but by then the white group has safely connected out and something different would happen next. That would be a different game. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 20 C16 B 21 D16 W 22 C15 B 23 B17 COM Whilst I was watching the game I was not terribly impressed with white's contact move against the corner. It seemed to me that white had just made these three stones rather heavy. However it seems that there is some justification for playing these moves now. At this point the time was 10:25. The next move was the first move in the game where either player used a lot of time. Most moves took no more than one or two minutes, but some of the slower moves like the next one took up to and over 5 minutes. ENDCOM VAR B 1 D18 COM After a few more moves in the game it starts to seem as if black would have preferred to connect here. This allows white a little bit more eye-shape on the left edge and gives black slightly less of the corner territory. On the other hand it gives black slightly better shape which means that the wide 3-space gap in the group is less of a worry. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 24 F14 B 25 F12 COM Watching the game I thought that there was potential for white to get into trouble if black is able to make a splitting move like K14 which attacks both of the weak white groups at once. White manages to eliminate this threat because the black stones on the left side are also weak. It was explained to us after the game that if black does attack the two white stones at the top it is by no means certain that white will try to save them. See the variation. ENDCOM VAR B 1 M16 W 2 L16 B 3 K14 COM If black does attack at any point, then white does not necessarily have to run away with these stones but can sacrifice them instead. This is because of some aji in the corner. ENDCOM W 4 Q17 COM This is a standard white probe. It is not really an invasion because black can keep the corner territory, but in return white gets to make some eyes for his group on the edge (variation 1). So if black is serious about capturing the stones on the edge then he has to answer the probe with a move that builds strength on the outside, but then white can live (with a ko I believe) in the corner. This sort of thinking is one of the things that Matthew Macfadyen teaches in his role as go tutor. I'm afraid that I don't know the standard sequences but the variations show sort of what might happen. ENDCOM B 5 Q16 VAR B 1 P16 COM ENDCOM W 2 R17 B 3 Q16 W 4 S16 B 5 S15 W 6 S18 B 7 T16 W 8 T17 B 9 S17 COM If black is serious about attacking on the outside then white can get a ko for life in the corner. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 6 P18 B 7 Q18 W 8 O17 B 9 P16 W 10 N18 COM If black hangs on to the corner then white gets eye-shape on the edge. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 26 F16 B 27 F17 W 28 G13 B 29 F15 COM It could be said that this move gives the game its particular flavour. Black has played 2 moves in answer to white's forcing move at F16. This is to make sure that the white stones stay weak. If black does not play this move then white may be able to strengthen himself, or initiate some sort of trade, starting with G17. After this move each of the groups in the corners at the top are about 20 points to black. This gives black a distinct territorial lead. However this means that white gets 2 moves in a row in the running fight in the middle. One could say that the story of the game is "can white gain back enough in the fighting to overcome black's territorial lead?" ENDCOM W 30 G12 COM Time 10:40. ENDCOM B 31 E10 COM I did not like this black move because the move that white makes in reply seems to give white a lot of help in turning the lower left side into territory. ENDCOM VAR B 1 F11 COM I think that black would prefer to play here which does not streangthen the left side. Black willprobably be able to invade there later. The problem is that white can probably connect underneath with C12 so this is no good for black. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 32 D9 B 33 F10 COM This is not the most active shape for black, but it is hard to find anything better. ENDCOM W 34 E13 COM However it does threaten to cut white so white has to make this rather uninspiring forcing move. ENDCOM B 35 E12 W 36 F5 B 37 J5 COM This forcing exchange is to make sure that the two weakish black groups don't have a simple way of joining up into one big strong black group. This also expands the white area on the left edge. Of course in return this black move makes the white area in the bottom right significantly smaller. ENDCOM W 38 K14 COM White is now 90% connected or better. At any rate this prevents the splitting attack for now. Of course even though it is now one big white group it does not yet have 2 clear eyes. Not much of a problem at present, but something to think about as the board fills up. ENDCOM B 39 H10 COM Defending before your opponent can launch a vicious attack is often a good idea (think about white playing at this point). There is another option here as well. ENDCOM VAR B 1 C13 COM This move removes potential eyes from the white group above and makes possibly eyes for the black group. Especially since black can almost threaten to connect to the corner above. Throughout the analysis the players kept coming back to this move as one that black might consider playing. ENDCOM ENDVAR W 40 Q6 COM Time 11:00 Matthew Cocke thought quite hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 41 D5 COM Not a move that had occured to me! ENDCOM W 42 C6 COM Matthew Cocke said that he had not seen this reply. It is probably the only good reply that white has. Matthew Cocke did not know what to do next in this part of the board and so left this as a forcing exchange. It is probably a good exchange for black. Matthew Macfadyen suggested that black's next move might be C7, either now, or as interesting aji for later. Matthew Cocke thought quite hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 43 R3 COM This invasion puts the territorial balance back in black's favour. ENDCOM W 44 Q3 B 45 S4 COM Time 11:20. This is the standard move in this shape. ENDCOM W 46 R2 B 47 S2 W 48 R4 B 49 S3 COM After this move black is essentially alive in the corner. Roughly speaking the capture at Q2 and the jump to S6 are miai to give black space for 2 eyes. But there is some interesting aji here. ENDCOM W 50 H8 VAR W 1 Q2 COM If white connects ... ENDCOM B 2 S6 W 3 S7 B 4 S1 COM ... black does not quite have 2 eyes yet. White can try to kill ... ENDCOM W 5 T2 B 6 R7 W 7 S8 B 8 R6 W 9 R5 B 10 S5 W 11 T6 B 12 Q7 W 13 P6 COM ... but black bursts out into the middle so it is not a good idea for white to try this. Of course if ever white becomes strong in the centre ... ENDCOM ENDVAR VAR W 1 PASS B 2 R5 W 3 Q5 COM If black gets the chance then this forcing exchange is a way to ensure 2 eyes in the corner. ENDCOM ENDVAR B 51 F8 MARK H8 COM Some doubt was expressed about this move after the game. The issue is basically this: If black can connect his two groups together then that is what he should do. White will lose any chance to attack, and so will probably lose the game. If black tries to connect and fails then black ends up split into two truly weak groups and loses any chance of threatening to connect in future. Think about it like this: in go a good strategy is the splitting attack. You chase two of your opponents weak groups towards each other and then drive a wedge between them. This is such a deadly tactic that some people advise never to have two weak groups on the board at the same time. If you try to connect your groups and fail then you are just helping your opponent to do a splitting attack. If you have two weak groups that cannot connect then it is normally better to move them as far apart as possible. In this situation it is very hard to tell if black can connect or not. [TH] In reply to Tim Hunt, Barry Phease wrote: Certainly is [an interesting game]. Particularly your comments help give some of the atmosphere. It seems that the 50, 51 exchange was the turning point of the game. Before 50 the game seems good for black. 50 is the sort of move you play when nothing else is good enough to win. (Asking your opponent to let you win). 51 seems to be what white wanted to see. In the following exchanges black sought to secure all his groups by running them into the centre, but of course this helped white by making thickness. A better strategy for black would have been to have looked for local life for his top group particularly. [BP] ENDCOM W 52 E7 B 53 H7 COM The next move was the slowest move in the game. It was at this point that Matthew Macfadyen worked out/reminded himself of the aji in the bottom right corner. He also had to think about whether he should really go through with the plan of trying to cut black, but it seems that if white cannot cut and cause a fight in the middle then white just does not have enough territory to win. Finally white had to think about the best way to try and cut. ENDCOM W 54 G7 B 55 G8 COM Time 11:55. It is not clear that this is the best move for black. It might be better for black to push at F7 first to see how white answers. After that it might turn out to be better to play J8 instead of this move. It is all very complicated and I don't have a clue. Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move too. ENDCOM W 56 J8 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 57 J7 W 58 G6 COM This makes a suprisingly strong shape for white. There are all sorts of ways for black to prod at white but white just does not seem to be going to fall apart, either now or later. Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 59 K8 COM The time had not reached 12:25 so it was time for lunch. The next move (60) was the sealed move. Matthew Cocke went and stared out of the window whilst Matthew Macfadyen wrote his move on a piece of paper which was sealed in an envelope. At lunch time Matthew Macfadyen had 1:32 left on his clock. Matthew Cocke had 1:57 left on his clock. ENDCOM W 60 J9 COM At 1:30pm, after lunch, Matthew Cocke opened the envelope to reveal that Matthew Macfadyen had chosen to play here. ENDCOM B 61 J11 W 62 K9 B 63 J13 COM It is still interesting to ask whether white is connected. ENDCOM W 64 J14 B 65 K7 W 66 L9 B 67 L11 W 68 K12 B 69 K11 W 70 N9 COM Time 1:40. ENDCOM B 71 N11 COM This was another moment at which black could go the other way with C13. ENDCOM W 72 G11 COM White is trying to ensure that he cannot be cut. ENDCOM B 73 G10 W 74 O11 B 75 O12 W 76 O10 B 77 N12 COM Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM W 78 H11 COM ENDCOM B 79 J10 W 80 O17 COM White is trying to make a little bit more eye-shape in sente. Time 2:00pm. ENDCOM B 81 O18 COM Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM W 82 N18 B 83 P18 COM It was agreed that if black is going to connect here then it is probably a mistake to exchange 81 for 82 (O18 for N18). Matthew Cocke had been thinking of playing the cut at N17 instead of this move but decided it was too difficult to read out and so too risky. Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM W 84 K3 B 85 J2 COM Matthew Cocke made this move rather quickly. It is probably a mistake. One space to the left at H2 makes better eye-shape. Time 2:15pm. ENDCOM W 86 H4 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. Basically black has to connect because if white captures the stones in the middle then white has enough territory to win easily. But is there a more interesting move than the simple connection which makes more eye-shape? G4 may be possible. ENDCOM B 87 J4 W 88 G2 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 89 M3 W 90 M2 COM Time 2:30. ENDCOM B 91 M4 W 92 N2 B 93 L4 W 94 Q2 COM White at last opens hostilities against the corner. The idea is that black can probably save one of his groups, but he really needs to save both and that may prove to be impossible. Notice that white could have chosen a different plan. White could have blocked at S5 instead, in sente, then played some attaching moves agains the black groups at the bottom. This would have let him build up some territory centered around Q7. The question is, if white follows this plan can he get enough territory to win? It is a difficult question. White preferred to try to win by fighting. ENDCOM B 95 S6 W 96 S7 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 97 S1 W 98 M7 COM Notice that white is careful not to commit himself to killing either group until he can decide which one is more likely to die. Black could have played the peep at M8 before white played here, but black wanted to keep open the possibility of playing the wedge at M9. ENDCOM B 99 G3 W 100 F2 COM Time 2:40. ENDCOM B 101 H3 COM This is not necesarily a good move. It may be better to play G5 first. Then if white decides to give up his stone at H4 there is no need to play a connection here. I think that if black is going to connect here then it is worth forcing at E3 first. Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move. Black's last move does not threaten to capture the two white stones at F2 and G2 so white could ignore it. However white is starting to look a little bit thin around here and nearer the centre of the board. So white feels the need to defend and wants to find the best defensive move. ENDCOM W 102 E3 B 103 M6 COM Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM W 104 N6 B 105 L6 COM At this point both the black groups are unsettled. That is they can both live with one more move and both can be killed with one more move. For the group in the middle of the bottom H6 is the vital point for both players. However if black tries to kill either group it can start trying to wriggle out so it is not a clean kill. ENDCOM W 106 T2 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. He has to find the best way to try to escape into the centre. ENDCOM B 107 R7 W 108 S8 B 109 R6 W 110 R5 COM Time 2:55. ENDCOM B 111 S5 W 112 T6 B 113 Q7 W 114 O7 COM White is still trying to make sure that one of the two white groups die, rather than trying to kill a particular one. ENDCOM B 115 R9 W 116 S9 B 117 Q10 W 118 R8 B 119 P6 W 120 O5 COM Time 3:10. ENDCOM B 121 P7 W 122 Q9 B 123 P5 W 124 O4 B 125 O8 COM Time 3:20. ENDCOM W 126 N7 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 127 P9 W 128 Q11 COM Matthew Cocke thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM B 129 M9 COM By now it has become clear that black can save either group. But if he saves one then white kills the other so he probably loses. So black is squirming around trying to find a way out. Matthew Macfadyen commented Matthew Cocke squirmed around far more effectively that he had thought was possible. ENDCOM W 130 Q5 COM Time 3:35. ENDCOM B 131 P10 W 132 P11 B 133 N8 W 134 M8 B 135 M10 COM So now the black group in the middle of the bottom is alive because black can either capture 5 white stones with L8 or make 2 eyes with H6. Of course in the endgame white will try to play L8 forcing black to play H6, and so save his 5 stones in sente. The black group in the bottom right corner is dead. White has ensured that the white group at the bottom has 2 eyes. It is more interesting to ask whether the white group on the right edge is 100% alive (it seems that in fact it is). But even if it is not totally alive there is some sort of capturing race between it and the corner. Now the only way for white to lose is to have his group at the top captured. Where to defend, that is the quesiton. Matthew Macfadyen thought hard about the next move. ENDCOM W 136 Q13 COM This is quite a clever move. It is enough to ensure that the the white group on the right lives. It also stretches out a helping hand ot the white group at the top. Matthew Cocke resigned. Matthew Macfadyen had 0:30 left on his clock. Matthew Cocke had 0:44 left on his clock. Time 3:45. The variation shown what happens if black tries to attack the white group at the top. ENDCOM B 137 J12 COM Black starts here threatening to cut. ENDCOM W 138 H14 COM If white connects ... ENDCOM VAR W 1 C13 B 2 H14 W 3 C12 COM But in the game white has killed black in the bottom right so it is enough just to make certain that half of the group lives (whilst taking territory on the edge). Black can capture the rest of the group, but because white is pushing into his territory with Q13, and can probably push further in sente by threatening to save the dead stones, this is not enough. ENDCOM ENDVAR B 139 C13 COM Black can remove all of the eyes on this side. Can white make 2 eyes at the top? Good question. ENDCOM