European Championship

British Go Journal No. 2. [1] Autumn 1967. Page 27.

Mutabzija v Rebattu, Round 5

The first game reported from the tournament is on page 25 [2].

Black: Zoran Mutazija, Yugoslavia
White: Max Rebattu, Holland
Komi: 5
The game-file in SGF [3] format.

This game was played in the fifth round of the European Championships in August 1967.

You might wish to open a second window beside the first one to view Fig 1 whilst reading the text in the first window.

Figure 1 (1-100)

• Black 3: This type of immediate attack has come into fashion in the last year.
• Black 7: This threatens, with the completion of the joseki in the north-west corner, to form a large potential.
• Black 11: This is a very common joseki.
• White 12: 13 would not be as good, as then 17 would fully utilise 11 and white would have too low a position over the whole board.
• Black 17: As 11 is already there, this is better balanced than 17' at A.
• White 22: Although a large play, it is better around 23; for even if Black gets to play B, White can play 87 to reduce this potential.
• White 24: White must enter this potential somehow and this is one of the commonly accepted ways of doing it. There are numerous ways of answering this, all too involved and difficult to go into here.
• Black 33: Unnecessary.
• Black 37: Black could continue attacking with C, but white can easily escape by 38' at 61.
• White 40:

  Diagram 1

  White is now alive in the corner for if 41' at D, Dia 1 follows and Black cannot fill at 44.

[But what if 45' is played at 46? Surely White only gets one eye in the corner. === sgb]

• White 42: The best reply, as there are black stones at 21 and 27. 46 would only be possible if there were white stone(s) there.
• White 44: Bad, 45 makes the black stones worse off and safeguards the corner.
• Black 49: Unnecessarily strengthens white. E is better, treating the 3 stones as a sacrifice if need be.
• White 54: Reducing the territory with sente.
• White 66: Waiting to see how black will reply.
• White 70: Typical of Rebattu, always making seemingly small territorial plays.
• White 76: This enables white to get in 78 with sente.
• White 80: Poor. 83 would be much better as black cannot cut at F, owing to the existence of 78.
• Black 83: This expands black's territorial prospects.
• Black 85: Stopping white infiltrating into the north-east with 86' at G, and threatening a further play at H or 93.
• White 86: Destroying the black territory and threatening the four stones in the north-west.
• White 88: This strengthens the white stone, but possibly better to play simply at 92 and wait for an opportunity to invade at I, J or K.
• Black 91:

  Diagram 2

  L (91 in Dia 2) would not be good as then Dia 2 lets white connect with sente.
• Black 93:

  Diagram 3

  Diagram 4

  Very large, otherwise White can play Dia 3 and leave black with very little territory. It also threatens Dia 4 taking a large central area.
• White 94:

  Diagram 5

  If 94' at H then Dia 5 shutting in white.
• White 96: The one stone is not worth saving as if 96' at 97, 97' at 98, walling in the white group. But better for white is 96' at M, 97' at 97, 98' at N since, as played, 97 is still sente.
• White 100:

  Diagram 6

  Better to play Dia 6 first, about 5 points more.

Figure 2 (101-200)

• White 104: 107 is impossible because of the cut at 104.
• Black 105: Walling off some central territory.
• White 110: 111 is better as it is worth two points with sente.
• White 118: Threatening 193 and 121.
• Black 119: The only play to stop both of the threats by 118.
• White 122: Better at 191, forcing P first.
• White 124: Very large. If black had got to play here his territorial prospects would have been greatly increased.
• Black 125: This threatens 130 next with sente, and is thus stronger than 147.
• Black 135: Poor. Capturing 3 stones with Q would have made it a decisive victory. Now however 137 can be safely answered with 138.
• White 150: This is the largest play, but it is not sente because of 155. Nor would 150' at 160 be for the same reason.
• White 152 destroying all black possibilities here.
• White 154: White can connect with either group.
• White 156: Stronger than R as it threatens more against the upper group.
• White 158 threatening S and again providing a connection with 152/154.
• White 160: Not sente, for ???.

[This comment doesn't work. I quote the original text here: Not sente, for if 162 b5, 163 b6, 164 a4x, 165 a3, 166 a5, 167 a7, 168 b6, 169 b7 captures the stones. Can anyone decipher it for me? === sgb]

• Black 167: Three points with gote.
• White 174: If at 175, then 175' at 174 loses 7 stones.
  [BGJ had 177' at 174 loses 7 stones.]
• White 176:

  Diagram 8

  Otherwise Dia 8 leads to a ko.
• Black 179 threatens T capturing 5 stones.
• White 186 threatens U and V.
• White 192: Black should have played W with sente before this move.
• White 194: Otherwise X saves Black's stones.

Figure 3 (201-252) 249 at , 252 at .

Black wins by 7 points.