This game got awkward quickly. |10.q19 was surprisingly strong. My original plan in that case was 11.q1812.r1713.n1714.m1915.p20, but after Pete played 10.q19, I realized 11.q1812.r1713.n1714.n21. Suddenly I was scrambling for a new plan. I came up with something that might play out roughly like this:
However, I shot myself in the foot before the plan ever had a chance to take off. At move 14 I became nervous about all the blank space at the top of the board - that 24.i8 above is not necessarily what would have happened - and I thought it would be a good idea to collect some freebies first: |15.t1816.t2217.v1918.v23. I didn't think too hard about it. It looked safe. The thing about Pete's actual 16.n11 reply is that it completely kills the plan on the left side: 19.n1720.o1821.m1522.k14. I didn't realize this until after playing 17.d13. It was probably already too late.
This game got awkward for me even earlier than for Alan. As usual, I was on the defensive early. I had not expected 7.q14, and realized that I had no real choice other than 8.n15 in order to prevent white o15 from connecting with white h12. Then Alan's 9.p12 pretty much killed any chance of working across the top, given that white had h12 and c3 to help. On the bottom, 10.q19 was the only move I saw that would not be easily defeated by white. In particular, I was trying to be able to defend against 11.o19 with 12.m1913.q1814.r1715.p2116.p16 or perhaps with 12.p16.
However, Alan found a stronger threat with 11.m19, and both that move and 13.r17 were forcing moves as I saw them. I think that |15.n17 would have been a winning move for white. I did have a response in mind for that, but I can no longer remember what it was, so I now suspect my response might not have worked.
My initial thoughts in response to 15.t18 were much the same as Alan sketched out. However, then I realized that I actually had an option for the first time since 6.k18, because16.n11 was essentially a free move that would improve my internal position, even if Alan responded with the expected |17.o10 to block. Moments after that I also realized its secondary benefit of enabling the threat from n17 to be trapped by L14.
(moves 11-14 went as expected, then) |15.d13 16.f18 17.n17 18.o18 19.m15 20.l14 21.k14 22.j13 23.i13 24.i8 25.g8 26.g9 27.e9 28.e10 29.d11 30.d12 31.b12 32.e14 33.e15 34.f16 35.f17 36.g20 37.g15
However, I shot myself in the foot before the plan ever had a chance to take off. At move 14 I became nervous about all the blank space at the top of the board - that 24.i8 above is not necessarily what would have happened - and I thought it would be a good idea to collect some freebies first: |15.t18 16.t22 17.v19 18.v23. I didn't think too hard about it. It looked safe. The thing about Pete's actual 16.n11 reply is that it completely kills the plan on the left side: 19.n17 20.o18 21.m15 22.k14. I didn't realize this until after playing 17.d13. It was probably already too late.
That awkward-looking |15.d13, by the way, was chosen for its ability to defend against 16.l20: 17.f18. The alternative 16.j20 isn't quite strong enough for Black in the middle; it leads into this familiar old pattern: 17.n17 18.o18 19.m15 20.m23 21.l21 22.k22 23.o22 24.p22 25.n22.
However, Alan found a stronger threat with 11.m19, and both that move and 13.r17 were forcing moves as I saw them. I think that |15.n17 would have been a winning move for white. I did have a response in mind for that, but I can no longer remember what it was, so I now suspect my response might not have worked.
My initial thoughts in response to 15.t18 were much the same as Alan sketched out. However, then I realized that I actually had an option for the first time since 6.k18, because16.n11 was essentially a free move that would improve my internal position, even if Alan responded with the expected |17.o10 to block. Moments after that I also realized its secondary benefit of enabling the threat from n17 to be trapped by L14.