I think that 5.n8 was a poor move and I should have gone to 9.j18 to maintain my balance

5.j12 6.l18 7.h18 8.i15 9.e15 10.j13 11.h12 12.f15 13.g14 14.h14 15.g16

agree that 5.n8 doesn't look best, but backing up another move, I'd have played 3.l8

(This is me, twixter, aka David Bush. I lost my password.)

N8 does give black too much latitude in the middle of the board. |5.i12 looks better because it coordinates well with S21 and with L7.

Q14 looks natural but black would have done better to improve connection in both directions at once, for example with |6.m15 and white faces too many threats.

|7.i12 looks better than J12 because white might be able to use S21 as a ladder catcher.

L18 is terrible. Black has to block white's threats on the left more directly, for example |8.k16 9.g16 10.h13 11.h14 12.i11

M15 was unnecessarily complicated. |9.h17 would have been a simple crush. For example 10.h12 11.l13

White's last chance to win was probably |17.r13 18.o9 19.s8

|17.r13 18.o9 19.s8 - that s8 peg looks awkwardly connected to the south, so what if 20.s13? and then 21.n13 22.r8, for example, then 23.q9 24.p9 25.t6 26.r10 27.t12 28.t9 or 23.q7 24.q10 25.t10 26.r11 ?

Heh okay so let's say, white had a better chance playing |17.r13 than with N13 in the game.

I believe white could have won with |13.o14 so we could call L17 white's losing move. Thanks to Alan for doing the difficult part.