It's hard to say for sure so early in the game, but I think |4.m13 is something I might have done, and |4.o15 isn't.
|4.o15 doesn't block the m10 peg. 5.m15, for example, blocks and pretty much neutralizes the o15 peg. But I wouldn't recommend it, because the m10 connection to the top doesn't look very safe. So probably something like 5.i14, which blocks the o15 peg and would give you a new threat of going up the left - for example, 6.m77.g9. The south part of i14 looks pretty good with u20 as a downstream peg - for example, 7.g98.i169.k1510.k1711.m1612.m1813.o1714.o1915.q1816.q2017.s19. I'm just using 5.i14 as an example. There are lots of possibilities in that general area, and probably one of them is even better. But the point is, |4.m13 is an effective block of m10, and |4.o15 isn't.
On 2021-10-13 at 22:16, bob440 said:
thanks Alan
|4.o15 isn't really intended as a block of m10. It's more intended to get between white's pegs, while at the same time threatening to connect across the bottom or link up through the middle. It's also the more or less standard response to an opening in that quadrant, just a move later. As I said, I thought it would have been far better.
But, if you think it's horrendous, then perhaps the problem was my response to p13. Because after p17, the position felt very awkward. Once again in retrospect, |6.p6 looks much better.
Yeah, stair-step openings always feel awkward to me. But White had to break the stair-step first, which is good for you.
Based on my intuition, all of the moves up to 6.p15 look good to me.
White's 7.p17 feels a little suspect. Normally, in White's position, having lost the stair-step opening, I'd be looking for something like |7.i16, which serves as a downstream peg for p13, while opening up the left side. It doesn't look very good for stretching past k8 on the left, but white k11 is a possible threat in this scenario.
in retrospect, the move I really disliked was 4.m13
I think |4.o15 would have been far better
|4.o15 doesn't block the m10 peg. 5.m15, for example, blocks and pretty much neutralizes the o15 peg. But I wouldn't recommend it, because the m10 connection to the top doesn't look very safe. So probably something like 5.i14, which blocks the o15 peg and would give you a new threat of going up the left - for example, 6.m7 7.g9. The south part of i14 looks pretty good with u20 as a downstream peg - for example, 7.g9 8.i16 9.k15 10.k17 11.m16 12.m18 13.o17 14.o19 15.q18 16.q20 17.s19. I'm just using 5.i14 as an example. There are lots of possibilities in that general area, and probably one of them is even better. But the point is, |4.m13 is an effective block of m10, and |4.o15 isn't.
|4.o15 isn't really intended as a block of m10. It's more intended to get between white's pegs, while at the same time threatening to connect across the bottom or link up through the middle. It's also the more or less standard response to an opening in that quadrant, just a move later. As I said, I thought it would have been far better.
But, if you think it's horrendous, then perhaps the problem was my response to p13. Because after p17, the position felt very awkward. Once again in retrospect, |6.p6 looks much better.
|6.p6 7.p7 8.o8 9.o9 10.r7 11.n7
Based on my intuition, all of the moves up to 6.p15 look good to me.
White's 7.p17 feels a little suspect. Normally, in White's position, having lost the stair-step opening, I'd be looking for something like |7.i16, which serves as a downstream peg for p13, while opening up the left side. It doesn't look very good for stretching past k8 on the left, but white k11 is a possible threat in this scenario.
I still like |4.o15 better