The first interesting move is 6.p17. It's a double threat: a downstream peg from m11, and a direct threat from j15. But it's an awkward peg; maybe 6.p18 is better, but I'm not sure: 6.p187.n138.k189.n1810.???
Note that Black puts up a nice defense with |16.o21, because of the well-placed p17 peg. The typical response to that pattern would be 17.q21, but then 18.q2219.o2020.m20, and White is sunk. Fortunately for White, the pattern occurs close enough to the border for |17.q20 to work. 18.r22 doesn't work as a response because of the common pattern 19.r2120.p2121.p2022.t2123.o22.
So Black tries to coign around instead with |18.r20, and White opens up the pattern's other hot spot, 19.p22. After that, it looks like Black goes for a draw. But White, in the end, has the double threat with r21 or q22. It doesn't look like link removal would have made a difference in this case.
After |7.n13, it really doesn't look like there's much Black can do. 8.m7 certainly isn't the answer. I'm not sure what Axel was thinking with that move. 8.o7 would have been stronger. For example, 8.o7 9.o6 10.n5 11.p8 12.p6 13.t7 14.q8 15.s9 16.r10 17.r11 18.q12 19.q13 20.p14 21.p15 22.n18 23.n16 24.l19...
Note that Black puts up a nice defense with |16.o21, because of the well-placed p17 peg. The typical response to that pattern would be 17.q21, but then 18.q22 19.o20 20.m20, and White is sunk. Fortunately for White, the pattern occurs close enough to the border for |17.q20 to work. 18.r22 doesn't work as a response because of the common pattern 19.r21 20.p21 21.p20 22.t21 23.o22.
So Black tries to coign around instead with |18.r20, and White opens up the pattern's other hot spot, 19.p22. After that, it looks like Black goes for a draw. But White, in the end, has the double threat with r21 or q22. It doesn't look like link removal would have made a difference in this case.
In slightly more detail,
if |18.p21 19.m21 20.n22 21.s19 22.q19 23.s14 24.s16 25.r17 26.q15 27.t16 28.r12 then 29.t11, and then 30.s11 31.r10 32.u12 33.q13 ... or maybe 30.u11 31.s13 32.r14 33.u13 34.s10 35.q12...