I Forgot I Was Playing Ko

This game taught me a few things which I will enumerate.

However, first off let me say that I am not a fan of playing ko. I generally do what I can to avoid ko. I know that this is a weakness of mine that I should work on. I've played ko when it was forced upon me, but I don't think I have ever knowingly started a ko in the past.

I did knowingly start this ko out of necessity, and I believed that I could win it. I counted up my ko threats and I knew when I was going to finish the ko. I waited eagerly for my opponent's next move after my last ko threat was exhausted. I was able to be so sure of this because I had the time to think that a live game does not afford.

Before I show the particulars of the game, let me list the things I have learned:

1. When playing correspondence games remember to look at the whole board before playing. Do not look only at the local situation. (Do not forget you are playing ko.)
2. Do not invest emotionally in a game. It is just one of many.
3. Don't get angry. The English speaking go world is small, and opponents are not disposable. Be nice.
4. The special circumstances of any one game do not make it okay to ask for an undo if you are philosophically opposed to undo except in cases of obvious miss clicks which can happen in live play.

Let's see how this all started.

I am black.

My group on the left was still open toward the center, but it was on the small side. I decided to make at least one sente move with a13. I expected my opponent to play at a14. Instead he played at c12. After determining that I could endure the resulting atari I extended into the white territory in the upper right.

I eventually made two rooms with b10. This group would later offer white a ko threat. 

The game progressed. I made a grab for a big end game sente move by playing at m18.

My opponent ignored my move and played h8 to threaten the single stone at g8.  I knew that the single stone was small, and  I played k18 to jump into white’s territory. White answered at k17. Then I made a mistake as critical as white’s tenuki. I jumped to h18 instead of playing nobi to j18. I saw it immediately, but I wasn’t going to ask for an undo. We had each made a critical mistake, and a ko was definitely on the way.

White pushed at L18 as expected. I played under it to L19. White gave atari at j18. Before setting up the ko I played at h15 to make the two black stones at h14 and g15 useful. I might actually catch nine stones. The atari was indeed sente. White had to answer.

Edit: A comment from the Facebook Go group provided this variation that eliminates the need for ko altogether. This is beautiful.

Edit: Someone else suggested that since I missed the move at j16, I should have saved h15 as a ko threat, and should have started the ko immediately.

White did answer at j16. I set up the ko with j19, and white initiated the ko with k19.

By my estimation I had three ko threats, all of which were against the p13 group. I played to threaten to cut the group with q10.

White responded at q11. I retook the ko. White threatened my left side group with a10, which I had anticipated. 

Edit: It turns out that a10 is no threat at all. The worst that white can do is make seki, so I should have resolved the ko right then and there instead of answering white’s “threat” I was told about this in the Go group on Facebook.

I responded to white’s threat at a9. White retook the ko. I then used my second ko threat at s10 which threatens to destroy white’s second eye.

White answers at r10, and I retake the ko. White makes a threat at n4. If I did not have another good threat I think I could afford to ignore this threat because the two groups it would threaten could line independently. However, since I had another powerful threat I chose to answer.

I decided that the best response was at n3. White retook the ko and I played my last viable threat at t8.

White answered my threat by taking at t10. I retook the ko. Then the waiting began. I waited and waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity. In the mean time I was playing other correspondence games. I had every intention of ignoring any ko threat white would make, but that is not the way it went.

I remember vividly that I was sitting on my front porch enjoying the outdoors with my iPad in my lap. A blizzard of games came up. I responded to them quickly, in uncharacteristic fashion for me. This game was the last in the series of games. I looked at the local situation, evaluated it, and answered the threat unaware that the game I was playing was the one I was so anxiously awaiting. Big mistake. I answered at s14.

Emotions ran high. I realized my mistake immediately, and did something I never do. I asked for an undo, and explained why I was asking for it. I was ashamed to admit that I had forgotten the game I was playing. Apparently my opponent had taken his move before he saw my text. He explained later that he would have granted the undo if he had seen it in time, which was very nice of him.

His comment, however, was ambiguous as it was, “Sorry. Saw it too late”, which I interpreted to mean that I had seen my mistake too late, rather than that he had seen my request too late. I saw red, and responded with, “Fine. If that’s the way you want to be.” I then proceeded angrily with the rest of the game until we chatted at the end, and it became clear what he had actually meant by his comment. Chat is so easily misunderstood.

With the undo not granted I considered resigning, but I knew that was rash and immature. It was more immature than even asking for the undo. Besides, it was still a game, and it ended up being only a 7.5 loss. It turned out to be even on the board at the end. White won only by komi.

The move I played was at e17. (See above) It was not meant to be a ko threat. I knew he would finish the ko. I thought I might have a chance to live on the left side. AI likes N7 (above) and showed a variation I will not bother you with here. AI knew he would finish the ko too. These screen captures were taken after the game was over. No AI was consulted during the game.

Above AI told me what I already knew about my move at s14. I should have taken the ko. Yeah. Rub it in, AI.

AI did not like white’s response at m19 either, preferring the take at h19, probably because of the aji of my move at e17.

I struggled to live in the upper left, but failed. Here is the final position. AI recommends filling dame, probably because we are playing with AGA rules. I could have snatched three points I guess.

This was a loss by 7.5, which is an even result on the board. White wins by komi. It was a good game. I’m glad I finished it, and that I spoke with my opponent at the end.

When I went back to review the game I saw that my opponent had suggested a rematch but wanted to know if I wanted it with undos or without. I responded that I wanted it without undos because I am philosophically opposed to undos on principle, and that I had learned my lesson. I then told him that I was planning a blog post about our game. 

The game can be found here.

Any comments are appreciated.