Here are the highlights of the first game of the 

challenge between Blackie VS The European Pros !

Diagram 1 and 2

The first diagram is the actual game, Pavol plays the keima (35) to the corner, which 

allows Blackie to take the influence, and the result is OK for both. However Blackie 

was surprised about the slide to the corner and during the review of the game he 

advised Pavol to play the jump to the center showed in the second diagram. 

Actually later Blackie remembered that he saw Master(P) (Alphago in disguise on 

Tygem) play the keima to the corner! 

Conclusion of this sequence, both moves are completely fine!

Diagram 3 and 4

To make profit out of his influence, Blackie plays 44, the purpose of this move is to 

attack the black corner and to get an extension of his wall. Blackie was expecting Pavol to protect his corner with a tobi at S16 then Blackie would probably jump at M15 (Diagram 4). However Pavol thought this option was too slack and decided to invade with 45! A very powerful move!

Diagram 5 and 6

After the invasion by Pavol, Blackie gets sente to attack the corner, then starts a semeai where Pavol can keep his corner by killing white¡¯s group but Blackie gets all the influence. The ideal result for Blackie is shown in Diagram 5 where he gets 2 and 4 in sente then he would probably block his side with S8. This result is very satisfying for white. To avoid that, Pavol chooses to resist with 99 of Diagram 6. This move tries to destroy some points in white¡¯s territory. A very complicated fight will follow until¡¦

Diagram 7 and 8

During the fight, Blackie cuts at 120 in Diagram 7 which is a mistake, if Pavol captures the stone with B, then black can protect all of his stones. Instead 120, Blackie could have played the throw-ins at T9 and T7 then start to take the outside liberties (Diagram 8) this would lead to an unplayable ko where black would lose big. But Pavol also makes a mistake by playing elsewhere at A which still leaves the aji at B¡¦

Diagram 9

Blackie finds a huge ko by playing 122, where he can capture most of the 

black stones. This leads Pavol to resign few moves later.

Full game :

The highlights of the second game will come soon !