Reading a thread on GoDiscussions about getting to SDK (Single Digit Kyu) I saw a bunch of good recommendations, mostly around a few books and doing problems.
I realized that I hadn't done any tsumego for quite a while, so I headed over to GoProblems to try a few. I set up a set of 50 problems from 30 kyu to 15 kyu and got 49 right. Next I tried 20 from 12 kyu to 10 kyu and got 6 or so.
Wow! Tsumego really does have difficulty levels! I don't think I really believed that before. I was successful at tsumego that focused on killing "dead shapes" and finding cutting points but generally failed on liberty races. This is a huge, clear indication of a path to improvement.
Seeing that there were situations on the board I wasn't comfortable with helped me see others. In the past I think that when there was something tough to read, my brain just sort of glazed over a little and I convinced myself it wasn't important. Now I am trying to alert myself when I get into a position that is over my head.
I noticed that I can't clearly tell when an unfinished corner is alive. I am not confident that I can succeed at a 3-3 invasion. I also need work on liberty races.
So, although you hear it from everyone, doing tsumego can help your game. Tsumego actually does have strong correlation with skill level. So, if you work on problems that are a bit harder than you can do, and you learn how to recognize and solve those situations, you will have improved!
Monday, December 15, 2008
"The Corners Don't Matter" or why 4-4 Opening is OK
So, my opening strategy has gone as follows:
Hmmmm...if my opponent can block my 2 move corner how would I ever get a 4-4 corner secured that requires 3 moves? Answer: Almost never!
***LIGHT BULB***
I realized that even though the corners are worth a lot and you WANT to get entire corners to yourself, your opponent will never let you play 3 unopposed moves unless they are getting "adequate compensation" somewhere else on the board. So, in fact you have to assume you won't get the corners you stake out with a 4-4.
What you can expect is to split the corner fairly evenly with your opponent via some joseki. (Joseki's are famous series of moves more or less Go's version of Chess openings.)
So, a 4-4 opening is a one move method of setting yourself up to split the corner rather than attempting a 4-3 & 3-5 opening that requires 2 moves to try to get the whole corner.
Looking at a 4-4 opening move as a "quick 1-move initiation of a corner splitting series" rather than the "start of an attempted 3 move unopposed series to capture the corner" changes the way I see the opening and the whole initiation of the power struggle on the board.
- Clueless - play anywhere and get beat up. This was the chaos of a beginner.
- Imitate Others - I started playing 4-4 since it seemed common and maybe a symmetrical opening would be easier to memorize. I kept getting attacked and undermined. It seemed too hard to save the precious corner.
- Read a little - Picked the 4-3, 3-5 opening. This supposedly secured a corner with 2 moves rather than the 3 moves required for the 4-4. It works ok, but I often don't get that second stone on 3-5 down before my opponent invades.
Hmmmm...if my opponent can block my 2 move corner how would I ever get a 4-4 corner secured that requires 3 moves? Answer: Almost never!
***LIGHT BULB***
I realized that even though the corners are worth a lot and you WANT to get entire corners to yourself, your opponent will never let you play 3 unopposed moves unless they are getting "adequate compensation" somewhere else on the board. So, in fact you have to assume you won't get the corners you stake out with a 4-4.
What you can expect is to split the corner fairly evenly with your opponent via some joseki. (Joseki's are famous series of moves more or less Go's version of Chess openings.)
So, a 4-4 opening is a one move method of setting yourself up to split the corner rather than attempting a 4-3 & 3-5 opening that requires 2 moves to try to get the whole corner.
Looking at a 4-4 opening move as a "quick 1-move initiation of a corner splitting series" rather than the "start of an attempted 3 move unopposed series to capture the corner" changes the way I see the opening and the whole initiation of the power struggle on the board.
Playing on OGS (Online Go Server)
Almost all my recent Go activity has been on OGS. It is quite a different experience to play "turn-based" Go rather than "real time" play. Some points:
Anxiety: KGS gives me some anxiety - I have a hard time starting a game there. On OGS it is a lot easier. You can also join tournaments, so I quickly had around 30 games all going at the same time.
Focus: Having 30 games going at once can be problematic. You need to make 1 or more moves a day to make sure you don't lose on time. So, playing 30 moves in a day, all on different games feels a bit like tsumego (life and death practice problems). It doesn't allow you to get into the flow of the game. I often go into the Analysis window and roll the game back a few moves and then play it forward to remember what was going on. I guess the obvious point here is that it doesn't feel like playing a game in the traditional sense (sit down, set up the board, play through to the end, count the score).
Feeling of Progression: It is also a bit difficult to judge if you are improving. Starting 30 games at the same time and playing them in parallel to the end feels different than playing 30 games in a row, one at a time. If I feel my opening is lousy, I will play 30 lousy openings at the same time rather than have 30 chances to play a better opening and learn from mistakes if I play in a series.
Time Pressure: It seems silly to think that 1 move a day is tough and can lead to time pressure, but it does. Many days I have been in a situation where I wasn't in a Go mood. For whatever reason I wasn't really ready to play, but I felt I needed to so I didn't lose on time. Maybe I was really tired, distracted or had a few glasses of wine and even though I shouln't have moved in my "unready" state, I did. So, my games end up with a bunch of moves that were probably not the best I could have made.
Less interest in tsumego: It didn't really occur to me that the "one move per board" play style that OGS offers feels like doing tsumego until I wrote this. Each time you sit down to play you see a board and the question is "What is the best move?". It feels A LOT like tsumego. So much so that I stopped doing any real tsumego. I think that is a big reason I feel like I am not improving...I stopped doing tsumego!
Conclusion: Turn based online Go is just another tool out there. Like any tool it can be helpful or it can get misused. Having spent almost all my Go time on OGS lately, I can see that it isn't the perfect tool for helping me get better. It is one of many tools that I need to split my time on. I need to add more tsumego, books and real time play to my "Go diet" as well as adding some across the board play.
Anxiety: KGS gives me some anxiety - I have a hard time starting a game there. On OGS it is a lot easier. You can also join tournaments, so I quickly had around 30 games all going at the same time.
Focus: Having 30 games going at once can be problematic. You need to make 1 or more moves a day to make sure you don't lose on time. So, playing 30 moves in a day, all on different games feels a bit like tsumego (life and death practice problems). It doesn't allow you to get into the flow of the game. I often go into the Analysis window and roll the game back a few moves and then play it forward to remember what was going on. I guess the obvious point here is that it doesn't feel like playing a game in the traditional sense (sit down, set up the board, play through to the end, count the score).
Feeling of Progression: It is also a bit difficult to judge if you are improving. Starting 30 games at the same time and playing them in parallel to the end feels different than playing 30 games in a row, one at a time. If I feel my opening is lousy, I will play 30 lousy openings at the same time rather than have 30 chances to play a better opening and learn from mistakes if I play in a series.
Time Pressure: It seems silly to think that 1 move a day is tough and can lead to time pressure, but it does. Many days I have been in a situation where I wasn't in a Go mood. For whatever reason I wasn't really ready to play, but I felt I needed to so I didn't lose on time. Maybe I was really tired, distracted or had a few glasses of wine and even though I shouln't have moved in my "unready" state, I did. So, my games end up with a bunch of moves that were probably not the best I could have made.
Less interest in tsumego: It didn't really occur to me that the "one move per board" play style that OGS offers feels like doing tsumego until I wrote this. Each time you sit down to play you see a board and the question is "What is the best move?". It feels A LOT like tsumego. So much so that I stopped doing any real tsumego. I think that is a big reason I feel like I am not improving...I stopped doing tsumego!
Conclusion: Turn based online Go is just another tool out there. Like any tool it can be helpful or it can get misused. Having spent almost all my Go time on OGS lately, I can see that it isn't the perfect tool for helping me get better. It is one of many tools that I need to split my time on. I need to add more tsumego, books and real time play to my "Go diet" as well as adding some across the board play.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Feeling Stuck at 15 kyu
Hi all,
I haven't posted for awhile as I haven't seen much improvement in my game. (I have been a bit busy - moving from west coast to east, unpacking and job hunting.) But I have kept playing GO on OGS. OGS is a nice change from KGS, but it has its own issues (I will post on that). I need to play a few games on KGS and get rid of my ? again...
I do have a few things to talk about. I am straying away from my "ignore the middle" strategy that I posted on below. I find myself roughing out small side areas I think should be able to make an eye and then looking to connect with other groups (and surround territory) in the middle. So, a lot of my latest games have me taking chances/guessing about what moves will allow me to connect. If two groups are a knights move apart can they connect? What if their closest stones are 2 knight's moves apart?
Latest realization is what I call "the corners don't matter". What this really means is that it is OK to play a 4-4 opening rather than a 4-3 and 3-5 combo. More on this in a later post.
Finally, I really think I would benefit from some in person games. I need to join a local club and/or find a teacher. I will post as I investigate these potentially helpful methods of improving my GO.
I haven't posted for awhile as I haven't seen much improvement in my game. (I have been a bit busy - moving from west coast to east, unpacking and job hunting.) But I have kept playing GO on OGS. OGS is a nice change from KGS, but it has its own issues (I will post on that). I need to play a few games on KGS and get rid of my ? again...
I do have a few things to talk about. I am straying away from my "ignore the middle" strategy that I posted on below. I find myself roughing out small side areas I think should be able to make an eye and then looking to connect with other groups (and surround territory) in the middle. So, a lot of my latest games have me taking chances/guessing about what moves will allow me to connect. If two groups are a knights move apart can they connect? What if their closest stones are 2 knight's moves apart?
Latest realization is what I call "the corners don't matter". What this really means is that it is OK to play a 4-4 opening rather than a 4-3 and 3-5 combo. More on this in a later post.
Finally, I really think I would benefit from some in person games. I need to join a local club and/or find a teacher. I will post as I investigate these potentially helpful methods of improving my GO.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tesuji by James Davies and the Nose Tesuji
Elementary GO Series, Vol. 3 - Tesuji by James Davies
This is a book that takes a while to get through. Every few pages a new tesuji is shown, and then there are problems for the reader to solve using the new moves.
I originally understood tesuji to mean "trick play". I thought it was something that happened on rare occasions by masters of the game. But tesuji are really not tricks as much as known positions of stones that lead to some kind of a forcing play or capture if you know the pattern. I would call the Ladder and the Net some basic tesujis. I guess my point is that I assumed I didn't really need to read a book on tesuji since it was just some weird trick plays - well, I was wrong.
Tesuji is a book with a lot to offer. Davies details quite a few tesujis and then gives some great problems to help you practice. I am nearly done with my first pass through the book, but I can tell I need to revisit it regularly. Why? First, I have forgotten some of the patterns already. Second, I did a fairly poor job at the problems. In general, I could guess what the critical first move of the sequence would be, but I wasn't able to see the "forced" response or get the chain of moves through to the solution. I think that as I absorb a few of the tesuji in the book, I will be able to wrap my brain around a few more, until I eventually have more or less memorized the tesuji in the book. The fact that I can't read the problems out to the end tells me that I need to improve my reading - or simply that I am a 15 kyu, and I have a lot to learn.
Despite the book being a pretty strong challenge, it has already paid off in game. Here is a game where I recognized the opportunity for a "Nose Tesuji".
Here is the position where I recognized that a Nose Tesuji was possible. A play at 'A' by white is the Nose Tesuji - I guess getting the name from the fact that the 2 black stones stick out like a nose. The set up wasn't quite perfect yet, so I played a stone to set up the trap...
White 1 below doesn't seem to be an attacking move, but it isolates the black stones at F13, G13 and sets up the tesuji. I am guessing that my opponent doesn't know this tesuji, so he isn't prepared to defend against it. His Black 2 doesn't affect the tesuji, so I spring H13 on him...
The Nose Tesuji reduces his group to two liberties and by struggling to escape he loses another liberty. Now the 5 black stones are in atari - nice job Nose Tesuji!
Having read Tesuji, and having seen the praise it has received on GoDiscussions, I believe it is an essential book for a player's GO library.
This is a book that takes a while to get through. Every few pages a new tesuji is shown, and then there are problems for the reader to solve using the new moves.
I originally understood tesuji to mean "trick play". I thought it was something that happened on rare occasions by masters of the game. But tesuji are really not tricks as much as known positions of stones that lead to some kind of a forcing play or capture if you know the pattern. I would call the Ladder and the Net some basic tesujis. I guess my point is that I assumed I didn't really need to read a book on tesuji since it was just some weird trick plays - well, I was wrong.
Tesuji is a book with a lot to offer. Davies details quite a few tesujis and then gives some great problems to help you practice. I am nearly done with my first pass through the book, but I can tell I need to revisit it regularly. Why? First, I have forgotten some of the patterns already. Second, I did a fairly poor job at the problems. In general, I could guess what the critical first move of the sequence would be, but I wasn't able to see the "forced" response or get the chain of moves through to the solution. I think that as I absorb a few of the tesuji in the book, I will be able to wrap my brain around a few more, until I eventually have more or less memorized the tesuji in the book. The fact that I can't read the problems out to the end tells me that I need to improve my reading - or simply that I am a 15 kyu, and I have a lot to learn.
Despite the book being a pretty strong challenge, it has already paid off in game. Here is a game where I recognized the opportunity for a "Nose Tesuji".
Here is the position where I recognized that a Nose Tesuji was possible. A play at 'A' by white is the Nose Tesuji - I guess getting the name from the fact that the 2 black stones stick out like a nose. The set up wasn't quite perfect yet, so I played a stone to set up the trap...
White 1 below doesn't seem to be an attacking move, but it isolates the black stones at F13, G13 and sets up the tesuji. I am guessing that my opponent doesn't know this tesuji, so he isn't prepared to defend against it. His Black 2 doesn't affect the tesuji, so I spring H13 on him...
The Nose Tesuji reduces his group to two liberties and by struggling to escape he loses another liberty. Now the 5 black stones are in atari - nice job Nose Tesuji!
Having read Tesuji, and having seen the praise it has received on GoDiscussions, I believe it is an essential book for a player's GO library.
Janice Kim Vol 5 and Shape
Janice Kim's "Learn to Play Go" Volume 5
I zipped through this book and found it light but clear.
One highlight: This book does a nice job of talking about a tough GO term - "shape". I have struggled with understanding what shape is in GO. I have learned a few things about it.
First is efficiency. You want to get the biggest bang for the buck when placing your stones. If you play extra stones in an area that doesn't need them you become inefficient and "overconcentrated".
(Here is an example of what Janice Kim talks about.) What is the most efficient way for white to capture this stone?
The most efficient way is to surround it and cut off its liberties directly. This makes the Pon Nuki shape (or "Death Star").
Look at the shape below - it used an extra stone to capture the black stone, so this shape is not as good at the pon nuki above. White should have played that 5th stone somewhere else to be efficient.
Next, shape as a concept has to deal with the proverb "My opponents best move is my best move." Shape isn't something that deals with one player's stones while ignoring the other player's stones. I really didn't get this at first.
Look at this shape. A play at 'A' by either player will create the pon nuki shape. White may really want to play at A to make a Tiger's Mouth. Black may want to stop the formation of that white Tiger's Mouth. So, playing at A is "good shape" for either player.
Other good shapes are listed on Sensei's library. (Here are some.) I still don't feel 100% comfortable that I understand shape on the GO board, but I am starting to grasp the basics.
I zipped through this book and found it light but clear.
One highlight: This book does a nice job of talking about a tough GO term - "shape". I have struggled with understanding what shape is in GO. I have learned a few things about it.
First is efficiency. You want to get the biggest bang for the buck when placing your stones. If you play extra stones in an area that doesn't need them you become inefficient and "overconcentrated".
(Here is an example of what Janice Kim talks about.) What is the most efficient way for white to capture this stone?
The most efficient way is to surround it and cut off its liberties directly. This makes the Pon Nuki shape (or "Death Star").
Look at the shape below - it used an extra stone to capture the black stone, so this shape is not as good at the pon nuki above. White should have played that 5th stone somewhere else to be efficient.
Next, shape as a concept has to deal with the proverb "My opponents best move is my best move." Shape isn't something that deals with one player's stones while ignoring the other player's stones. I really didn't get this at first.
Look at this shape. A play at 'A' by either player will create the pon nuki shape. White may really want to play at A to make a Tiger's Mouth. Black may want to stop the formation of that white Tiger's Mouth. So, playing at A is "good shape" for either player.
Other good shapes are listed on Sensei's library. (Here are some.) I still don't feel 100% comfortable that I understand shape on the GO board, but I am starting to grasp the basics.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A bit of an insight
So, playing on OGS has been a different experience than KGS. I am in a tournament that includes 3 players who are a lot stronger than I am. Playing them, and playing the 'bots on the site made me realize some things I may be doing wrong.
I know it is common advice to play in the corners, then the sides and then the center. But, I don't think it is stressed strongly enough. Take a look at this board:
Imagine you are not allowed to play in the pink area, or that points there don't count. Imagine only territory gained on fourth line and below (the yellow, regular board colored area) is worth anything. Think of how much more desperately you would fight for the corners, and how strongly you would lock up the borders so your opponent doesn't sneak into your area. Fight that intensely for the edges of the board before considering the center. That is how important I think this is. Maybe the guideline should be:
Avoid the center! SECURE THE CORNERS AND THEN THE SIDES!! Stay on the 4th line and below until borders are secure! Only run to the center after that!
So, that is "Job #1". Using the thinking above, you still need to make sure you avoid overplay. I understood overplay to mean stretching too far, such that your opponent can punish you, but I didn't have a practical feel for it.
EXAMPLE #1: Here I am pushing hard to try to set the border up around line 12, so that I get a point of territory on line 11 at B11. This is too weak considering none of those stones (A11, B12, C11) are connected to each other or the stones below.
White separates my upper stones with 4 (B10) and I have to go in to damage control.
As you can see - I have no strength and have to reform the border by retreating.
So, here we have the real border after my overplay and the results. The real border is low enough that My highest territory is on line 7, a 4 line loss! I think if I had played B11 as move 3 above I might have been able to claim territory on line 10.
EXAMPLE #2: Same game a few moves later. (Ignore the 19, 20, 21...) Look in the lower left. I was trying to get every last point in the corner, so I did a "double hane", moves A2-B3-C4. This is too greedy. By trying to play right up against my opponent and grab every point, I end up with weak stones that can't stay connected.
White punishes this overplay with the moves below - further reducing my lower left territory.
So, the summary of this post is: Grab and secure as much of the corners and sides as possible, focus on this with a very heightened urgency. Get as much territory as you can around the edges, but with solid moves that don't leave you overextended. If you win the battle around the outside, you should only need to reduce your opponents area in the center and you will be headed for a win.
I know it is common advice to play in the corners, then the sides and then the center. But, I don't think it is stressed strongly enough. Take a look at this board:
Imagine you are not allowed to play in the pink area, or that points there don't count. Imagine only territory gained on fourth line and below (the yellow, regular board colored area) is worth anything. Think of how much more desperately you would fight for the corners, and how strongly you would lock up the borders so your opponent doesn't sneak into your area. Fight that intensely for the edges of the board before considering the center. That is how important I think this is. Maybe the guideline should be:
Avoid the center! SECURE THE CORNERS AND THEN THE SIDES!! Stay on the 4th line and below until borders are secure! Only run to the center after that!
So, that is "Job #1". Using the thinking above, you still need to make sure you avoid overplay. I understood overplay to mean stretching too far, such that your opponent can punish you, but I didn't have a practical feel for it.
EXAMPLE #1: Here I am pushing hard to try to set the border up around line 12, so that I get a point of territory on line 11 at B11. This is too weak considering none of those stones (A11, B12, C11) are connected to each other or the stones below.
White separates my upper stones with 4 (B10) and I have to go in to damage control.
As you can see - I have no strength and have to reform the border by retreating.
So, here we have the real border after my overplay and the results. The real border is low enough that My highest territory is on line 7, a 4 line loss! I think if I had played B11 as move 3 above I might have been able to claim territory on line 10.
EXAMPLE #2: Same game a few moves later. (Ignore the 19, 20, 21...) Look in the lower left. I was trying to get every last point in the corner, so I did a "double hane", moves A2-B3-C4. This is too greedy. By trying to play right up against my opponent and grab every point, I end up with weak stones that can't stay connected.
White punishes this overplay with the moves below - further reducing my lower left territory.
So, the summary of this post is: Grab and secure as much of the corners and sides as possible, focus on this with a very heightened urgency. Get as much territory as you can around the edges, but with solid moves that don't leave you overextended. If you win the battle around the outside, you should only need to reduce your opponents area in the center and you will be headed for a win.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Turn based online play - more fun than expected
I volunteered to play in a tournament with some other GoDiscussions.com regulars. It was being hosted on OGS. I hadn't tried any games on a turn-based system, so I was feeling a bit like a newbie player. But I signed up, and figured I would be playing a game as if we were emailing moves back and forth.
Well, things happen alot faster than I expected. We built a 9 player tournament and that means each player plays all 8 other participants twice - once as black and once as white. The big surprise was you play all 16 games AT THE SAME TIME!!
So, even if a few players don't show up in a day, you still have a bunch of games that you can move in. I think many of the players leave a browser window open to the site and check on their games whenever they get a few minutes. The point is that you can get a lot more than 1 move per game in each day. What I actually expected to feel slow feels really good. There is a lot less anxiety when you only have to play 1 move. If the position is really dificult, you can just skip that game and work on it when you have more time.
Games are played with Fischer time measured in days. Our tourney was set up as 7 days, plus 1 day time added per move, max time on the clock of 7 days. So, you could theoretically wait a whole week for 1 move, and then play 7 moves the next day and be back up to the max time on the clock.
I was concerned about trying to play on a second server, but at this point I like OGS better. Getting back into the realtime games on KGS may be more of a challenge. OGS has some other nice features like official tournaments, ranking via ELO, bots to help you establish rank, and their ladders.
The ladders are a neat feature where everyone who wants to join gets on a big list. There are some rules about who you are allowed to challenge, but basically everyone plays everyone else on the ladder. If you win, you move to the spot above your opponent. So it is a big GO version of 'king of the mountain'. It makes me think of the insei program where all the students are playing each other to get to the top so they can take the pro exam. OGS has 3 ladders - a 19x19 ladder, 13x13 and 9x9.
I have played a few bot games to try to establish rank, and I think I will join the 19x19 ladder soon as well. I say give a turn-based server a chance! Take a look at both OGS (Online Go Server) and DGS (Dragon Go Server) - maybe one will seem right for you!
Well, things happen alot faster than I expected. We built a 9 player tournament and that means each player plays all 8 other participants twice - once as black and once as white. The big surprise was you play all 16 games AT THE SAME TIME!!
So, even if a few players don't show up in a day, you still have a bunch of games that you can move in. I think many of the players leave a browser window open to the site and check on their games whenever they get a few minutes. The point is that you can get a lot more than 1 move per game in each day. What I actually expected to feel slow feels really good. There is a lot less anxiety when you only have to play 1 move. If the position is really dificult, you can just skip that game and work on it when you have more time.
Games are played with Fischer time measured in days. Our tourney was set up as 7 days, plus 1 day time added per move, max time on the clock of 7 days. So, you could theoretically wait a whole week for 1 move, and then play 7 moves the next day and be back up to the max time on the clock.
I was concerned about trying to play on a second server, but at this point I like OGS better. Getting back into the realtime games on KGS may be more of a challenge. OGS has some other nice features like official tournaments, ranking via ELO, bots to help you establish rank, and their ladders.
The ladders are a neat feature where everyone who wants to join gets on a big list. There are some rules about who you are allowed to challenge, but basically everyone plays everyone else on the ladder. If you win, you move to the spot above your opponent. So it is a big GO version of 'king of the mountain'. It makes me think of the insei program where all the students are playing each other to get to the top so they can take the pro exam. OGS has 3 ladders - a 19x19 ladder, 13x13 and 9x9.
I have played a few bot games to try to establish rank, and I think I will join the 19x19 ladder soon as well. I say give a turn-based server a chance! Take a look at both OGS (Online Go Server) and DGS (Dragon Go Server) - maybe one will seem right for you!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Watched entire HnG series
I have been looking for inspiration to help me improve my GO in all directions. Not sure why, really, but I felt like I needed to watch all the Hikaru no Go episodes...so I did. I think it is a pretty good Japanese-style cartoon (manga) with a pretty linear plotline. The one interesting twist is Sai. Of course it is all about GO, so if you like manga and GO, I think you would enjoy it quite a bit.
I think watching it actually helped me, in the attitude department. I was able to see Hikaru's drive to improve. I watched the characters review games with their high level dan sensei - and although I understood the concepts they discussed I can't really apply them to my own game yet. It made me want to improve enough to see what they saw on the board.
The concern I have about rank seemed to be addressed as well. All you can really ever do on the GO board is "test your strength". Ranks don't really matter so much. So that is my new mantra when I consider playing - I need to "test my strength".
If I understood the ways to use thickness, had confidence in my groups level of connectedness, and could read better I wouldn't really care about my rank. I would be able to appreciate the subtleties of the game.
So, I guess I think Hikaru no Go is a motivational story for GO players. I think it could be a good break from playing and studying, worth rewatching every few years.
I think watching it actually helped me, in the attitude department. I was able to see Hikaru's drive to improve. I watched the characters review games with their high level dan sensei - and although I understood the concepts they discussed I can't really apply them to my own game yet. It made me want to improve enough to see what they saw on the board.
The concern I have about rank seemed to be addressed as well. All you can really ever do on the GO board is "test your strength". Ranks don't really matter so much. So that is my new mantra when I consider playing - I need to "test my strength".
If I understood the ways to use thickness, had confidence in my groups level of connectedness, and could read better I wouldn't really care about my rank. I would be able to appreciate the subtleties of the game.
So, I guess I think Hikaru no Go is a motivational story for GO players. I think it could be a good break from playing and studying, worth rewatching every few years.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Free game with Buzzsaw
I have posted on my occasional resistance/fear of playing on KGS. Too caught up in ratings, etc. But I logged in the other day and saw buzzsaw online. I am a fan of her blog and so she has "celebrity status" for me. I decided to be brave and ask her to play a game. We played a free game, I got 5 stones and lost, but I was happier than I have been playing most of my online games.
It made me realize that I have been missing out on the "playing" part of the game. Rated games feel like you are in a tournament. These serious, competitive games are fun sometimes but they don't feel personal. I guess "free" games are intended to be casual games, but I have always viewed free games as "I don't want to mess with my rating" games.
I want the equivalent of a "curl up on the sofa with a good book" game. A comfortable game. A friendly game where each player wants to do well, but is also happy to point out better continuations, or try variations. This interactive learning style of "playing" doesn't translate so well to computers I guess.
Having a friendly rival of about the same strength, who I could play over the board at the local coffee shop sounds like it would be the best. I guess I need to start checking out the GO scene and finding some opponents here in town rather than just in cyberspace.
It made me realize that I have been missing out on the "playing" part of the game. Rated games feel like you are in a tournament. These serious, competitive games are fun sometimes but they don't feel personal. I guess "free" games are intended to be casual games, but I have always viewed free games as "I don't want to mess with my rating" games.
I want the equivalent of a "curl up on the sofa with a good book" game. A comfortable game. A friendly game where each player wants to do well, but is also happy to point out better continuations, or try variations. This interactive learning style of "playing" doesn't translate so well to computers I guess.
Having a friendly rival of about the same strength, who I could play over the board at the local coffee shop sounds like it would be the best. I guess I need to start checking out the GO scene and finding some opponents here in town rather than just in cyberspace.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Played 7 games on KGS in June
My goal was 50, and I only played 7. One was with a weak bot (butterbot 24k). So, I really should only claim 6. I did play another 6 or so over the board at lunch at work, but even adding that falls dramatically short. So, I am wondering why so few games?
*Opens up bag of excuses and grabs a handful.*
*Opens up bag of excuses and grabs a handful.*
- I like the base settings of 30 minutes + 30/5 byo yomi. But that translates into more than an hour if both sides use all their time. So, if I want to play I need more than an hour. This stops me from even logging in a lot of the time. (I should just reduce the base time to 20 minutes for the custom games I post...ok, I will.)
- I don't like to play unless I am "battle ready". I want to feel sharp, and mentally tough enough to play well. This isn't how I feel when I wake up (too sleepy), after a beer (too loopy) or on many normal nights (just not in the zone). (Guess I need to be less attached to the outcome of each game...)
- I care too much about my rating. It keeps drifting up when I don't play and so I want to win a few so it stays at the better rating. (Too much concern for the rating, but it is hard to ignore.)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Safe extensions and the 3x3 invasion
I just read about walls in Bruce Wilcox's Sector fights. There is a lot more in there, but I just have to share a few juicy concepts.
The largest safe extension is equal to the height of your wall. Extend to the 3rd line.
So, here is a completely made up position that illustrates the concept:
If you count from the top edge of the board, the black wall is 6 tall, or you can say it reaches the 6th line. The white wall reaches the 5th line. The safe extension is the same number of spaces away from the wall (on the 3rd line). So white can jump out 5 spaces (a "four space jump") and Black can jump 6. The theory is that the height of the wall helps insure the area can't be invaded. I haven't played one of these big extensions and seen it work, but I am trusting it is true.
It matches up with the proverb, "From a 1 stone base jump two, from 2 stones jump three".
And here is the piece that got the "aha" from me. Why do you see an extension from a single 4-4 stone to the middle of the side? I have seen this and it looked like a lone stone out hoping to claim some territory. Why does this make sense?
Take a look at the picture below - this is the same board after a 3-3 invasion by white. Count up how far away that lone stone is from the wall (consider it to be on the third line from the left). AHA! :)
Lastly, I'll do a little plug for Go Dojo - Bruce talks about a LOT more than just this in his section on walls. Among other things he covers diagonal walls, walls with missing stones, jumping walls and how to destroy the effectiveness of opponents walls. Good stuff!
The largest safe extension is equal to the height of your wall. Extend to the 3rd line.
So, here is a completely made up position that illustrates the concept:
If you count from the top edge of the board, the black wall is 6 tall, or you can say it reaches the 6th line. The white wall reaches the 5th line. The safe extension is the same number of spaces away from the wall (on the 3rd line). So white can jump out 5 spaces (a "four space jump") and Black can jump 6. The theory is that the height of the wall helps insure the area can't be invaded. I haven't played one of these big extensions and seen it work, but I am trusting it is true.
It matches up with the proverb, "From a 1 stone base jump two, from 2 stones jump three".
And here is the piece that got the "aha" from me. Why do you see an extension from a single 4-4 stone to the middle of the side? I have seen this and it looked like a lone stone out hoping to claim some territory. Why does this make sense?
Take a look at the picture below - this is the same board after a 3-3 invasion by white. Count up how far away that lone stone is from the wall (consider it to be on the third line from the left). AHA! :)
Lastly, I'll do a little plug for Go Dojo - Bruce talks about a LOT more than just this in his section on walls. Among other things he covers diagonal walls, walls with missing stones, jumping walls and how to destroy the effectiveness of opponents walls. Good stuff!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Skybox - experiments with influence
Influence is important in GO, but it is somewhat hard to quantify. Books talk about trading territory for influence, but it is pretty tough to figure out what a fair trade looks like. I can't tell you exactly how to judge this, but an interesting GO variant called "Skybox" is worth a game or 2.
Skybox Setup: Put a black stone on every spot on the first line as shown above.
Skybox rules: One side (white in my example) tries to make a living group. If white can make 1 group with 2 eyes, white wins. So, obviously, black needs to stop white from getting a 2-eyed group.
So, basically, you are playing a regular game of GO, except that black has a ton of influence around the edge of the board. The page on Sensei's that mentions Skybox states that white should fail. We played 1 game at work, and I sort of consider this less of a "game" and more like an "exercise". It is REALLY tough on white, but I think that hints at the power of influence.
It is also interesting to see how to optimize your play as black. Basically, keep it simple and run to the wall when threatened. Don't try tricky cuts, don't try to capture anything, just drop a stone somewhere that destroys eyeshape and run to the wall!
Watching a game of Skybox did make me rethink my assumptions about "best moves". I really encourage you to play a game, err...try the exercise!
Skybox Setup: Put a black stone on every spot on the first line as shown above.
Skybox rules: One side (white in my example) tries to make a living group. If white can make 1 group with 2 eyes, white wins. So, obviously, black needs to stop white from getting a 2-eyed group.
So, basically, you are playing a regular game of GO, except that black has a ton of influence around the edge of the board. The page on Sensei's that mentions Skybox states that white should fail. We played 1 game at work, and I sort of consider this less of a "game" and more like an "exercise". It is REALLY tough on white, but I think that hints at the power of influence.
It is also interesting to see how to optimize your play as black. Basically, keep it simple and run to the wall when threatened. Don't try tricky cuts, don't try to capture anything, just drop a stone somewhere that destroys eyeshape and run to the wall!
Watching a game of Skybox did make me rethink my assumptions about "best moves". I really encourage you to play a game, err...try the exercise!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Interesting Quote
Don't attack and don't defend - Sonoda Yuichi 9-dan
Something about this quote seems right, but I really don't quite know how to put it in practice. Worth thinking about when playing though!
I found some games of his vs. Cho Chikun which I will look at to see if this quote seems to apply.
Something about this quote seems right, but I really don't quite know how to put it in practice. Worth thinking about when playing though!
I found some games of his vs. Cho Chikun which I will look at to see if this quote seems to apply.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sealing the border
Here is a pretty common situation that I have repeatedly messed up. You are white, you want to claim some territory on the edge. What should your next move be?
What seems like the best move has a flaw. I tend to want to move right to the edge on H and seal the border. Black could easily respond with his own move to the edge on G. Now I tell my self "Mission complete! Border sealed!" and head off to another part of the board.
Black hits me with this (below). Ugh. No escape - adding a stone still leave the 2 stone group in atari. Dead, dead, dead. After falling for this for recently I started wondering, what is the right way to deal with this?
Not long after that, I was watching a game and saw this. I was confused and started thinking the player who did it must be a fool. It seemed like it gave away territory - I didn't like it. But it stuck in my mind. I was reviewing another game, where the player ended up using the move in the top diagrams, and the kibitzers were making fun of it and recommending the move below. So, finally the light bulb went off and I understood that this move is the right one on the side. It is efficient and has some hidden teeth of it's own.
If you play that, and black plays tenuki (Japanese for 'playing somewhere else') white can follow up with the below and threaten to expand the group out to F and beyond.
What seems like the best move has a flaw. I tend to want to move right to the edge on H and seal the border. Black could easily respond with his own move to the edge on G. Now I tell my self "Mission complete! Border sealed!" and head off to another part of the board.
Black hits me with this (below). Ugh. No escape - adding a stone still leave the 2 stone group in atari. Dead, dead, dead. After falling for this for recently I started wondering, what is the right way to deal with this?
Not long after that, I was watching a game and saw this. I was confused and started thinking the player who did it must be a fool. It seemed like it gave away territory - I didn't like it. But it stuck in my mind. I was reviewing another game, where the player ended up using the move in the top diagrams, and the kibitzers were making fun of it and recommending the move below. So, finally the light bulb went off and I understood that this move is the right one on the side. It is efficient and has some hidden teeth of it's own.
If you play that, and black plays tenuki (Japanese for 'playing somewhere else') white can follow up with the below and threaten to expand the group out to F and beyond.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Motivation
Well, my KGS rank drifted up to 16k and then 15k while I studied and reviewed games but didn't play. I convinced myself that I was gaining skill right along with my rank. Then I got the dreaded question mark, so I played a rated game and lost convincingly. It put me right back to 17k.
So, I am going to try not to let any rating drift convince me of anything anymore. I need to play to improve. If it is 1000 games to Shodan, I have about 980 to go. I guess I am trying to rededicate myself to being a bit more serious about my progress.
So, back to the goban, the books and all the rest. I was enjoying my unearned 15k rank and looking forward to SDK (single digit kyu). I have been playing only a few games and trying to extract the maximum learning out of each one. Maybe it is time to try the opposite approach and just get some more experience on the board.
Ok, my goal for June is 50 rated KGS games. I have 1 completed. So, about 2 a day and I will make it. Let's see if playing more games feels more instructive than careful evaluation of a few games.
So, I am going to try not to let any rating drift convince me of anything anymore. I need to play to improve. If it is 1000 games to Shodan, I have about 980 to go. I guess I am trying to rededicate myself to being a bit more serious about my progress.
So, back to the goban, the books and all the rest. I was enjoying my unearned 15k rank and looking forward to SDK (single digit kyu). I have been playing only a few games and trying to extract the maximum learning out of each one. Maybe it is time to try the opposite approach and just get some more experience on the board.
Ok, my goal for June is 50 rated KGS games. I have 1 completed. So, about 2 a day and I will make it. Let's see if playing more games feels more instructive than careful evaluation of a few games.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Go Dojo - thoughts so far
I have cranked through 3 of 4 sections in Contact Fights and 1 of 4 in Sector Fights. I like the concrete recommendations he makes. Things like, "if your group has 6 liberties you MUST play away". It feels like I have a bunch of new techniques to apply, but I haven't played any games to try them out. I expect to use them awkwardly at first, but we will see.
One other interesting thing has happened, my perception of the board and the game have changed again. The board no longer seems like a 19x19 area to place single stones, it is starting to feel more like a "field" that can support 20 or so groups. Stones work together as groups, so there is a more tetris-like feel as you build odd shapes and try to connect them on the board.
The game also feels to have shortened, because the endgame starts a lot sooner than I thought. Here are the three phases of the game (and their Japanese names):
Fuseki - Until there is a weak group.
Chubansen - Until there are no weak groups.
Yose - Post weak groups.
So, the whole game seems different. Each player builds a few groups. There is a struggle to exploit weak groups. Finalize the borders. Done.
Back to the Go Dojo - I really like the format and the style of presentation as well as the subject matter. It seems like it has revealed some of the principles of GO that I hadn't understood beforehand. I need to see if I gain any stones in real play, but at this point I would recommend Go Dojo to anyone serious about GO. The first sections of each seem applicable for players at an early stage of their GO career.
One other interesting thing has happened, my perception of the board and the game have changed again. The board no longer seems like a 19x19 area to place single stones, it is starting to feel more like a "field" that can support 20 or so groups. Stones work together as groups, so there is a more tetris-like feel as you build odd shapes and try to connect them on the board.
The game also feels to have shortened, because the endgame starts a lot sooner than I thought. Here are the three phases of the game (and their Japanese names):
Fuseki - Until there is a weak group.
Chubansen - Until there are no weak groups.
Yose - Post weak groups.
So, the whole game seems different. Each player builds a few groups. There is a struggle to exploit weak groups. Finalize the borders. Done.
Back to the Go Dojo - I really like the format and the style of presentation as well as the subject matter. It seems like it has revealed some of the principles of GO that I hadn't understood beforehand. I need to see if I gain any stones in real play, but at this point I would recommend Go Dojo to anyone serious about GO. The first sections of each seem applicable for players at an early stage of their GO career.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Ordered Go Dojo software
I lost a couple games last night, and I felt my skill at contact fighting and the resulting liberty races was my downfall (or major weakness).
So, I ordered Bruce Wilcox's Go Dojo: Contact Fights and Sector Fights today. Hopefully they will help me jump up a few kyu. There is a pretty complimentary thread about these programs on GoDiscussions.com, so I decided to get them.
I oredered them from YMI, so I think I will get CDs. You can get them emailed as a zip file more quickly, but the Wilcox website seemed a tad unfriendly. It' s hard to tell exactly how to order there, and you don't really know when it was last updated, or if anyone will respond to your paypal order. Apparently his site works fine, but I will happily wait a few days for my CDs.
"Are they here yet?"
So, I ordered Bruce Wilcox's Go Dojo: Contact Fights and Sector Fights today. Hopefully they will help me jump up a few kyu. There is a pretty complimentary thread about these programs on GoDiscussions.com, so I decided to get them.
I oredered them from YMI, so I think I will get CDs. You can get them emailed as a zip file more quickly, but the Wilcox website seemed a tad unfriendly. It' s hard to tell exactly how to order there, and you don't really know when it was last updated, or if anyone will respond to your paypal order. Apparently his site works fine, but I will happily wait a few days for my CDs.
"Are they here yet?"
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Another move for the GO utility belt: the Clamp
Here is another move that can help out at times. It has miai as it threatens to put the clamped black stone into atari either from above or below the clamped stone. See more at Sensei's Library! http://senseis.xmp.net/?Clamp
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Ko - still don't feel ready to post about
I have had games where there are kos. I have filled them or lost them. But I have never had a game where a group's life or the score of the game depended on winning a ko. I also haven't read up on it in any spot that makes me feel like I can talk on the subject with any kind of authority.
So, I am not forgetting about the subject, I just don't really have any good advise yet.
I need to find a game where a ko makes a life and death difference, and another where the score depends on winning a ko. Those examples should be instructive.
The other piece of the puzzle is "ko threats". To win a ko, you have to have more ko threats than your opponent. As I understand it, a ko threat is a move that (if unanswered) will hurt more for your opponent than losing the ko.
So stay tuned for more detail on ko, ko threats, etc. I will post that in another thread when I understand it better.
So, I am not forgetting about the subject, I just don't really have any good advise yet.
I need to find a game where a ko makes a life and death difference, and another where the score depends on winning a ko. Those examples should be instructive.
The other piece of the puzzle is "ko threats". To win a ko, you have to have more ko threats than your opponent. As I understand it, a ko threat is a move that (if unanswered) will hurt more for your opponent than losing the ko.
So stay tuned for more detail on ko, ko threats, etc. I will post that in another thread when I understand it better.
Bad shapes - ripped moves and Elephant's eyes
This post is almost directly "ripped" from a page on Sensei's Library. So, you can see the source here: (FourBasicShapes). I will talk about 3 shapes - Knight's Move, One Point Jump and Elephant's Move. The first 2 are good moves that can be exploited, the 3rd is not so good as we will see.
On the left side of the diagram below you see a knights move (or keima in Japanese) and a one point jump created by black. These are good, normal moves. But they can be "ripped" apart. One proverb says, "Attack the knight's move at the waist.". On the right you can see the same shapes build by white, but ripped apart by black. These show good shapes for black and bad shape for white.
Another possible move is the Elephant's Jump. It is named after the move in shogi made by the elephant. It is the One point diagonal jump seen below at the left. It has a weak spot called the "Elephant's Eye", which is right in the middle of the 2 stones (see the 3 stone group second from left). The 2 groups on the right show possible continuations. White can either play directly against the black stone or diagonally (doing a 'shoulder hit' on the black stone at the Elephant's Eye). In each case black has a continuation that makes one of the shapes above. The Elephant Jump leads to a ripped shape!
On the left side of the diagram below you see a knights move (or keima in Japanese) and a one point jump created by black. These are good, normal moves. But they can be "ripped" apart. One proverb says, "Attack the knight's move at the waist.". On the right you can see the same shapes build by white, but ripped apart by black. These show good shapes for black and bad shape for white.
Another possible move is the Elephant's Jump. It is named after the move in shogi made by the elephant. It is the One point diagonal jump seen below at the left. It has a weak spot called the "Elephant's Eye", which is right in the middle of the 2 stones (see the 3 stone group second from left). The 2 groups on the right show possible continuations. White can either play directly against the black stone or diagonally (doing a 'shoulder hit' on the black stone at the Elephant's Eye). In each case black has a continuation that makes one of the shapes above. The Elephant Jump leads to a ripped shape!
Creating bases and running to the center
Living on the side requires more stones than living in a corner. But sides have a lot of good territory to offer if you can figure out how to occupy them. Many times, you will attempt to grab territory on a side between two corners that your opponent has claimed. (If you don't break up the control of 2 adjacent corners, then your opponent will strengthen the side between then and claim it all!)
Here is a basic scenario:
BONUS NOVELTY: Here's a cool shape that is alive, even though it has a false eye in the middle. I could imagine something like this being created when 2 bases run to the middle and you opponent almost stops them from connecting:
Here is a basic scenario:
- Game Begins.
- Opponent claims 2 corners while you claim 2 others.
- You grab the star point on the side between your opponent's corners. Your intent is to grab part of the side.
- Your opponent tries to stop your invasion on one side, while adding some strength to the corner.
- You extend out toward the opposite corner to claim the area between your 2 stones and threaten the corner as well. This is known as a base or moyo or framework.
- Now that you have a base, some time during the game you will need to defend it and make 2 eyes (while your opponent tries to stop you). With luck, you will end up with something like this:
- That didn't get you a ton of territory, but it did reduce the area your opponent can claim. What if it looks like you won't be able to make 2 eyes? If things go bad, run to the center (using 1-point jumps or however you can)! The point is that the moyo you made will live if it is connected to stones with eyes in the middle, or some other group you have in a corner or side that also ran to the middle. Here, a failed invasion on the right side runs to the middle and tries to connect to that moyo on the bottom.
- You can see that if the stones on the right connect with the bottom, they will be alive and will threaten white's right corner and side. If not, they have no eyes and are likely to be captured.
BONUS NOVELTY: Here's a cool shape that is alive, even though it has a false eye in the middle. I could imagine something like this being created when 2 bases run to the middle and you opponent almost stops them from connecting:
Comfortable on 19x19
Like the title says, I am now comfortable playing on a 19x19 board. At first it seemed very big and intimidating. I had no idea what a good opening moved looked like, so it was uncomfortable placing a stone on a big empty board. I picked up the habit of playing on a star point (4-4) or a 4-3 point since it seemed a lot of other players do that. I still do - and for the most part it is due to convention rather than wisdom. You too can play those openings without a lot of background into why they are considered good. (If you want to dig into openings, there is a ton of info on where to start and why. Search for joseki or openings...)
Beyond the fear of an empty board, there is a need to get familiar with general whole board strategy. Looking at a board with 10 or 20 stones and having a basic understanding of what each player is trying to do helped make me comfortable. There are only a handful of basic strategies players seem to follow during the opening:
So, understanding your basic options and being able to read what your opponent is thinking makes 19x19 less stressful.
Everytime I log into KGS it is like going to a big swimming pool. At first I don't want to "get in the pool" - I look around, hope someone else will put up a perfect game for me, check a few players stats, maybe view a game in progress - but eventually I end up setting up my own custom game. Playing with consistent time controls helps as well - I like the default 30 minutes each + 30 second byo yomi.
19x19 is big enough that you have to seriously commit to playing. A full game with the above time controls can take over an hour. That 1 hour of play usually gives me a few hours of analysis and review as well. I like to look over some other games my opponent has played, look at their rank graph, review the game and see what I did well and where I was weak, etc. 19x19 is the real game. It shouldn't take too many tries before it changes from seeming huge, to seeming to be a good size!
Beyond the fear of an empty board, there is a need to get familiar with general whole board strategy. Looking at a board with 10 or 20 stones and having a basic understanding of what each player is trying to do helped make me comfortable. There are only a handful of basic strategies players seem to follow during the opening:
- Claim a corner - invade the other player's corner
- Build a base/framework/moyo on the side and try to get 2 eyes - stop opponent's base from getting eyes
- Run to the center in case a group on the edge can't make 2 eyes using the edge alone - block opponent from running
- Expand your influence (by putting stone in open areas near your other stones) - invade opponent's territory
So, understanding your basic options and being able to read what your opponent is thinking makes 19x19 less stressful.
Everytime I log into KGS it is like going to a big swimming pool. At first I don't want to "get in the pool" - I look around, hope someone else will put up a perfect game for me, check a few players stats, maybe view a game in progress - but eventually I end up setting up my own custom game. Playing with consistent time controls helps as well - I like the default 30 minutes each + 30 second byo yomi.
19x19 is big enough that you have to seriously commit to playing. A full game with the above time controls can take over an hour. That 1 hour of play usually gives me a few hours of analysis and review as well. I like to look over some other games my opponent has played, look at their rank graph, review the game and see what I did well and where I was weak, etc. 19x19 is the real game. It shouldn't take too many tries before it changes from seeming huge, to seeming to be a good size!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Gaining stones while not playing
I have gone from 20 kyu to 18 kyu on KGS without playing a game. I can only assume that my rank is being adjusted due to the progress of some of my opponents - especially those that were unrated or still had a question mark.
Although it is fun to see my rank increase magically, I am getting worried that I need to play a game soon to avoid having a question mark slapped on my rating. Maybe I can get a game in tonight!
ADDITIONAL NOTE: after about 10 days of inactivity I did get a question mark added to my rating, but 1 ranked game seems to have removed it again. I also read on KGS FAQ that the games you have played are weighted. So, older games must lose weight with time, which helps account for my drift up a few ranks while not playing. (My oldest games are ranked the lowest, so, at least for now, I will get a gradual lift as those old games lose weight in the ratings calculation.)
Although it is fun to see my rank increase magically, I am getting worried that I need to play a game soon to avoid having a question mark slapped on my rating. Maybe I can get a game in tonight!
ADDITIONAL NOTE: after about 10 days of inactivity I did get a question mark added to my rating, but 1 ranked game seems to have removed it again. I also read on KGS FAQ that the games you have played are weighted. So, older games must lose weight with time, which helps account for my drift up a few ranks while not playing. (My oldest games are ranked the lowest, so, at least for now, I will get a gradual lift as those old games lose weight in the ratings calculation.)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Another game commented - Game #11
[rant] I think I may need to come up with some other way to label the games. It is pretty tough to know how many games you have played on KGS if you use any level of qualification around it. Do you count a game where your opponent escapes after 10 moves? What about a free 9x9 against a player that just started (a true 30k)? A teaching game? All these show up as games played on KGS, but not all games provide a player with learning opportunities. [/rant]
I think the game I labeled Game #11 is a close enough match that it is interesting. I put a comment on every move and I hope I captured the thinking process and vision I had of what was going on. With any luck I will get stronger. Then, I hope when I look back on this game (and other commented games) I will understand what important things I am currently blind to. If that understanding can be put into words I will have some insights to share.
Seems a reasonably modest goal...until I realize that the game has been played for 3000 years! Why do I think I can explain the steps needed to advance better than all the other players and teachers before me? I'm not sure why I think I can, or why that seems motivating. But I am motivated to try and I do think - in some small way - I can be successful.
I think the game I labeled Game #11 is a close enough match that it is interesting. I put a comment on every move and I hope I captured the thinking process and vision I had of what was going on. With any luck I will get stronger. Then, I hope when I look back on this game (and other commented games) I will understand what important things I am currently blind to. If that understanding can be put into words I will have some insights to share.
Seems a reasonably modest goal...until I realize that the game has been played for 3000 years! Why do I think I can explain the steps needed to advance better than all the other players and teachers before me? I'm not sure why I think I can, or why that seems motivating. But I am motivated to try and I do think - in some small way - I can be successful.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Urgent before Big
The proverb is "Play urgent moves before big moves". I think it is a bit hard for the beginner to know how to follow this, but I sure found a great example of NOT following this in my own game. Maybe this sequence will help you follow the proverb.
I was playing white. Above is the result of my 3-3 invasion. The black group at the bottom has only 2 liberties, and my 7 stone group has 4. The only cutting point is at S3, and even if black plays there, I can kill black's 5 stone group faster and live. I make a mental note to remember I need to be careful about the cut at S3, but I don't move there. I decide all is well, and my next move is a "big" move in the center of the board.
About 50 moves later, we return to this corner group. Not only is the set of stones that I had before still there, I have expanded a bit on the bottom. Black seals the border with J1 - he also puts my 3 stones on the left in atari. I continue to assume that my 8 stone group is alive and well. I don't pay attention to the fact that I had some worry down here, and I play without thinking.
I quickly save the 3 stones that were in atari by connecting. Doh! Bad move. It was a reaction rather than a thinking move. If I had looked at things a bit longer I would have seen the play at L3. L3 takes the black stone at L2. If black plays at L4 (threatening to retake by playing L2 next, I could have played L2 myself and gained an eye at M1. Not only did I lose that eye, I filled in my own liberty! Now my large group has only 2 liberties.
Black does the right thing and punishes me for my mistake. He cuts at S3 and leaves my group in atari. My 12 stone group is dead and Black claims the entire corner.
The toughest thing about this was that I lost the game by 19.5 points. My mistake in this corner cost more than enough to switch the win from white to black.
Looking back I want to call a play at S3 "urgent for white". Playing that one stone would have won the game. I could even have played it as late as when black put my 3 stones in atari. I would have traded 3 stones for the corner - definitely a better deal.
Next time I hear myself making mental notes about an area, I will try to recognize that I am seeing an urgent move. The other half of that is, when you see yourself wanting to tenuki (play someting "big" on another party of the board) remember this proverb and recheck the current area - can you really leave it safely? Last thing, I am going to try to force myself to count the liberties of the group I plan to play a stone in, before playing it. Hopefully that will help me see that a group is in danger earlier.
I was playing white. Above is the result of my 3-3 invasion. The black group at the bottom has only 2 liberties, and my 7 stone group has 4. The only cutting point is at S3, and even if black plays there, I can kill black's 5 stone group faster and live. I make a mental note to remember I need to be careful about the cut at S3, but I don't move there. I decide all is well, and my next move is a "big" move in the center of the board.
About 50 moves later, we return to this corner group. Not only is the set of stones that I had before still there, I have expanded a bit on the bottom. Black seals the border with J1 - he also puts my 3 stones on the left in atari. I continue to assume that my 8 stone group is alive and well. I don't pay attention to the fact that I had some worry down here, and I play without thinking.
I quickly save the 3 stones that were in atari by connecting. Doh! Bad move. It was a reaction rather than a thinking move. If I had looked at things a bit longer I would have seen the play at L3. L3 takes the black stone at L2. If black plays at L4 (threatening to retake by playing L2 next, I could have played L2 myself and gained an eye at M1. Not only did I lose that eye, I filled in my own liberty! Now my large group has only 2 liberties.
Black does the right thing and punishes me for my mistake. He cuts at S3 and leaves my group in atari. My 12 stone group is dead and Black claims the entire corner.
The toughest thing about this was that I lost the game by 19.5 points. My mistake in this corner cost more than enough to switch the win from white to black.
Looking back I want to call a play at S3 "urgent for white". Playing that one stone would have won the game. I could even have played it as late as when black put my 3 stones in atari. I would have traded 3 stones for the corner - definitely a better deal.
Next time I hear myself making mental notes about an area, I will try to recognize that I am seeing an urgent move. The other half of that is, when you see yourself wanting to tenuki (play someting "big" on another party of the board) remember this proverb and recheck the current area - can you really leave it safely? Last thing, I am going to try to force myself to count the liberties of the group I plan to play a stone in, before playing it. Hopefully that will help me see that a group is in danger earlier.
KGS Ranking System
KGS seems determined to keep me from playing even strength players with no handicap. It bugged me at first, but now I am coming to terms with it. I guess the insight is: KGS has a ranking system, but it is not stable at higher kyus. There is a lot of inconsistency in the 20k - 30k skill band. There are multiple reasons for this as far as I can tell:
- Churn - There are a lot of new players. Many play a few games and give up. So there is a constant turn over of temporary players.
- Sandbagging - There are strong players that create a second account so they can pummel noobs.
- Good Students - These are the new folks that stick to it and start to get better. The kyu rank KGS gives them is off because they are rapidly gaining strength.
- Small Population - After removing all of the above you may have a few players that are accurately ranked, are sticking with it, but are truly 20k+ players.
- Non-interacting Pockets - Of these real 20k+ players, there are groups that may never play against each other, so the ratings aren't equal. Imagine a small group of friends that only play each other (after establishing ranks around 25k). Lets say they all improve 10 stones in skill, but just by playing each other. Their ranks will all still be around 25k, when they are really 15k if they played against the rest of the KGS population.
- Don't stress out - Have low expectations around exactly what will happen in your initial games online.
- Play all challengers - Don't just lurk and hope the perfect game for you gets put up by someone else. Create your own custom game, make sure it is ranked, and then play whoever is available.
- Get 25 games done fairly quickly - This sort of goes along with the original proverb "Lose 100 games quickly", but for KGS I would change it to "Play 25 Ranked KGS games quickly". Once you have done that you should have a pretty decent understanding of how KGS works and your rating should be fairly accurate. (By the way, 25 isn't a special number, really just a guess...)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Some "noise" in my planned games
I looked to play another rated game recently and try to get rid of my KGS question mark. When I logged on there were no players I could find in the 20 kyu - 30 kyu skill range. I put up a game and was challenged by a 4 kyu. Even though he gave me 4 stones it wasn't much of a battle.
Then I played another rated game against a '?' player and was losing. My opponent chose to escape rather than finish the game. I have looked him up since and see that his rating has started to stabilize at around 13k. So, I have yet to win a rated game, and my KGS graph looks like this:
(How do you get a graph with 8 points when you have only played 3 rated games - one which was escaped by a ? player...riddle me that!)
My ego is having a hard time believing I am a 27k, but I need to win a game before I can say anything. Hopefully there will be some 20k-ish folks on next time I go to play.
My attempt at a perfectly controlled science experiment has been foiled! Hehe. I won't get to choose exactly what skill level my opponents will be and my attempt to play 100 more-or-less even games in a row isn't going to happen as I envisioned it. I still feel that I can proceed with the general goal, so I will. So, bottom line is that I am not counting either my loss to the 4k or the unfinished game as "Game #4". I will try to get in games 4 and 5 soon.
Then I played another rated game against a '?' player and was losing. My opponent chose to escape rather than finish the game. I have looked him up since and see that his rating has started to stabilize at around 13k. So, I have yet to win a rated game, and my KGS graph looks like this:
(How do you get a graph with 8 points when you have only played 3 rated games - one which was escaped by a ? player...riddle me that!)
My ego is having a hard time believing I am a 27k, but I need to win a game before I can say anything. Hopefully there will be some 20k-ish folks on next time I go to play.
My attempt at a perfectly controlled science experiment has been foiled! Hehe. I won't get to choose exactly what skill level my opponents will be and my attempt to play 100 more-or-less even games in a row isn't going to happen as I envisioned it. I still feel that I can proceed with the general goal, so I will. So, bottom line is that I am not counting either my loss to the 4k or the unfinished game as "Game #4". I will try to get in games 4 and 5 soon.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Destroying Eyes
Groups in GO need 2 eyes to be alive. So, if you could block your opponent from making any eyes in their groups, you would have a strong chance to win. To effectively block the creation of eyes we should look at what it takes to make an eye.
Above is the basic scenario for making an eye. If we want an eye on the star-point above, we need to have a stone of our color on 7 of the 8 spots around it - we can skip one diagonal. Anything less means the star-point will likely not become an eye for us. Let's look at some situations where we don't have the right 7 spots covered.
Above here we have a classic "false eye". When 2 of the diagonal spots around your eye have been captured by the opponent, the eye is in danger. You can see, white just played "1" and has put a black stone in atari. We could save that stone by extending...but that would fill in the eye. If we don't save the stone, white will capture it and take over our eyespace.
Here is another situation, but with even worse problems! Here white has captured 2 opposite diagonals around our eyespace. Now there are 3 black stones in atari. This is another example of a false eye. We either need to fill it to save our stones, or let our opponent capture them and take over the space. So, if an opponent gets any 2 of the diagonals around a spot you want as an eye, it is a false eye.
What about if you get all the diagonals, but give up 1 horizontal spot? You can see that in the picture above - does black have an eye? No. The star-point that black wanted as an eye is now a neutral point on the board. It is in "no man's land", it is worth no points to either player, and could be filled in by either, but it won't become an eye. Losing 1 horizontal spot around an eye is all it takes to lose that eye.
So, now you can add "destroying eyes" to your strategy. Imagine you are white, playing the game above. You can see that black may try to build an eye at the star-point. If you play at the X, you will take one of the horizontal spots around the eyespace, and that eye will be lost.
Above is the basic scenario for making an eye. If we want an eye on the star-point above, we need to have a stone of our color on 7 of the 8 spots around it - we can skip one diagonal. Anything less means the star-point will likely not become an eye for us. Let's look at some situations where we don't have the right 7 spots covered.
Above here we have a classic "false eye". When 2 of the diagonal spots around your eye have been captured by the opponent, the eye is in danger. You can see, white just played "1" and has put a black stone in atari. We could save that stone by extending...but that would fill in the eye. If we don't save the stone, white will capture it and take over our eyespace.
Here is another situation, but with even worse problems! Here white has captured 2 opposite diagonals around our eyespace. Now there are 3 black stones in atari. This is another example of a false eye. We either need to fill it to save our stones, or let our opponent capture them and take over the space. So, if an opponent gets any 2 of the diagonals around a spot you want as an eye, it is a false eye.
What about if you get all the diagonals, but give up 1 horizontal spot? You can see that in the picture above - does black have an eye? No. The star-point that black wanted as an eye is now a neutral point on the board. It is in "no man's land", it is worth no points to either player, and could be filled in by either, but it won't become an eye. Losing 1 horizontal spot around an eye is all it takes to lose that eye.
So, now you can add "destroying eyes" to your strategy. Imagine you are white, playing the game above. You can see that black may try to build an eye at the star-point. If you play at the X, you will take one of the horizontal spots around the eyespace, and that eye will be lost.
19x19 - Center vs Edge of the Board
Take a look at the following position:
Who has surrounded more territory - black on the outside, or white on the inside? This was an "aha!" moment for me when I first saw this question and heard the answer. Black has claimed 136 points on the outside and believe it or not, white can only claim 121 points on the inside. The point is: the outside of the board is very valuable!
Not only are there a lot of points available at the corners and the edges, they are actually "cheaper" to surround.
Above we have 3 groups of stones, each group surrounds 9 points of territory. Look how many moves it takes to get 9 points in the corner, on the side, and in the middle. You have to work twice as hard to get the points in the middle (12 stones) as compared to the corner (6 stones). Capturing territory on the side is right in the middle in terms of cost (9 stones).
These 2 "facts of geometry" on the GO board should help you see why it makes sense to try to claim the corners first, then the sides, and finally wrestle for the middle.
Interesting sidenote: 19x19 is the largest board one can have where the outer 2 rows are more valuable than the points inside the 4th row. I guess the game would play differently on a 21x21 board!
Who has surrounded more territory - black on the outside, or white on the inside? This was an "aha!" moment for me when I first saw this question and heard the answer. Black has claimed 136 points on the outside and believe it or not, white can only claim 121 points on the inside. The point is: the outside of the board is very valuable!
Not only are there a lot of points available at the corners and the edges, they are actually "cheaper" to surround.
Above we have 3 groups of stones, each group surrounds 9 points of territory. Look how many moves it takes to get 9 points in the corner, on the side, and in the middle. You have to work twice as hard to get the points in the middle (12 stones) as compared to the corner (6 stones). Capturing territory on the side is right in the middle in terms of cost (9 stones).
These 2 "facts of geometry" on the GO board should help you see why it makes sense to try to claim the corners first, then the sides, and finally wrestle for the middle.
Interesting sidenote: 19x19 is the largest board one can have where the outer 2 rows are more valuable than the points inside the 4th row. I guess the game would play differently on a 21x21 board!
Ladders and a Joke
A ladder is a basic form that happens often on the GO board. In its most basic form, it happens when one group of 5 stones puts a pair of connected stones in atari. It is something you need to know about so you can avoid getting caught in one. It is fundamental enough that the proverb is "If you don't know ladders, don't play GO".
Here we have a bunch of stones that could become a ladder. If black gets one more stone on C17 or D17 he will put white in atari.
Here we see the ladder. Black puts white in atari with C17, white extends to get 2 liberties, black takes one and it is atari again. Repeat until you reach the wall. Notice the zig-zag, stair step pattern made by the white stones - this is the signature of a ladder. By choosing to start the ladder with C17, black pushed white up and to the right. If he had chosen D17 instead, he could push up and to the left.
As the ladder approaches a side, black has to break the pattern a little to avoid an atari of a stone against the side, but as you can see above, one more black stone will kill the entire white group! (White at D19 leaves C19 for black as the capturing move.)
Ladders are deadly, but sometimes they don't work. All white needs is one extra stone to help escape the deadly ladder. Stones that do this are called "ladder breakers". Set this up on a board and see why both A16 and F18 are ladder breakers. One breaks the ladder started with C17 and the other breaks the D17 ladder. As the ladder pattern forms those breakers give white an atari on a single stone in the ladder that helps escape the atari on the large ladder group.
Potential ladders are formed on the board all the time - can you find any in the diagram above? The player who gets to go next can start a ladder on their opponent.
So, now you know about ladders! A few more thoughts to deal with them in game. If you see you are caught in a ladder, look to see if you have any ladder breaker stones to help you escape. If you don't, stop trying to save the group and play elsewhere. If your opponent doesn't kill the group instantly, try to play a ladder breaker sometime later. If your opponent misreads the purpose of that stone and doesn't kill the group in the ladder, you can now return to playing and breaking out of it. Secondly, if you are in a game where you have a ladder or are caught in a ladder that you can break, play it out to the end! Get as much advantage as you can with the ladder - drive it as far as you can before capturing or breaking it. This should only happen if your opponent doesn't know about ladders (although there are known games by professionals where they misread ladders).
Well, that was a long post just to set up the following joke (which I found on another blog somewhere):
Here we have a bunch of stones that could become a ladder. If black gets one more stone on C17 or D17 he will put white in atari.
Here we see the ladder. Black puts white in atari with C17, white extends to get 2 liberties, black takes one and it is atari again. Repeat until you reach the wall. Notice the zig-zag, stair step pattern made by the white stones - this is the signature of a ladder. By choosing to start the ladder with C17, black pushed white up and to the right. If he had chosen D17 instead, he could push up and to the left.
As the ladder approaches a side, black has to break the pattern a little to avoid an atari of a stone against the side, but as you can see above, one more black stone will kill the entire white group! (White at D19 leaves C19 for black as the capturing move.)
Ladders are deadly, but sometimes they don't work. All white needs is one extra stone to help escape the deadly ladder. Stones that do this are called "ladder breakers". Set this up on a board and see why both A16 and F18 are ladder breakers. One breaks the ladder started with C17 and the other breaks the D17 ladder. As the ladder pattern forms those breakers give white an atari on a single stone in the ladder that helps escape the atari on the large ladder group.
Potential ladders are formed on the board all the time - can you find any in the diagram above? The player who gets to go next can start a ladder on their opponent.
So, now you know about ladders! A few more thoughts to deal with them in game. If you see you are caught in a ladder, look to see if you have any ladder breaker stones to help you escape. If you don't, stop trying to save the group and play elsewhere. If your opponent doesn't kill the group instantly, try to play a ladder breaker sometime later. If your opponent misreads the purpose of that stone and doesn't kill the group in the ladder, you can now return to playing and breaking out of it. Secondly, if you are in a game where you have a ladder or are caught in a ladder that you can break, play it out to the end! Get as much advantage as you can with the ladder - drive it as far as you can before capturing or breaking it. This should only happen if your opponent doesn't know about ladders (although there are known games by professionals where they misread ladders).
Well, that was a long post just to set up the following joke (which I found on another blog somewhere):
Q: How many 30-kyus does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They can't do it, because they don't see the ladder.
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