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.
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