Malkovich games

How do you learn? What is the quickest method for you to see how your thinking is flawed and then fix it? If you had a brain dump of exactly what you were thinking during a Go game, you could replay it and see where you missed things, where you valued areas too highly and where you assumed your groups were safe when they weren't.

Normal Go commentary can't really do this. Adding comments to a game record after it is complete is like rereading a book when you already know the ending. It does add enjoyment to replaying a game, but I don't think it helps as much as it could as a training aid.

Recently on GoDiscussions.com an effort to capture player's thinking while a game is progressing has started gaining momentum. The term "Malkovich game" has been coined which refers to the movie where people are somehow inside John Malkovich's brain (Being John Malkovich). To find threads about this go to GoDiscussions and search for - you guessed it - "Malkovich".

I think having players capture their thoughts as they make each move helps reveal what they think is going on, without any real guess of how the game will progress or end. It presents a more rounded version of all their concerns at each move and will capture flaws in their thinking. Once the game is complete, going back and reviewing those original comments is like having a brain dump! The players should be able to clearly see the flaws in their thinking and make real improvement in their games. Including some post-game additions/corrections to the game file could help other players see how they can avoid the same false thinking as the player in the game.

I really think this is a valuable method of learning. It is tough to use in a real-time game, but with a little discipline, it is easy to do in a turn-based game. Before you make each move, write down why you decided that was the best play. Once the game is complete, go back and review your thinking. Get others to take a look at your game and do some post game analysis. Seeing moves where you made "bad" decisions and your reasoning behind them will help you be alert to your faulty thinking in the future.

Doing a "1-man Malkovich" where you are the only one doing your in-game comments seems valuable. I believe that you will get the most out of your own comments - seeing other player's in-game comments will help you see how they think, but it isn't the same as analyzing your own brain dump.

Having both players making in-game comments seems potentially even more exciting. So, find a buddy and see if you can convince them do play a turn-based Malkovich game with you. When the game is over, trade notes and see what your opponent was thinking, and how you could have done better!

These "2-person Malkovich" games are exactly what the players on GoDiscussions are trying. Here are the first 2 games:

Vap vs Joaz
Joaz vs Sol

Enjoy!