Saturday, September 12, 2009

Review of posted material

I just went back and reread the whole list of posts. I think most of the postings are pretty good - even though I am no master, they are generally accurate.

For a quick recap, here are the most important points I think I have touched on:

1. Resign a lost game. (Or ask your opponent if it is okay to play it out.)
2. Claim the same screen name on all the online servers when you start.
3. Don't play "hope Go". (Assume your opponent sees everything you do.)
4. 30 kyu starter kit:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First off, go through this tutorial: The Interactive Way to GO

If that all makes sense do some life or death problems here: GoProblems.com
1. Click the button in the top middle that says Problems.
2. Set "How Many" to 50 or so.
3. Set the difficulty from 30kyu (easiest) to 25kyu (a bit harder).
4. Click the "Get Problems" button.
5. You will see a list of problems, click the top one.
6. Try to solve it, retry, etc. until you understand it (or just want to move on).
7. Click the "Next in Set" button.

Next, download IGoWin. (Only works on a Windows PC.) It is a 9x9 GO player that remembers your strength. It will give you handicap stones to try to make the game even. As you improve, it will give you less and less handicap stones until you are giving the computer the handicap!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5. Don't attach when attacking.
6. Basic moves (Extend, Diagonal, 1-Space Jump, Keima).
7. Ranks (30kyu - 9P, each server/organization is internally consistent, but ranks may differ across different bodies).
8. Rulesets (don't sweat the details until you start joining tournaments).
9. Resist spending extra stones to kill a nearly dead group.
10. Sent and Gote
11. Go Terms
12. Ladders
13. Center vs. Edge
14. Killing eyes
15. Playing online (KGS)
16. Urgent before big.
17. Bases, Moyos (I screwed this post up. Bases are not Moyos.)
18. Ripped shapes
19. No posing on Ko (I am still avoiding Ko battles in my games.)
20. the Clamp
21. Extending from walls
22. CORNERS!!! SIDES! center...
23. Shape
24. Nose Tesuji
25. Online Go Anxiety
26. OGS Issues
27. 4-4 Opening
28. Tsumego
29. Traditional 1st move
30 Stronger Opponents
31. OGS Ladder
32. Play - Review - Tsumego - Books

Having these line items all in one place will help me remember what I haven't talked about that might be worth discussing. So, if you are new here, and some of these topics look like they could be helpful - try to go back and read the blog in order. (I just did to make this list, and it isn't really designed to be read in chronological order...) :P

3 comments:

Thibault said...

I didn't know about these Malkovich games before to read this.. Really interesting, cool blog :)

howbz said...

May I use your "starter kit" summary to help our new club members. I will source this site as I think it is fantastic.

BOZEMANpw

Vultur said...

Howbz - Please feel free to share!