Weekly Progress Report: #05

Overview

As predicted, I really am in the thick of things this week. In the midst of all this work though, I’ve managed to barely cling on to my training regimen (though it was rather difficult to do as each day went on). I’m currently testing different things to make the training more consistent (i.e., getting it done first thing in the morning). I’ll let you know when I discover my own magical formula for it.

Journal

Journal Entry: #06

I have to say that my training is really starting to be tested this week. I nearly messed up my streak a couple days ago after getting caught up in work and the rest of life. Thankfully I’m good for now, but it’s certainly becoming difficult as I’m adjusting to a higher pressure situation.

For anyone who used to play turn based go with me, I’ve added Online Go Server (OGS) back into circulation. Hopefully I’ll get around to adding Dragon Go Server in the future, but for now I’m just keeping track of KGS and OGS.

Other than that, I’ll just keep on working to keep my head above water as the tides rushes in. Hope that everyone else is doing well with their own training. Hope to see you on dry land soon!

Commentaries►Monday Go Meditation

Monday Go Meditation: Game 66

As the weeks have passed, one of the major factors in me starting to play go again has been the numerous friends who have been kind enough to take time out of their day and ask me to play. Just like last week’s MGM, this week’s MGM features teafree. It’s an exciting one that is chocked full of ko battles and exciting exchanges. I hope that it keeps you on the edge of your seat as we navigate through the treacherous waters of this kifu! Enjoy!

Journal►Progress Reports

Weekly Progress Report: #04

Overview

Whew. I’m hitting the one month milestone in my training and I’m proud to say that things are still going well. Granted, there are times where I almost skipped out on my regimen, but my past self was smart enough to keep it at a manageable level where the task was easy enough that it wasn’t onerous to complete.

Journal

Journal Entry: #05

As I’ve started to ramp things up again, I am noticing that I’m entering that dangerous zone of treading the line between being productive or becoming so busy I eventually enter burnout. In order to temper that, I’ve been keeping better track of my time so that I don’t lose myself in my endeavors too much. It seems to be moderately successful so far, but I’ll need to keep close watch as the weeks progress.

Meanwhile, I’ve been happy to reintegrate reviewing games into my schedule. Though this might come to no surprise for most, it still astounds me much you can pick up by reviewing your own games (especially if you can maintain an objective view on the game). I’m still in the process of finding the right balance of commenting on them, but it’s one of those things that I just have to get a feel for over time.

And last but not least, I am happy to announce that I will be releasing a new book review soon: The Road Map to Shodan (Volume 2): The Basic Principles of the Opening and Middle Game. So be on the lookout for that as I make my return to reviewing go books and other products!

Commentaries►Monday Go Meditation

Monday Go Meditation: Game 65

The following game is one that I had the pleasure of playing last week thanks for Daurak. I still have some reservations about playing games, so it’s helpful to have friends who ask to play games. And just to clarify, our ranks are not accurate at the moment; so we went ahead and played an even game (although I think we accidentally did no komi). Hope you enjoy the game!

Journal►Events

Go Congress 2014 - Conclusion

Prelude - I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - Conclusion

Simul Games

Here is a summary of all the professional simuls I played in at Go Congress:

Day 1 - Dahye Lee, 4p
Day 2 - Ho Yuu, 6p
Day 2 - Jungsang Park, 9p
Day 3 - Bo Ding, 5p
Day 3 - Mariko Deguchi, 1p
Day 3 - Yuhong Zhao, 5p
Day 5 - Jennie Shen, 2p
Day 5 - Shirley Lin, 1p
Day 6 - Francis Meyers, 1p

My goal was to play the strongest professionals that I could while experiencing as many brutal defeats from as many styles as I possibly could. In addition, while I am happy with my collection of 9 simul games, I must admit that I was aiming to hit double digits. Haha.

Journal►Progress Reports

Weekly Progress Report: #03

Overview

Three weeks and counting! I am feeling like I am starting to make some real progress as I continue to adhere to my training regimen. Though I thought about upping my problem solving regimen, I think it’s at a good place where I am making decent progress while the task is relatively easy to accomplish. And as you’ll notice, I also added a playing regimen as well which is very easily supported via the GoQuest app I talked about in my journal entry earlier this week.

Journal►Events

Go Congress 2014 - Day 7

Prelude - I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - Conclusion

When I woke up, I realized that today was the last day of Congress. Man, where had all the time gone? It seemed like just yesterday I boarded the train with my brother to embark on an epic journey to New York.

The morning consisted of grabbing breakfast and checking out this cool place called The High Line that Anders recommended the night before. Luckily for us, it was still beautiful weather so we had a great time exploring the sights.

Around lunch, I got a call from Myung letting me know that Jung, Evan, Mark, and him wanted to try a steakhouse in NY before they left. So after meeting up with them at the hotel, we went off to look for one. We found one not too far: Wolfgang Steakhouse.