So I just read an interesting article from the AGA concerning how “serious studies of go causes actual physical changes in the brain.” Although this doesn’t come as much of a surprise for most serious go players, I think it’s great that we now have more significant data that will be useful in our proponent of the game.

As any relatively serious go player might expect, they found that “larger regions of white matter… that are related to attentional control, working memory, executive regulation, and problem solving” were found in what they termed as “long-termed trained players.”

This will be interesting to see more research studies done on what go can do for us mentally.

Original Article: http://www.usgo.org/news/2010/09/new-study-finds-playing-go-makes-brains-grow/

Hope everyone has had a restful Labor Day Weekend. Mine has been filled with 21st birthdays and craziness, but it’s time to get back to Go!

So over the last few days I’ve tried to play some games online, but I just can’t bring myself to complete any of them. I end up resigning halfway for some reason. I’m not sure whether it’s just cause I’m just itching to be playing with a real goban and stones, or what…. It’s putting me in a weird funk and I’m not sure what to do. sigh….

Need to do something about this….

Hey everyone! Just thought I’d let you know Yellow Mountain Imports is offering a 10% discount to all readers of BenGoZen! So when you checkout, be sure to enter the promotion code BGZEN95! It expires September 30th, so be sure to go get your gaming equipment!

Once more, the promotion code is BGZEN95. Enjoy!

So I visited the Greater Washington Go Club today. Man… it was definitely a different experience playing with people in person. I met a lot of great people, and my cousin and I learned a whole ton through their helpful comments and lessons. We spent a lot of time playing out various positions based on the 3-3 point invasion on the 4-4 star, and that was super helpful.

In addition to having a couple games commented on, I also experienced my first full game between two dan level players. That was awesome. And it reminds me of how much work I have to do before I can even be considered an average player. So it’s time I get back to my studies.

Shout outs go out to Hal, Betsy, and Justin for helping out. I’m sorry but I’m totally blanking out on three other names, but thanks for making the experience an awesome one.

So I’m not sure who else is having issue with this, but I most certainly did. So here’s a guide on how you can print readable Go records. To make things easier, I’m going to assume you are looking to print every 50 moves.

For those who want a free method, I recommend CGoban3.

1. After you download and cue it up, click on “Edit SGF File.”

2. Find the game you are looking for.

3. Use the singular right arrow button to move progress through the game.

4. DO NOT use the double arrow buttons as that will take you to the beginning or end of the game.4. Move forth to the 50th move. In the caption box above your digital goban, you should see something along the lines of “Move 50 (W m8): Black to play”

5. Click on Options > Number Moves

6. Make sure your start move is 1 and the end move is 50.

7. The “Two digits only?” is up to you when you get to the triple digits.6. Click OK.

8. Boom. Now click Options > Print.

9. For the next sheets, you’ll want 51-100, 101-150, 151-200, and so on.

10. Here’s an example:

For those who have SmartGo2, I contacted their customer service (who got back to me quite promptly) and this is what you have to do.

1. Start by opening up whichever game you want to print out.

2. Click Edit > Insert Diagram > Split main line of game record every 50 moves.

3. Make that the Diagrams Toolbar is on.

4. View > Tools > Diagrams

5. The fourth box down is where my “Find next diagram” box is.4. Then click File > Print for the appropriate sheets.

6. As with above, here’s an example:

They also recommended a method of exporting the diagrams, but I had no luck with that as of yet.

When you compare the two, I’m sure you noticed that there’s a coordinate system on the SmartGo2 that you can print out. As far as I’m aware, you can’t do that just yet with CGoban3. Another thing I really appreciate about the SmartGo2 is the fact that it prints out all the ko’s so that record keeping is easier. This means when you’re recreating your games you’re not like, “Where is the #$%& move 119?!?!” Though this is small, SmartGo2 also automatically prints what diagram it is (e.g. 101-150).

Don’t get me wrong though, the free one works fantastic and is a great alternative for those who aren’t quite ready to drop $50 to buy SmartGo2. I’ll try and come out with the reviews for the respective softwares soon enough so you can see if it’s worth your time. Hope this helps some of you out!

Sorry it took so long everyone, but I will now start adding my own anecdotes on my journey. As you all may have seen, I’ve been busy writing various reviews and reading as fast as I possibly can while still maintaining my life.

The time has come… all the beginning quests have been completed… and it is time to leave the home village where I have spent my beginnings. Let us overview my stats.

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Review:

Yellow Mountain Imports has the most well designed website that I’ve seen to date. It’s images do not take too long to load and show the absolute aesthetics of each of the games they sell. Everything is designed so well that it doesn’t take a computer whiz to navigate.

One of the great aspects about YMImports is the fact that they have “Game FAQs.” Essentially, any commons questions that may arise about purchasing some of the different games are already answered. In addition, any questions regarding how to play a number of games is also included!

If you are wondering what makes YMImports one of my favorite places to purchase things, it’s the fact that they have free shipping on orders over $125. Now now… I know that it may seem like a lot of money for some players out there, which is why it’s so awesome that THEY ALSO SELL ON AMAZON! A number of the things that you’d like to get (e.g. Deluxe Go Roll Up Magnetic Portable Set) can go for free shipping on Amazon at a lower cost to you.

Also, in case you are wondering, the shipping for regular items is about normal. Not too pricey since they tend to be shipping heavier items (e.g. boards or stones) and include a tracking number and usually ship within a week.

The best aspect of YMImports is their customer service. In the few times I’ve had issues or questions, I’ve always had a response within 12 hours. Like I mentioned in my review of the Shin-Kaya - 1-1/2” (4cm) Go Floor Board with Yunzi Stones and Bowls, I had missing stone pieces and they were quick to respond and ship out the replacements.

The only critique (if it can even be called that) I have about YMImports is the fact that a majority of their books tend to be written in other languages (e.g. Korean and Chinese). But that’s honestly a small thing compared to all the positive aspects they have.

Conclusion:

YMImports is one of the best places to get your typical Go equipment. If you are looking for higher end stuff, you’ll have to wait for me to get a well paying job before I can review that aspect. But other than that, this is the place to go for great and reliable equipment that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Review:

Slate and Shell is one of the most well known publishers and distributors of Go books in English. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before I arrived at their home page.

Their Go books contain a nice variety that cover most of the major topics you’d hope to see at a site that exclusively sells Go books. As one of Kiseido’s competitors, they pretty much have everything you might expect from Kiseido and probably a little more. This is not to be much of a surprise since their market is the English literate population.

I ordered three books: How Not to Play Go, Understanding How to Play Go, and Understanding Dan Level Play by Zhou Yuan. The shipping was only $5.00 and they did not disappoint since I received my order within a week (ordered on the 21st of August, and it arrived around the 25th).

In comparison to Kiseido, I’d have to say that their e-mail confirmation was far more professional and comforting.

Here’s a screenshot of Slate and Shell’s….

Here’s a screenshot of Kisedo’s…

As you can see, DRASTIC difference. (Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy Kiseido’s books. It’s just they could do a better job on not making me worry that I’ve just handed my information over to a Grade C hacker.)

Conclusion:

Slate and Shell has a great selection of books at great prices. In addition to the typical Go books that you will expect to pay around $25.00 for (e.g. dictionaries of tesuji), Slate and Shell offers a nice selection of books in the lower price range (e.g. How Not to Play Go by Yuan Zhou $10.00) that still contain quality information.