It’s been awhile since I last posted a kifu on here, and for my first KGS game post for 2013, it is only fitting that I post this one.

To give some background to this game, it’s been about five weeks since my friend Nate and I had the opportunity to play one another. So the anticipation of the game was making me a little bit nervous since I’m quite sure that he’s stronger than his KGS rank. Nonetheless, I was excited at the opportunity to finally get to start the new year properly with a game with him.

This game was a magnificent show of tenacity and fierce fighting spirit from both players (if I may say so). Both of us were unrelenting in trying to stay ahead and find a way to conclude the game in his favor. It took a whopping 1.5 hours, which was more than either of us was probably anticipating; but what an intense and awesome 1.5 hours.

In regards to the blog post title, I felt like Go Seigen at certain points of the game because I was like, “Twenty points? Was that supposed to be mine? No matter! Here! Take it! Let me show you how that will dwarf in comparison to my attack!” On the other hand, this game is a mega-fail for me because of the fact that I lost my tenacity in the final move and failed to realize that the game was actually one move away from victory.

I hope that you enjoy one of my craziest games to date.

Today has been quite an interesting day. In all the games I played today, there seemed to be one consistent theme: When the opponent gives me an opportunity to attack, I am in attack mode the rest of the game.

This is rather reminiscent of my DDK (double digit kyu) days when I would engage in these local battles that just bled onto the rest of the board. The main difference now though is that I am actually aware of the effects my moves have on my other groups and how the progression will affect my territory. Unfortunately, my attacks always fell short by a bit and I’d end up losing by a rather wide margin.

That being said, there were a number of times where I realized I was probably ahead and should’ve played more solid moves and let my opponent live. The rational course of action would be to just win the game without any hiccups, but it seems the green eyed go monster has been haunting me all day. Hopefully for my next set of games, I will be able to maintain a calmer demeanor in my go.

Finally, before I close out tonight’s post, I wanted to give a shout out to Frederic! It was great to meet you and be able to play with you today! Looking forward to playing you more often in the future!

That is the question.

I’ve been fortunate enough to make some incredible friends since my return to go, and I was quite surprised to find that many were curious about when I would finally play a ranked game again.

To start, I’m shocked that I didn’t try to play a ranked game the moment the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve. Yet, more than three days later, I’m sitting here with three free games under my belt and not a ranked game in sight. So the question is, what am I waiting for?

In all honesty, I think part of me is torn between returning to ranked games and continuing my study method for an additional month. On one hand, I’m really curious how much growth I’ve undergone since my ranked game sabbatical in December. On the other hand, I’m thinking that it might be more exciting to continue as I have and see where I am in another month! xD After all, I need to get as strong as I can possibly get before the North American Go Convention!!!

And the other thing that I have to remember is that I am getting thrashed on Tygem and WBaduk at 6k or below, so in actuality, I might not have grown as much as I am hoping I did. So for now, looks I’m going to continue sticking to league games and continuing my training!

Happy 2013!!!!

For my first post of 2013, I’m happy to inform you all that I will now be on Tygem as well as KGS! My username is still bengozen, so be sure to request a game if you ever see me on! (If you’re wondering what my thoughts are on the server, be on the lookout for the review in the near future!)

When I asked frozensoul what his thoughts were about me getting on Tygem, he told me that I should set my rank at 18k and then fight my way up. I really liked the idea, except I realized that I had already registered my account as 8-9k (a few months ago) and it seems I cannot change it anymore. So even though I am missing out on the DDK fighting, it’ll still be nice to see if I can climb up to my KGS rank this way.

Thus far, the opponents I have played on have a completely different style from what I’m used to on KGS. Lots and lots of fighting….

Case and point: see my first game record for 2013 below!

Well everyone, looks like this will be my final post for 2012. As I look back at 2012 and all the craziness that has come with it, I am definitely glad that go is once again an important part of my life. It’s been a fun year with me getting back into go and then bringing the go blog back full force.

In terms of how my progress, here’s my rank graph for 2012.

Note: I did not play a single ranked game in December though. So the graph seems a little weird… haha.

In terms of my big accomplishment, it would have to be that I made it into mid-SDK range. I must admit though, it seems like just yesterday when I was playing as a 10k. Not sure I feel much stronger though. =D

For next year, my goal is to reach a solid dan status on KGS. Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? Don’t know till I try. =D

Read More

So lately, I’ve been playing pool with my family, and I have to say that I realized how accustomed I’ve become to the manner of play in go. For those who aren’t familiar with pool, a player can theoretically play the entire game from start to finish without ever letting the opponent have a single turn. Can you imagine how I felt as a go player?! It’s as if I passed every time an opponent put down a stone. AHHHHHHH!!!!!

With that random anecdote, I’m still happy to report that my ranked game sabbatical has continued to be sustain. Although in all honesty, with the league games diminishing in availability, I am starting to feel the urge to start playing ranked games again. I’ve even resorted to playing two games of blitz go yesterday (which was a complete and utter mistake might I add). Playing league games consistently has certainly weakened my ability to play blitz go properly, but I think that’s a plus more than a negative.

On that note, the month is nearly over! I’m not sure whether or not I want to continue abstaining from ranked games or not, so I guess I’ll see when the time comes.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

So I’ve finally decided to venture out of my KGS bubble. In lieu of my announcement about the new go9dan server, my buddy Justin pointed out that there are other go servers out there with similar features that are free and could potentially be just as awesome. Since I have been with KGS since my inception into go, I am of course skeptical of his claims. So help prove me wrong by helping me navigate these other go servers!

There are two servers in particular that I would like to find partners for: Tygem and WBaduk, but I’m open to other ones as well! Let me know ASAP!

As promised, here is evidence of my redemption for yesterday’s atrocious play.

Here’s to hoping that I learned my lesson and never have to do this again. xD

Life is funny sometimes. Just when I thought I had a breakthrough in my go, I went ahead and played one of the worst games I’ve played in awhile. For those who have experienced the ups and downs of go, you know what I’m talking about: reckless go. For those who don’t know what it is, it consists of the following:

1. Follow my opponent around the board.
2. Try to kill everything possible.
3. Fail to notice any of my own weak groups.
4. Have little to no legitimate purpose behind my moves.
5. Play locally and hope it works out on the entire board.

Fortunately, I was not given the chance to slink away in shame and got promptly reamed out for my play. So, as instructed, I will be taking tonight to retreat into solitary and repent for my miserable play by writing down “The List” 50 times. (Proof will be posted tomorrow.) In addition, I want to thank my opponent for not letting me get away with my overplays. I will give you a better game next time!

Below is the game record for your laughter and entertainment. =)

I normally try not to post two games in one day, but tonight I just played a game that blew my mind. I literally went into this game expecting to lose and toy with an idea here or there. Before I knew it though… everything just kind of came together…. It was completely surreal…..

There’s only one comment for the entire SGF due to how late it is, but this is perhaps one of the most controlled games I’ve played to date…

As always, comments and insights would be appreciated!