Today has been full of epicness, an incredible milestone, and a hilarious video by BadukMovies.

To start, I am ecstatic to announce that I beat a 3 dan in an even game as White on Tygem!!!!!

That’s right. Even. 6.5 komi. And I won by 9.5 points. AHHHH!!!!!! (I know it was probably a fluke, but still, a true victory against a dan player in an even game. WOOO!!!!!!!!)

_Below is the game for your enjoyment, but I haven’t had time to add comments to it yet. I’ll be sure to add it to the list of future Monday Go Meditations. _

UPDATE: The kifu has been updated so that only one variation exists in the file. I didn’t realize I left a stray variation in the last one.

That awesomeness aside. I also got to play rengo against sensei and also got a chance to play fellow friends Bonscott and teafree. Overall a pretty awesome and epic day. And as if this news wasn’t not exciting enough, I bestow upon you an awesome video by BadukMovies. It’s only ~30 seconds and totally worth it. Enjoy!

This is Good for Black

And for those wondering why I didn’t embed it, it seems Facebook videos are not very WordPress friendly. shrug

Friday Go Forward: Week 32

Overview

It’s been a rather busy week, but I think it would be fair to say it’s been pretty productive! I think the biggest accomplishment is my goal to simply play at least one game a day. Though this would have seemed impossible in the past, I have been toggling back between KGS and Tygem to fulfill that discipline. In addition, I’ve increased my training menu to really push myself and attempt to increase my reading ability. The training menu is still far from complete, but I am definitely feeling like I have gotten one step closer to unlocking the key behind designing training menus. Very exciting!

Games

• KGS - 5 games
• Tygem - 2 games
• DGS - 2 ongoing games
• Nova - 1 ongoing game

Daily Training

• 100 Beginner Life & Death Problems - Magic Baduk Go (iPhone)
• 20 Intermediate Life & Death Problems - Magic Baduk Go (iPhone)
• 10 Pages of Jump Level Up 1
• 25 Problems from the Get Strong at Go Series.

Reading Material

• Finished on Get Strong at Joseki 3.
• Finished Commented Games by Lee Sedol - Volume 1.
• Started working on Commented Games by Lee Sedol - Volume 2.
• Started working on Get Strong at Invading.
• Working on Jump Level Up 2.

As most of you are aware, I am pretty diligent and hard working when it comes to my studies. The vast quantity of information that I ingest is probably quite frightening for some. The only downside to this, however, is that being able to digest it is a completely different matter. In addition, you have to realize that I am often more focused on finishing the books instead of truly mastering the topic at hand in order to fulfill my goal of having the most comprehensive book reviews for go. So at the end of the day, I have to really question how I’m really going to get stronger.

I recently finished Commented Games by Lee Sedol, Vol. 1. And in one of his mini monologues about getting stronger, Lee Sedol commented that he believes the fastest way for any player to get stronger is to simply play games. Of course, he recommends reviewing them as well, but the idea lies in the fundamental premise that one learns fastest through experience. And as if that wasn’t enough to get me questioning my methods, I watched an episode of Hikaru no Go (Episode 25: Fear and Impatience) earlier where Waya makes a comment about how regardless of how talented a player is, it means nothing without playing stronger opponents.

Something tells me the universe is trying to tell me something… Haha… So as I’ve learned in life, it’s best to listen to the universe when it’s trying to nudge you along the right path. I will no longer worry about losing games due to lack of time or lack of energy. And from this day forth, I will always find time to play at least one game a day.

I don’t know if any of you have ever heard of the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” (which is a deviation from the theory “six degrees of separation“), but it essentially boils down to the idea that every person is connected to another within six connections. And as you might guess based on the title of my post, I am writing because my friend Eric Lui had the honor of competing in the 2013 Samsung Cup and got to play against Lee Sedol!!!! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous in the least, but that is still just plain epic!!!!!!

Now of course, while this usually is worthy of a post all on its own, there is another reason I’m also writing about Lee Sedol. Prior to all of above, I injured my left hand from boxing and have had to take it a little easier as of late. Since I’m trying to rest in order to quickly recover, what better way to fill the time than to study some go? And guess who’s book I happened to decide to study. That’s right. Commented Games by Lee Sedol Volume 1!

As I was working through it, I came upon an anecdote where his sister described how his father used to train him when it came to solving life and death. Lee Sedol’s father stressed accuracy and would scold him harshly whenever he solved a problem incorrectly. As a result, Lee Sedol would check his answer 100 times over before showing his father the answer regardless of how simple the problem might seem. Though seemingly harsh at the time, his sister believes that this is one of the reasons that Lee Sedol’s reading is as strong as it is today.

So how does this relate to me? Well I am the first to admit that I am pretty lazy when it comes to solving problems. I might give a problem anywhere from a glance to 30 seconds (depending on my mood) before checking out the answer. I tried to tell myself that this is because I wanted more exposure to new sequences; but in reality, this has probably been hurting my reading more than helping it.

And then as if I wasn’t already feeling guilty enough about my lazy approach to studying life and death, Lee Sedol makes the following statement:

Fighting spirit without the base of thorough reading is nothing but recklessness that leads directly to defeat.

While I was blown away by how insightful that comment is, another part of me also felt incredibly sheepish as I realized that Lee Sedol had just summed up why I lose most of my games in one line. Heh… Perhaps it’s time to take a moment and rethink my approach to studying…

Friday Go Forward: Week 31

Overview

It’s been another crazy week, but I think I’ve managed to post a bit more than last week. So let’s call that a win shall we? Haha. Otherwise though, it’s been a more studious week that has been focused on trying to gain a better foothold on how I plan on continuing my work on the blog. Though it has come a long way since its beginnings at Blogger, it is still falling short of my expectations and visions as a designer. Although before I get too ahead of myself, I still need to focus on making sure that new content is being pushed out so that there will be something to fill my designs when the time comes. =) Meanwhile, I will bide my time and jot down all of my ideas. Hopefully the day it all comes together will not be too far in the future. One can hope right? xD

Games

• KGS - 2 games
• DGS - 2 ongoing games
• Nova - 2 ongoing games

Daily Training

• 20 Intermediate Life & Death Problems - Magic Baduk Go (iPhone)
• 10 Pages of Jump Level Up 1
• 25 Problems from the Get Strong at Go Series.

Reading Material

• Finished Get Strong at Joseki 2.
• Finished The Workshop Lectures Volume 6.
• Finished Jump Level Up 1.
• Finished Fight Like a Pro.
• Started working on Get Strong at Joseki 3.
• Started working on Commented Games by Lee Sedol 1.
• Started working on Jump Level Up 2.

So it’s official. I’ve joined the Canadian Go League and will be participating in their Round 13-5! For those wondering what it is, it’s essentially an online tournament that is played using KGS and is completely free to participate in! They seem to have a wide range of players and have also done a great job breaking players up into appropriate divisions.

As I look at the roster, there are quite a few familiar names; but unfortunately we are all in different divisions. I’m curious to see how it goes since this is a league where matches are scheduled ahead of time, and hopefully this will be a bit more accommodating to my schedule. In addition, I’m looking forward to familiarizing myself with Canadian overtime rules. I’ve only played it once or twice in the past and have yet to feel comfortable playing with it. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to it! And inn case you are wondering, yes I plan on posting every game with my thoughts and comments after each match. =D

Many thanks to Eric (@Oolong4Go) for sharing this with me and getting me to join!

As some of you might know, I finished my Master’s a little over a year ago, so why am I at the local community college you might wonder? Well, though my girlfriend and I are working professionals, it seems that learning will be never ending for both of us and she decided to take a class this semester. So while she’s at her class, I figured, perfect opportunity to use this time as if I’m in a go class! (If anyone is interested in joining me, be sure to let me know!)

With that said, the reason I’m writing is because I am wrapping up the final chapter of Fight Like a Pro, and something funny happened. About forty moves into the kifu, the authors asked the reader to guess what move they would choose to continue the attack on the Black group. Normally with this type of question, I end up only choosing an area I think would be correct and then look at the solution. This time around however, I decided to place a stone boldly onto the board as if to declare to the world what I would have done.

After turning the page, I first see that my answer is not the correct answer. It turns out my move was contrary to the principle of attacking from my weak group in order to simultaneously strengthen it. “Makes sense.” I think, but just as I’m about to look for the next move in the actual game, I see that the next move the professional chose was mine! Hardy har har!!!

And with that epic moment recorded, I end this post on a high note. xD

Friday Go Forward: Week 30

Overview

Sorry I’ve been so MIA this week. I meant to write some journal posts, but things have gotten to a whole new level of crazy as I now must juggle boxing, Chinese, freelancing, blogging, and go while working full-time and having some sort of social life. The highlight for this week is that I was promoted to 4 kyu and it seems like it’s going to be sticking around. Still have a lot of things to work on, but it was nice to see some results in my ranking. In addition, I have started whittling down on my massive book list so that I can get back to more quality studying. Anyhow, back to the craziness! I’ll see you all next week!

Games

• KGS - 5 games
• DGS - 3 ongoing games
• Nova - 2 ongoing games

Daily Training

• 10 Intermediate Life & Death Problems - Magic Baduk Go (iPhone)
• 10 Pages of Jump Level Up 1
• 25 Problems from the Get Strong at Go Series.

Reading Material

• Finished The Workshop Lectures Volume 5.
• Finished Joseki Jeongseok Compass.
• Finished The ABC’s of Attack and Defense.
• Finished Get Strong at Joseki 1.
• Working on The Workshop Lectures Volume 6.
• Worked on Jump Level Up 1.
• Worked on Fight Like a Pro.
• Started working on Get Strong at Joseki 2.

Friday Go Forward: Week 29

Overview

So I’m going to change up the format of my progress report in hopes of determining my own training menu and give you better insight into what I’m doing each week. Instead of an “Education and Training” section, I’ve split it up into “Training” and “Reading Material” so there is a clear distinction of what I’m actively doing. My training regimen is far from what I would like it to be at the moment, but my goal this week has been to establish consistent and disciplined habits in order to make continuous gains. I’m sure I will still find wrinkles in my system as I progress, but the key thing I’ll have to remember is to always “fail forward!”

Games

• KGS - 3 games
• DGS - 3 ongoing games
• Nova - 2 ongoing games

Daily Training

• 10 Intermediate Life & Death Problems - Magic Baduk Go (iPhone)
• 10 Pages of Jump Level Up 1
• 1 Joseki from Joseki Jeongseok Compass
• 25 Problems from the Get Strong at Go Series.

Reading Material

• Finished The Workshop Lectures Volume 4.
• Finished Get Strong at Joseki 1.
• Worked on Jump Level Up 1.
• Worked on Joseki Jeongseok Compass.
• Worked on Fight Like a Pro.

Last night I had the pleasure of playing fellow go twitter friend goBum. For our first game against one another, I thought it was exciting and a lot of fun. Afterwards though, we were severely reminded of the numerous mistakes that occurred throughout the game. Of the two of us though, I would have to say that my play was probably the most shameful. Haha. And if you’re wondering what kind of moves I’m talking about, I mean the whole gamut of making empty triangles that are thank you moves along with playing impulsive moves that are the equivalent of passing. Needless to say, I got what I deserved when it came to verbal bashing. Haha. xD

Since I’m a glutton for punishment, I decided to also show the game to sensei today. As I expected, the feedback wasn’t much better from his end either. Haha. However, he pointed out a critical flaw in my play: I still play from a pressured player mindset. In other words, I get so entangled in myself that I fail to analyze the board correctly. I fail to separate myself from what is happening on the board. Instead of calm analysis of what’s going on, any slight deviation from what I expected led to me feeling like it as a personal failure instead of a simple change on the board to be accounted for. As a result, the impulsive and reckless moves that plague my game are inevitable.

To separate myself from the game when I play… What a cumbersome obstacle I have in my way…