Get Strong at Joseki 3

Description: In the fourth volume of the Get Strong at Go Series, Bozulich and Kazunari familiarizes the reader with 10 josekis that commonly occur around the star point, how to handle them in regards to their variations, choosing the correct joseki given the whole board, and how to play after the joseki is completed. A great book for players who want a better grasp on joseki as a whole.

Read More

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.

Commented Games by Lee Sedol: Volume 1 - One Step Closer to the Summit

Description: Described as many as the Korean version of Invincible, this series contains some of the most detailed commentaries that I have read thus far. In addition, it is evident that Lee Sedol (9P) and Lee Sena have worked work to make the content accessible to both that beginner and intermediate players as well. This book not only goes into Lee Sedol’s thought on go strategy and his thoughts on the moves that occur; but also talks about his feelings and mental state during each game along with anecdotes from his journey to being one of the strongest go players in the world.

Read More

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…

Get Strong at Joseki 2

Description: In the third volume of the Get Strong at Go Series, Bozulich familiarizes the reader with 8 josekis that commonly occur around the 5-4 and 5-3 point, how to handle them in regards to their variations, choosing the correct joseki given the whole board, and how to play after the joseki is completed. A great book for players who want a better grasp on joseki as a whole.

Read More

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.

Jump Level Up 1

Description: Jump Level Up 1 is the first volume of the intermediate counterpart of the Level Up! Series that serves as a workbook in private go schools in Korea. Though designed for children, the content and practice provided is invaluable for adults and children alike.

Read More