Thanks to Paul, it seems that I may never ever be in a playing slump ever again. Haha. I am now officially active on Dragon Go Server (DGS)!

The first time I tried playing on DGS, I never turned on the notifications feature and thus could not quite grasp the beauty of turn based go. Now that the feature has been turned on though, I find it pretty exciting when I get an email telling me it’s my turn to play.

For those who find that they are a bit short on time and can’t block out a couple hours for a good game of go, I completely agree with Paul in that this is a fantastic way to fill the void of not being able to play. In fact, I think there may be some validity in Paul’s sentiment of turn based go helping him to improve faster since “a subconcious piece of my mind [is] dwelling on board positions” as he goes about his day. As someone who is starting to play turn based go, I certainly hope he’s right!

Especially for those of you who are busy with school and can never find time to play a game with me, I definitely think DGS is the way to go. And to sweeten the deal, there is even a free Android (search for anDGS)/iPhone app (search for Dragon Go Client) so you can play on the go! My username is bengozen on there as well, so add me and send me an invite for a game! Looking forward to seeing you across the board!

Games

• KGS - 1 game ( 1 win : 0 loss )

Tsumego

• Essential Life & Death (Vol. 2) - Complete
• Go Game - Life and Death (iPad App) - Practice Phase 2 (Class 3 - 5)

Other

• Elementary Go Series, Volume 5 - Attack and Defense - Page 1 - 20
• Dictionary of Basic Joseki: Volume 1 - Page 16 - 32
• The Chinese Opening - Pages 50 - 63
• 36 Stratagems Applied to Go - Pages 1 - 9

Thoughts

Overall, it’s been a rather quiet week in terms of games. In the meanwhile though, I’ve had lots of little bits of free time that have allowed me to peruse various topics that I’ve had my eye on for some time. So in terms of learning new things, it’s been a rather enriching week. I still have a lot to sort through regarding lessons that I’ve had from frozensoul, zyoda, and Myung, but I’m hoping to get to them next week so I can really solidify what they’ve taught me.

Weekly Go Wednesday, Issue #19

Whenever you sit at a goban and prepare your next move against your opponent, it is only natural that you view your opponent as an obstacle to overcome. Yet, I recently received a rather thought provoking concept: imagine as if were playing against yourself.

You’re probably wondering, “How could that possibly help? After all, if that’s so helpful, shouldn’t I just setup a goban and play myself 24/7 and then I’ll become 7 dan eventually?” Well, it doesn’t quite work that way, but I’m glad you asked.

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It seems I’ve hit a bit of a playing slump recently. Every time I’m asked to play a game, I find myself turning down most games (except in rare cases where frozen or a friend asks for a game).

It’s not so much that I don’t like playing anymore, but each time I want to start a game, I have this nagging feeling that something else needs to be done or start feeling worried that I’ll be interrupted. After all, a full game of go for me can easily take anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours without skipping a beat. And frankly, life has not been too lenient in terms of giving me 2 hour blocks of time to play a game of go. As a result, I’ve been rather hesitant lately to play any ranked/tournament games for fear of needing to leave, resign, or rush the game.

For those who have been following, that is a recipe for disaster for my go. Odds are very good that I will end up regretting the game I played. So to avoid me possibly going on tilt or becoming frustrated, I’ve been doing a bit of reading, studying, watching, and reviewing other people’s games in order to get my go fix. Although I know it isn’t quite the same as playing the game, my little workaround will have to suffice until life eases up a bit.

Overall Rating: 5 / 5 Ponnuki

Basic Information

• Title: Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go
• Author: Toshiro Kageyama 7-dan
• Translator: James Davies
• Publisher: Kiseido
• Publication Date: May 1978
• Page Length: 272 pages

Synopsis

• A hybrid of theoretical/conceptual explanations along with problems to illustrate the ideas.
• While may seem advance, Kageyama’s personality really shines through and makes this such an interesting read (regardless of your level).
• Appropriate for 20 kyu and stronger.
• Recommended for all types of players.

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Games

• KGS - 2 games ( 2 win : 0 loss )

Tsumego

• Essential Life & Death (Vol. 2) - Pages 87 - 110
• Go Game - Life and Death (iPad App) - Practice Phase 1 (Class 1-3) & Phase 2 (Class 1-2)

Other

• Elementary Go Series, Volume 3 - Tesuji - Pages 23 - 60
• The Chinese Opening - Pages 1 - 50

Thoughts

Although it seems like a rather light week in terms of playing, I’ve had a number of teaching games that have been quite eye opening. I haven’t yet processed a lot of what has been passed onto me this week, but I hope to take the weekend to look over the kifus and reinforce anything that I learned. On the upside, I’ve found some really interesting go books that I’m hell bent on trying to finish as soon as possible. More on this next week!

In the past month, I’ve been wrestling with the inconsistency of my games. At times, I can give high SDK’s a run for their money. Then, to my utter surprise, I find myself getting beat by players around 6 kyu in the following games. So what gives?

Well, frozensoul shed some light a few days ago, it seems that in my pursuit of understanding a higher level understanding of go, I have seemed to missed a step in my growth. As a result, my go is in this weird limbo. When I play against players who are more skilled than I am, I am able to more or less mirror their skills and give them a good game. On the other hand, when playing against players around my current rank of 6k, I am unable to punish their bad moves. Inadvertently, these players end up getting away with more than they should have which allows them to beat me.

While it may seem harsh, frozensoul’s description of my go is accurate:

You are a blade with no edge.

Similar to preparing food in the kitchen, when you have a sharp blade, there is a certain delight as you cut and slice everything with utter precision and minimum effort. On the other hand, when you’re working with a dull blade, cutting anything becomes a lot of effort for a job not very well done. It is no different with go.

At the present moment, my go would probably be better compared to a club than a knife. In all honesty, a majority of my wins probably comes out of beating my opponents into submission. However, even a simple swordsman will be able parry my attacks and take me down in a one swift strike. And even if I occasionally manage to defeat a swordsman in combat, it is only because of a lucky swing that happened to strike my opponent in the head. =)

Although I have recently overcome the frustration that comes with losing, it seems the next obstacle is bearing its fangs at me. And this time, there will be no convention to shock me into awakening. Like a shinigami searching for his zanpakuto, it seems that unless I discover and forge my own blade, I will be unable to take another step forward.

Weekly Go Wednesday, Issue #18

As most of us are aware, the game of go is rather unique in the sense that it is considered honorable to resign. Unfortunately, when it comes to kyu players (particularly mid-SDK’s and below), I have found that resignation is the bane of their existence. Instead of resignation being a quiet acknowledgment of their opponent’s strength, it becomes a self-imposed obstacle that prevents kyu players from getting stronger. If you don’t believe me, read on.

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