In light of the new blog redesign and format, I will also be including a new section in every game that I post: My Opponent, Mistakes and (if relevant) Prized Moments. [OUTDATED]

Overall

This has got to be the most intensive game that I’ve played in quite awhile. For those who haven’t been following, I joined the ASR League and have been playing a lot of even games with people who are much stronger than I. As a result, I’ve been on an incredible losing streak and have had a hard time regaining my composure.

Today’s game is probably one of the best games that I’ve played in quite awhile. It’s not the fact that I won, but the fact that a majority of my moves were well thought out and expose weaknesses that I would’ve never been able to exploit before. Not to mention that the ability to all of a sudden see the value of each move as I fought multiple ko battles was incredible.

It’s as Toshiro Kageyama said in Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go, the ability to actually read something out and knowing what will happen not only boosts a player’s confidence but brings an entirely new appreciation for the game.

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Today’s game was a reminder of a concept I was told long ago in one of my teaching games:

The less groups you have on the board, the more likely it is that you’re going to win.

Sounds simple enough right? And yet at the same time, why is this the case?

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In my experience thus far, one of the most difficult things to swallow is losing a won game. And let me tell you, boy did I royally screw this one up.

The thing that makes this kind of loss worse is the fact that you know it’s entirely your fault. There’s no ifs and or buts to be said about it. Unlike other games where a slightly slower reaction time can make the difference or luck comes into play, Go is purely about your inner strength and ability to make the right decision.

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For my debut back in the ASR League, I am slightly embarrassed to report that my return to the stage was far less than spectacular. It’s not so much that I played terribly, it’s just that I ended up fighting out a ko battle that was very good for my opponent.

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Man…. I’m used to being destroyed by my opponents… but this guy had an annoying mouth and I was destroyed by him. The way he took advantage of almost every single weakness was quite beyond me. I think I was doing okay in the opening, but then I didn’t properly chase down what should’ve been a dead group. Ugh. Can’t even comment on the game. But for all those players looking to see bad aji come back and kick you in the balls, and the usage of a double ko to kill of groups that were supposed to be alive: this is the game.

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So today was pretty eventful. I am actually flooded in terms of material I want to write about, but my brain is nearly decomposed due to a lack of sleep and an overload of Go. So this post will be short and sweet.

#1. Hail to fellow Go player chrollo and his new blog - TripleKo! Go check it out. Love the name!

#2. Since it’ll be awhile till I am able to properly update the resources for Go players, Go players need to totally check out GoChild. I think it’s significantly better than Goproblems.com but more on that later.

#3. I have been very fortunate to have had my games being reviewed over the past few days. It’s been a ton of information, but I will do all I can to absorb it and eventually distill it to my readers.

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Happy 3 months to my Go Quest! Time for the monthly progress update!

Major Highlights:

1. KGS - 12k
2. I joined the ASR League.
3. I’m officially done with buying Go books for now.
4. I finally broke down and bought a slate and shell set. =D

Specifics:

Go Ability - So I’m still 12k on KGS, but I’m pretty sure that number is now definitely inaccurate. I can’t really say if I’ve hit the SDK ability, but I know that the handicaps I’ve been getting lately aren’t exactly fair to my opponents. Yesterday I played a 4k with a 6 stones handicap and managed to win by resignation. Below you will find a game against a 6k opponent at 6 stones handicap where I would have won by ~60 some points.

ASR League - This is an advanced study group for people serious about getting stronger at go and definitely gives off the whole insei atmosphere. In terms of how I’m doing, I’m getting totally demolished and will probably remain in the lowest class for a while. I will post more about this league so other players will get a chance to know more about it.

Go Library - So I’ve bought a few more books since the last update. I think I’ll try to simply update the blog to be up to date with my current inventory so people can see what I have and what they might want to see reviewed.

Slate and Shell Stones Set - I know I know… everyone must be thinking I have lots of money to burn. Not true. I sold off some of my Magic: the Gathering cards and made ~$300. And I wanted that whole classical Go atmosphere which I thought would be achieved with slate and shell stones. Now mind you, they are only jitsuyo grade but there is an argument that they are better since they have more interesting patterns. Anyhow, it was $200 cheaper. That helped a lot too.

Next Month:

So in a broad sense of goals, I’ll be aiming to be officially SDK in terms of KGS standards. In addition, I’ll be aiming to create a much more solid content base for the blog. Those two goals combined with staying on top of my grades and the rest of my life should be adequate for growth. Onwards!

So I was thinking it over, and at first I wasn’t going to put up some of my recent games due to the fact that they are utterly miserable. But, I think it’ll actually be good for those who are at the DDK range and feeling frustrated with their own games when they are obliterated. Here is a game I played against someone who was also 12k, and I think this is like one of VERY few games where I lost to someone lower than 10k while I was 12k. I thought I was doing well, but clearly I did not.

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Here’s a game that I wanted to put in my article on Bad vs. Wrong Decisions. Although this was a game against a 14k (I was 13k at the time), I gave it my all and I must say it was quite a match. (I’m white)So this is something I’ve definitely noticed. For some reason, there seems to exist this seemingly large gap between those who are SDK and those who are DDK. Now I know you’re probably like, imagine the gap between SDK and amateur dan, and then the gap between amateur dan and professionals! Trust me, I was quite aware of the barriers awaiting me when I began learning this game. It’s definitely interesting though, the way SDK’s play vs. DDK’s. At this point, if I’m matched up to a DDK, I think I’m in pretty solid shape. On the other hand… it doesn’t seem like I’m quite ready to take on an SDK yet (even game that is). I played an SDK last night in person, and lost by ~13 points even though I had a 3 stone handicap… bleh…. When I figure out where that gap is though, I’ll be sure to let you know.

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So I’m rereading the Fundamentals of Go by Kageyama, and I have to say this is definitely one of the best books a Go player can use in terms of getting stronger. He comments on the fact the amateurs often try these outlandish moves while professional stick to the ordinary and basic moves. This struck me and since then I’ve been trying to keep my moves relatively simple. More on this to come when I derive more meaning from his statement and how others can apply it to their own game.

Here is a game that I played today as I defended my recent promotion to 12 kyu against an 11 kyu in an even game.

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