Seems like your student is already quite advanced. In any case I'll post my experience with teaching beginners for anybody who’s interested.
So far I have taught 3 people up to the level of about 22k and have introduced several other people to the game.
Whenever I introduce a completely new player to the game I use the following method:
Tools9x9 boardThe 9x9 is the smallest board in common use and offers the least complicated strategy (not that I'm saying it's easy) This allows you to skip complicated topics like fuseki or joseki entirely. Secondly the games are much shorter so you can play more games in less time ("A beginner needs to lose the first hundred games quickly"
) and you can review the with the position still in mind (I can recreate 9x9 games not 19x19
) And lastly: the 9x9 isn't as intimidating as the larger boards.
High handicapThat you play beginners with handicap is probably obvious but I'm talking about extremely high handicap (like 9 stones on the 9x9 board) First of all, this makes the new player accept that handicap stones are not a sign of stupidity but an accepted practice and secondly it makes the game honest (I can go all out while the beginner still has a fair chance) Because of the extremely high nature of the handicap, it doesn't take long to reduce it (roughly 5 minutes from 9 to 8
) so the beginner gets a sense of accomplishment and sees his improvement. ("Last week I needed 6 stones. Now I'm down to 3"
) I think the last part is particularly important: If you still get crushed after 2 weeks of training you are going to loose interest, ever if your teacher is saying you are playing much better.
Atari goThis allows me to skip a lot of rules concerning counting and the end of the game. (It is also the only way I can win a 9 stone handicap game). I've heard that atari go leads to some bad habits, which I can agree with, but I still think it is a valid way of teaching.
From 9 to 7 stonesBefore we start I explain the very basic rules of go (Stones go on the intersections; One player is white, one is black; Turns alternate; stones do not move after they were placed; Stones connected by an intersection form groups; A stone (or a group) completely surrounded by the enemy stones is captured and taken of the board)
After that we play Atari go with the following rule: The first one to capture one (or more) stones wins.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W First game
$$ --------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . 2 1 5 6 . |
$$ | . . X . X 3 X 7 . |
$$ | . . . . . 4 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]
As you can see it is almost impossible to win, but in order to win the student had to have understood the rules and apply them. So far it's about 50/50 on the first try
After the student masters this level you go down to 8 stones and then to 7. Don't reduce the handicap just because a luck win, but only after he can beat you reliably (3 straight wins is a good benchmark) Likewise, if the student keeps losing at the current level, return to a higher one.
After the student beat the 7 stone level he should have a working knowledge of some very basic principles (spotting the atari, extending from a atari, stones on the second line are dead)
6 and 5 stonesAt 6 stones you change the rules to capture 3. This allows the teacher to use some nasty tricks like snapback and throw-in that ads a new lever of complexity to the game. By this time a mistake may not be so obvious as in the lower levels so the teacher should start reviewing the games and explaining some fundamental principal. By the time the student has worked his way to 5 stones is probably engaged enough that you can explain some more complicated rules like counting territory and ko.
At this level the student learns how to spot weak groups and how to defend them, how to connect groups and probably some very basics in capturing races and good shape.
The first real gameBy the time the student has beat the 5 stone level he is already quite strong and ready for his first real game of go. Going through the training level means that he won't completely blunder in his first game (like self-atari). You start with a 4 stone game so that the student can get a feel for the new rules. It usually doesn't take long to beat this level, after which you go to 3.
The 3 stone game on the 9x9 is very important because the student learn how to attack. At 4 stones it is usually enough to sacrifice one corner and defend the rest. At 3 stones, you will lose with this attitude. It may happen that the student is stuck for a longer time at this level but I think it would be premature to try to teach him anything else or let him play on a bigger board. At this point I will also give the student some beginner books that I have and introduce them to goproblems.
After the 9x9After someone beats me regularly on the 9x9 with 3 stones I think he is ready for actual go. At this point my introduction course ends and I start playing teaching games on bigger boards (They can now beat me on the 13x13 with 5 stones
) or just giving them fundamental lessons in fuseki and joseki. One of my "students" has started playing on KGS and has reached 28k
I'll be happy to play them or review a game for them but I think that they have now grasped the fundamentals of go and have enough resources on hand to improve by themselves.
Any comments or criticism would be appreciated.