Hello all
I just started playing on IGS recently. I found the awesome app for my phone, and proceeded to get it for my mac after that. IGS really has changed a lot since when I tried it years ago, it looks beautiful now.
Are the ratings on IGS still stronger than KGS? If that's true then I have just recently become a lot stronger
So recently, like in the past few months or even year, but especially over the last few weeks, I've been feeling confident. Up to this point I am considering myself more stable a KGS 5d, a legitimate CGA 6d, a strong Tygem 6d / average Tygem 7d (if I focus and don't play Hearthstone or some other idiotic concurrent activity), and so on...
This is what I thought, and probably what I still think, but...
I wanted to have some relaxing fun on IGS, and since the ratings were supposed to be strong, I registered as 3d so that i could get used to it and then probably settle at 4d. I figured I would probably be an IGS 4d, based on my first-hand experience with IGS ranks years ago and the world rank comparison chart. Also based on the ranks of some of the users there whom are also well known on KGS.
To my surprise, I beat a few 3d easily. It then matched me up with a 4d and I won that too. When it matched me with a 5d, I figured this was it, this game was going to be really tough. But I won! I wasn't that surprised, but I was thinking maybe he was a weaker 5d. However, I won the next three games with 5d! So then it matched me with a 6d, and his info said his record (tons of games) had near equal wins and losses. Ok, an average IGS 6d. I'm screwed-ish.
Nope, actually kind of creamed him. No major accidents or deaths, either. Huh??
My record is 9-0 now...
There's an explanation for this--one or both of the following:
1. My recent confidence is a sign that I'd become stronger without really knowing in what way, or it was because of the way I've been teaching recently, which also could have been the cause of that initial confidence. Recently I've been doing a lot of in-depth game reviews. I've been exchanging commented sgf files with a student back and forth, sometimes exchanging the same game multiple times. These were games of mine mostly, and some games of his. I went into extreme analysis with him, including many other possible variations, discussing thoughts about everything, scrutinizing everything, judging strategy and the whole board at every turn, and counting move values down to the point fractions. So maybe this has made me stronger? I've never become significantly stronger before from teaching others, or so I believe. I did notice one clear change in my thinking over these IGS games though, and that is the fact that my Go has gotten even calmer than it already was. This calmness has settled down my Go and my worries about how much the opponent has, allowing me to proceed without rash actions which has led to some eventual simple points-based resignations by the opponents.
2. IGS ranks are not what I thought.
Any ideas?
I mostly teach Baduk now, but despite how incredibly busy I am with other pursuits and things, I was hoping to improve my strength a bit because, well, although teaching skills are of extreme importance, a little more Baduk powaa definitely doesn't hurt! Plus, I want to keep doing well at local tournaments (and Canadian Open Championship) and place again, this time higher!