Anyone got advice like practicing something or what I should do?

I know who my opponent is and im skimming through his games.

I've only played in one rated tournament. With only one day left until you're playing there isn't a lot you can do to prepare that will improve your play. You should avoid doing things that might hurt your playing though. So make sure you get enough rest and if you're feeling nervous, just do your best to calm down.

1) Bring some extra food - granola bars or similar - so that you can skip meals if you have to. You never know how long a game might last.
2) Visit the bathroom just before the game. Or at least make sure that you know where it is if you have to run there in mid-game.
3) Dress in layers so that you can add on or peel off if the playing room gets too hot or too cold.
4) Have earplugs if noise disturbs your concentration.

In short, plan in advance to deal with all sorts of non-game problems so that you are able to concentrate fully on your game.


PS: Good luck.

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Advice 2 is very valid, but the other advice isnt because this is an online tournament. "Oh why even ask then" xD. But i mean this is a non kgs tournament, but a real tournament for once. Ive never played go in real life, I wish the tournament was in real life but yea its online.

I think im going to sleep for like 8 hours, eat breakfast, shower, then watch baduktv or study pro games very relaxing and lightly for a few hours, nothing serious to ease my nerves. I already have the fuseki I want to use planned if im black, if im white ill have to decide.

I've never played in a Go tournament, But I have played in a few video game tourneys and one martial arts tourney.

I find the best way to relax from the stress is to avoid the tourney, quite honestly. Now, again this probably isn't relevant because you are playing online. At the martial arts tourney, I had to wait the entire day. I was only in one event, and it just so happened to be like the last even of the day. So I spent the first few hours nervous saying "when am I up????" Then after that, I said screw it, and just enjoyed the tourney like a viewer who wasn't competing. That was super relaxing. But after a while I started getting upset that they made me wait so long, so by the time it was my event I gave it my all, and sorta channeled my anger in to making sure everything was spot on. I ended up tying for second, and placing 3rd. Then I got 4th in my division sparring.

I got my butt handed to me in all my video game tourneys, But I spent most of those hanging out with girls I had met there so my head wasn't exactly in the game...

Point of the rant? Don't stress yourself out thinking about the stress and just enjoy the event and get down when it's your turn to get down. Also make sure you don't eat anything too sugary as it can give you a wicked upset stomach if you get stressed.

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Lose 1,000 games? Challenge Accepted.

I remember competing in Taekwon-Do tournaments when I was 13-14. It took about two hours to get in and there was a 45-minute welcome ceremony of sorts at one of them. I remember being excited, stressed, etc. Only when my turn was coming up did I think "Okay, this is just like in class. I can do this."

Word to the wise: this sort of self-affirmation doesn't work. Trying to forcefully convince yourself of your own lies is NOT the way to go.

What I did realize though was that a few moments into the match, my body was just doing what it had been taught.Not only that but our master always exhausted us to near-death before we ever got any sparring in. Not once had we been allowed to spar at 100%.

With my body at full capacity, the tourney was a breeze (our small school won everything). I went through the motions and focused on taking the other guy down.

The other tournaments got even easier.

I didn't mean to steal your thunder, Faro. The basic idea here is that despite the differences between Go and martial arts, I think the keys are these:

- Practice a bunch beforehand so you know on a deep level what to do. This you can't change at this point, for this tournament anyway.

- You will not be calm. You won't. It's not going to happen. It doesn't mean you cant knuckle down and still do your very best when the time comes, but forget trying to force yourself into a zen-like state. Once you get to play, play hard.

- Every competition will add to your experience, and you will simply adapt over time. You might be just as stressed each time (top competitors in all fields report this), but you will get better at handling it.

All in all, best of luck! If you have to remember one thing from this loooong post, remember this: you can play your best despite the stress. So go out there and make yourself proud.

No worries Phoenix. I would certainly agree that you are going to be stressed no matter what you do. I personally avoid whatever it is i'm competing in for that day until it's time to compete. I'm sure there are arguments for or against this, I just find it's easier to step away from it for a sec, relax and then compete when it's time.

I think if I played a bunch of warm up games before a Go competition, Then when it came time to play for real, I would just be dwelling on any mistakes I made in the casual games. However I probably would play casuals that night if it was a multiple day event.

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Lose 1,000 games? Challenge Accepted.

Good luck to you. Let us know how you went.

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Poka King of the south east.