How do you apply the skills you pick up doing tsumego on actual games or are they(tsumego) meant just to train your ability to read?

And what are you guys take on leechangho life and death series?

Second question first: The Lee Changho Life and Death series is great, if you can get your hands on it. I like the large format diagrams and they seem to be practical-style problems with fewer contrived positions.

As for how to apply in your games, that's a tougher question. Some of it is free, since as your reading gets stronger, the board will just start to look different. Groups that you previously would have thought to be safe now seem dodgy. Opponent's moves that you used to think were sente will now seem to be in the wrong area.

But there are some things to be careful about:

1. Go problems have solutions. In real games, the position may not have a clear resolution that favors you. You may spend a lot of time trying to find some tesuji when there is none.

2. Time management. As reading becomes more possible, it's also possible to lose track of time on some interesting position and get into pressure later in the game.

3. Trying to live everywhere / kill everything in real games with your newfound superpowers. I'm on the fence about this. It may be good to test the limits to see what is possible. I think it is. The risk is one can start developing an overplay style, especially if it works.

Since you ask in the beginners forum, let me ask before my answer: do you only want beginner advice (learn: reading, shapes, types of problems easily recognised in played games again) or do you want to know how strong players learn for their own sake?

Lee Changho books are great. Past the first volume might be a bit beyond 13k though.

The practical value of tsumego for me comes from reading practice and building a vocabulary of life and death tactics.

WiseMouse - I like the shape in your first example a lot so just for fun here's some more examples of the same technique.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black to live live live live.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . O O X X . X O . |
$$ | . . X O . O . . . O . . . X . . X O . |
$$ | . X X X O . . . . . . . O O X X X O . |
$$ | O X O . O . . . . . . . . . O . O . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . O . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O . |
$$ | . O O O . . . . . , . . . . O O X O O |
$$ | . O X X O O . O . . . . . O O X O X O |
$$ | . X . X X O . . O . . . . O X X . X X |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Thanks for the prompt response! But I have some queries.
What do you mean some of it is free?
So as your reading gets better, the board will just look different by itself?

I’d be glad if you could provide me both answers.

When I study tsumego, the study can be practising tsumego problems, reading about tsumego theory, inventing tsumego problems, inventing tsumego theory or something else also applicable to tsumego.

When practising tsumego problems whilst having enough time, I study every aspect: each move of every relevant variation, every sequence of moves, every other set of related moves; every function of every move, sequence, set of moves, variation, set of variations; every shape statically and dynamically; practising and enhancing theory of reading skill; methods and decision-making of reading; I look for new theory, preferably any that can be generalised and so applied in games or (if ever) programming; I look for connections between theory for tsumego and theory for other topics of go theory; I study every aspect for application in playing, later practising of further tsumego, teaching, writing.

When reading about tsumego theory, usually I concentrate on the theory and hardly practise reading skill, but of course I will apply the theory later to games and practising tsumego.

When inventing tsumego problems, I often have constraints of time or purposes of application so drive invention in particular, suitable directions. If any problems will do, inventing some takes seconds to minutes; if a particular problem must be found as an example or counter-example for a specific application, it can take up to four days, provided the topic is not so difficult that I have to give up.

For inventing tsumego theory, over the years and decades I build a growing knowledge and experience of go theory, examples, aspects as above, research theory for better invention of go theory; I drive my search for inventions towards directions of my current interest.

For the sake of improving, I have used a study all aspects approach since circa 3 kyu. For the sake of invention, I have enhanced my study for also this purpose since circa 1993 (3d), which was 3 years before starting research in go theory and 1.5 decades before starting teaching and writing. That is, I constantly had in mind the additional purposes of application beyond my own improvement and application to my own games.

What can this mean for you? Study every aspect! Study systematically! Use study aims suitable for your long-term goals! Study both reading skill and theory! As long as you are still a beginner, limited goals will do, but reading skill and theory are both essential.