Hi all,

I've been working my way through this series. I am now some way through book 3 - and am solving maybe 60% of the problems - I am also taking much longer than the suggested 1 minute in the intro to the book.. maybe about 3-5 mins. Should I go back and redo book2 or should I just stick it out with book 3, or maybe do some other kind of study??

James

At 9-kyu the third volume of the series is okay for you and if you can solve around 60% then that's fine! Although it gets more difficult later on, so if you really can't solve anything anymore then I'd suggest that you try "1001 Life-and-Death Problems" for the moment or even re-do the second volume of the Graded Go series.

The 1-minute-rule is... well, not so important. Speed comes with practice and experience.

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My "guide" to become stronger in Go

Why don't you go back to volume two and try to read out each problem as completely as you can (reading out every variation) in one or two minutes? (Turn the book upside down, though, so you aren't just remembering the problem from last time.) After you've spent fifteen or thirty minutes on that, decide which you like more - drilling the problems you can do, or struggling with the problems that you are having difficulty with. In the end, it's having fun that counts, and you will improve more if you enjoy studying.

I still do problems from volume 2 sometimes. Overall, I like doing a mix of easy and hard problems.

I also recommend Get Strong at Tesuji--my favorite problem book along with Graded Go Problems. I found the 1-2 star problems a perfect mix around your level. 1001 L&D Problems is good too. Of course, the problem types are less varied (i.e., they are all life & death--hence the title), which could be a pro or con, though still worth it either way.

You should do the problems until you thoroughly understand them. (At the same time, keep doing new problems until you reach the point where you get them wrong more often than not.) Most problem books do not have the space to show the whole solution, which shows best play against all the opponent's moves. You do not have to read everything out, but satisfy yourself that you can handle every reply. For thorough understanding, see why alternate plays are errors. (Sometimes they are not, particularly after the first move.) You should also understand what stones are essential in the setup of the problem, and why. Sometimes not all of them are. I have seen players make a play that solves a problem, but the actual board position is slightly different, to their dismay.

Good luck!

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.