I'm starting this journal to help mark my progress through the game. My goal is to enjoy the game and the get stronger. Strength is of course, operationalized by the rank system.

Long term goal: Shodan in 2 years.

Short term goal: 18k in 2 months (end of March) Goal Achieved: February 2, 2012
Short term goal: 16k in 2 months (end of March/Beginning of April) Goal Achieved: February 22, 2012
Short term goal: 14k in 2 months (second week of May)

Presently studying:
Kageyama's Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go
Graded Go Problems for Beginners Vol. 2
Learn to Play Go Vol. 1-2

I read frequently here that "Opening Theory Made Easy" is very beneficial to beginners. Any comments on this text would be appreciated.

I typically play at least two games a day. At least an hour each day is spent on studying with an emphasis on tsumego.

I will post at least one game a day. Feel free to comment on any or none of them. Any wisdoms imparted are appreciated.

Hey jsiegert, good luck on your journal! I don't know what sort of comments on OTME you were looking for, but I like it a lot and I have some notes I took on it in my own (sadly neglected) study journal. They're probably a bit cryptic if you've never read OTME, but you can probably get some of the sense out of them.

Welcome to Go! You`ll find many friends here who will be glad to watch over your progress and cheer you on.

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Learn the "tea-stealing" tesuji! Cho Chikun demonstrates here:

I thought I played certain parts of this game well. However losing my middle group (and consequently failing to capture his middle group) as well as not killing his bottom left group hurt morale. Review will help me sort that out. Intuition says my invasion into the middle should have been a passive aggressive effort to save my stones on the right as opposed to direct opposition. The campaign did seem to keep his focus split though. A catch 22 perhaps.



after superficial review I don't really see how i could have captured the middle without a serious scuffle. However bottom left i could have killed by playing 202 at the vital point instead of connecting superfluously

Today's game.

Completely failed to stop the invasion on bottom right. Hopefully review will elucidate me to my fault in play. Other than that I thought thatI had won. Will have to actually estimate score from now on.



edit: should have invaded the left when I had the chance.

regarding the invasion: Should have connected on the other side.

This made me wince. It's an empty triangle.


This is the exact same idea, but 1000% better (only slight exaggeration).

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1k KGS

Thank you. It's easy to extrapolate how that simple move could have drastically changed the end score. Thank you for pointing it out. I will make an effort to recognize situations in which I might play that "empty triangle"

Today's game:



Still need to review. However, from memory: not playing the vital point (again) in his bottom group will haunt me. Likewise not realizing the urgency of protecting my middle group. Losing a semeai on the right. certainly more to come.

edit: should have played K2 instead of G2.

Today's game was not ranked. Not of my own choice. This was the only person to join my game after waiting for almost 20 minutes.



should have secured my invading group sooner. wasn't certain of the shape i was going to end up with. I am glad that i got to practice invading. very elucidating.

Today's game was easily that most enjoyable game I have played.



My opponent was gracious to stay and review the game with me. We both had a good chuckle about the fight at the bottom, concluding that if i had played B1 instead of B2 i would have killed that group and gained significant territory. Likewise we analyzed how to succede with the 3,3 invasion top right.

Also, didn't know you could join someone's game and then negate or reduce the handicap. Again speaking to the graciousness of my opponent, he gave me two stones.

EDIT: It appears that I have reached my short term goal of reaching 18kyu, however a margin of error would be prudent. 2 days seems about right. If I can maintain (or lower) my strength by the end of two days then I will set my sights on 16kyu.

Have you tried automatch? I think you could get a game quicker that way. Also you can have automatch and a custom game offer open at the same time. You could also try accepting other people's offers all at the same time. 20 minutes is a long time to wait!

Wasn't aware that I could have auto and custom going at the same time. Good to know.

Today's game:



This game was hard fought. The semeai battle at the bottom center was very interesting. I felt I had a disadvantage going in, but I had to try, unfortunately it didn't turn out well. I will be reviewing possible successful variations. Will need to closely scrutinize this game. By far my most difficult game so far. Very enjoyable.

100 at o1 or o2 would have settled the case for you. The white group had only two liberties left.

A few other ideas:

10: q14 seems to work better with your stones at the right side.

12: defend the corner with r15 and deny white a base. If w extends to q14, attack at o16

38: An idea would be to peep at s12. This threatens to cut off the s14 group and denies w an eye there.

56: Small. White doesn't need to respend there. Get a bigger point, e.g. at f17 or invade at k3.

80: If you want to pull out the two k6-stones, attack the bottom first, e.g. n4. If w responds to that, you can connect at L6, otherwise continue your attack at the bottom.

162: A better option here would be the monkey jump at n19

194: Just connect at e4. You can capture the white stones, because you have an extra liberty at d3.

Thank you very much for reviewing!



In retrospect I can't believe I missed this. I could have made huge gains with such a simple move. More semeai practice is needed. Thank you for pointing it out.



thereby denying him a couple more points. I remember thinking about this, but decided against it thinking the move would only be beneficial if I intended to try and kill the group. Didn't feel I could. Should have realized denying gains is equally important.




N4 is not something that I would have thought of. I really like what it would have done to the bottom right though. I will remember to look for situations like that in the future.



I might have been able to steal another point in there if I had. hmm.



How did I not see that? between this and my failure at bottom center a deficiency in attention is made palpable.


Again, thank you very much for reviewing my game. It helps and I appreciate it.

Spotty internet kept me from playing a game today. Did a few 9x9 games to exercise some life and death scenarios. Also tsumego. Should be back on track tomorrow.

Today's game:

Went in feeling tired and unfocused. Tried to rise to the occasion and buckle down. Failed. Morale was destroyed. Didn't play smart. Just an awful spectacle.



Well, my rank has remained intact past the "margin for error", so I'll set a new short term goal for 16K by the end of April. Also enacting a new guideline: no Go on the weekend. Tsumego certainly, but no games. Use the weekend to digest new concepts.

EDIT: Going to buying "Graded Go Problems for Beginners Vol. 3" this week. Made good progress with volume 2. Still considering "Opening Theory Made Easy".

Todays game:



My victory was only by mistakes of my opponent. Review will highlight my own shortcomings. Already thinking I should have played within his wide open left side early on. Will review at later date.

A few ideas:

14 (j19): This move on the first line is very small. You had luck that black answered that. But even for endgame move it would have been wrong. You would have set on h19 with the threat to invade at the top. If B blocked at g19, W can protect at j19. In order to stop W from invading B has to add another move at f18 or g18, otherwise W would atari at g18. That would be sente in endgame. But at this stage of the game there are much bigger points. As this seems to become a moyo game, the interesting area is at the border of the moyos, so around j14 seems an interesting spot, or capping at k6, or even around tengen looks good.

16 (l18): No need to protect there before B plays j17. You can make a big play elsewhere.

18 (k16): Your idea was probably to enlarge your moyo. You don't have to be so timid, just jump further, e.g. to k15 (aiming at h14).

20 (p3): While this is certainly a big move, it may be considerable to cap at n5, threatening a big moyo. (same applies to move 22)

24 (o3): This only threatens one black stone. Black should ignore and expand his moyo, e.g. by capping at p10 or around o7. These are also the better options for white at move 24.

28 (q7): Good!

40 (p5): Doesn't achieve anything. Locally o6 would have been better. This ataris the three black stones. If black connects, white can double-atari at n5, so black would probably abandon the three stones. But there are better global options. E.g. the bottom left corner cries for being invaded.

42 (p4): Small. Saves just one useless stone.

44 (p1): Small endgame move. White can ignore black's n1 and go for something bigger.

46 (j14): Much better. Would have even been better if white had m9 instead of o1.

76 (j13): No need to protect here, because if black captures the two white stones in atari, white can immediately recapture and the g13 group would still have been connected. So instead of j13 go on with your reduction, e.g. at d13.

84 (g15): Doesn't achieve anything. You cannot cut black here. The bottom left corner still wants to be invaded.

94 (f9): Black says thankyou here. If you want to launch a heavy center fight, extend at g9. If not, just connect at f13.

98 (d11): Small and bad shape (empty triangle). c13 would be bigger locally (aiming for b16).

154 (c2): Alas, this invasion comes too late. White should not be able to live there

Thank you once again for looking at my game Karaklis. Seems a lot of my mistakes were centered around making endgame moves midgame and being to timid in engaging. The move you suggested at 40 is one that I would like to be able to see at a glance. I'll have to set up some situations to play with.



Played two games today:



It's almost more fun when you know you are in over your head at the start. Not much to say about it other than the fact that it was just amusing. Played around trying to expand with broad connections.



I made some bulky shapes on the right, but i thought that they served a purpose worth achieving. Managed to thwart the corner invasion thanks to his mistake. Will review deeper.

EDIT: ordered "Graded Go Problems for Beginners Vol. 3"