SoDesuNe paves his road to Shodan

SoDesuNe · **#201**

Damn!
I replayed my first Go Seigen game yesterday (Final Summit) and what do I read? Go Seigen admired Ogawa Doteki, regarded from him and many others as the greatest Go podigy ever. At age 13 he was considered 6-dan in strength and took black (no handicap) from Honinbo Dosaku. He was the heir to the Honinbo title but died at the age of 21.
GoGoD has 14 games from him. I guess, I need to replay them, too. Can't resist the urge to follow Master Wu's admiration :O

Hopefully Doteki makes several appearances in Collected Games of Dosaku from Yutopian since that book is next on my list after I replayed Go Seigen (Final Summit, Kamakura) =D

SoDesuNe · **#202**

Here is a game I played lately. It got really close in the end and it had a common theme of mistakes (patience/judgement), so it was more fun to review : ) I focussed mainly on my play since Black could obviously play better but then I wouldn't give him four handicap =D

cdybeijing · **#203**

I can't seem to download the sgf to comment it.

SoDesuNe · **#204**

Yeah, seems broken right now, I can't download it either. But you could quote the post and copy the text between the sgf-tags in a file and name it something.sgf. That should work, too.

Looking forward to your comments : D

daal · **#205**

Just wanted to chip in that I found two things in your self-review instructive, namely that you considered two moves that you didn't make in the game (variation on moves 19 and 75) to be big. I wouldn't have noticed these points, nor considered them big if you hadn't pointed them out. Thanks for sharing!

SoDesuNe · **#206**

I also needed the voice of reason from a 3-dan player, who helped me with the review, to "fully" understand it.

On move 19 defending does not only surround territory of a nice amount it also puts deflects in Black's shape on the outside. Regarding the territory, the game showed how little points White made at the top, despite all of his stones, because Black managed to jump down. Furthermore if Black answers the move, then White has made nice shape in Sente and can split the right side as before. If Black ignores the move then the center will never be considerably big since White can always breakthrough at the top. Not to mention the exchange of making White stronger but leaving own weaknesses behind is good for White.

On move 75... well, the Atari is outright painful to allow ^^ It is also quite a big move for the following endgame I think. It is almost the same as with move 19, White should calmly defend because Black ought to invest a move on the outside, too, otherwise White can cut pretty worry-free.

I still need to learn the benefits of strong groups ^^

SoDesuNe · **#207**

Code:

Book               1. Run (correctly solved [%])      2. Run                     3. Run                     4. Run
YCH Tesuji 1     //     116 / 123 [94%]      |      98 / 123 [80%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     111 / 123 [90%]      
YCH Tesuji 2     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |     118 / 123 [96%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 3     //      97 / 123 [79%]      |      97 / 123 [79%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |
YCH Tesuji 4     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 5     //      75 / 123 [61%]      |

YCH Tsumego 1    //     121 / 123 [98%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tsumego 2    //     110 / 123 [89%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |
YCH Tsumego 3    //     101 / 123 [82%]      |     105 / 123 [85%]      |     114 / 123 [93%]      |
YCH Tsumego 4    //      69 / 123 [56%]      |      74 / 123 [60%]      |      92 / 123 [75%]      |

GS Opening       //        n/a               |     131 / 175 [75%]      |     144 / 175 [82%]      |
501 Opening      //        n/a               |     340 / 501 [68%]      |     372 / 501 [74%]      |

I finished my third run of the first cycle. Overall three out of ten books dropped out after three runs, that's a start but I feel I could have done better with YCH Tesuji 1 and Tsumego 2.
Now I begin the parallel cycle to have some fresh new material. It looks like this:

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Needless to say this one is way harder than the other but well, my plan is still to switch between both cycles so it should be okay.

cdybeijing · **#208**

A few ideas, nothing clever.

SoDesuNe · **#209**

Thank you very much!
I like your variation for move 21, looks very interesting. I'm sure to try it out next time =)

SoDesuNe · **#210**

It's funny.
I had to step back from Go a couple of months due to my studies and a couple of other things and now - coming back - my reading got expectedly worse. But I can still hold to 1-kyu, sometimes 1-dan (played six games the other day, albeit mainly against bots because my account got questionmarked). In my Go club I could even raise the handicap I need to play against.

I'm wondering whether so called pattern and shape studies (e.g. Tesuji problems and replaying professional games) are more beneficial for long term improvement?
Although my reading is quite bad (I literally didn't read anything worthwhile in those six games) and I lost a couple of groups unnecessarily, I still seem to play on a fairly okay-ish level. There has to be something unconscious, which let's me play good-enough moves overall.

When I remember correctly, Bill Spight mentioned somewhere a fine distinction between reading and seeing. Some things you don't have to read out because you can instantly see the moves - you just know them! I feel, right now I play mostly by "seeing". I don't read, I don't verify, I just play the move which seems right to me (although sometimes it turns out bad just a second later, go figure).

I started solving 20+ problems (6-kyu to 1-dan) on goproblems.com again (it's embarassing, I can tell you that) because I'm naturally not satisfied with the status quo. But right now I don't have the time to carry on the cycle I mentioned some posts earlier or resume replaying Go Seigen games from Final Summit. I will try to play some games on KGS, though, in the end this was the one part of my studies which was severely lacking.

Let's see where this will lead me =)

post scriptum: Just a reference for myself: 2809 problem attempts on goproblems.com before the reset.

SoDesuNe · **#211**

Elemental Life-and-Death-knowledge comes back, step by step. Now I don't lose games because a group dies, I lose because my opponent gains while chasing it around : D

More over: Won against two 1-dans and lost against two bots (1k and 2k on 2H).

SoDesuNe · **#212**

Almost back at my 7-dan goproblems.com-rating : D Not that it is in any way accurate...

Next week starts the regular Go meeting again. Soooo pumped!

SoDesuNe · **#213**

I went through YCH Tesuji vol. 1 again and I ended with 111/123, therefore just 90% correct. Of course I had a couple of months no practice and the majority of the wrong ones are not reading all the relevant variations (but correct first move), but I been through this book three times already in the past ten months or so. Although my last attempt also "only" yielded 93% correct and there I was solving problems continuously for a month.
Sooo, don't know whether this is a bummer now or was to be expected ^^ I guess I need to check the rest of the first cycle to find the answer : D

On KGS I'm on and off 1-dan right now, though most of my rated games are against bots. I would like to play more free games but no one enters :o

So, here's the new list:

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SoDesuNe · **#214**

Code:

Book               1. Run (correctly solved [%])      2. Run                     3. Run                     4. Run (four months later)
YCH Tesuji 1     //     116 / 123 [94%]      |      98 / 123 [80%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     111 / 123 [90%]      
YCH Tesuji 2     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |     118 / 123 [96%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 3     //      97 / 123 [79%]      |      97 / 123 [79%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |
YCH Tesuji 4     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 5     //      75 / 123 [61%]      |

YCH Tsumego 1    //     121 / 123 [98%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tsumego 2    //     110 / 123 [89%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]
YCH Tsumego 3    //     101 / 123 [82%]      |     105 / 123 [85%]      |     114 / 123 [93%]      |
YCH Tsumego 4    //      69 / 123 [56%]      |      74 / 123 [60%]      |      92 / 123 [75%]      |

GS Opening       //        n/a               |     131 / 175 [75%]      |     144 / 175 [82%]      |
501 Opening      //        n/a               |     340 / 501 [68%]      |     372 / 501 [74%]      |

A 92% score for YCH Tsumego 2. That seems about right. Next one is Get Strong at the Opening.

So far I can hold my 1-dan rank on KGS (7 game winning streak), although when I play rated it's still mostly against bots.

SoDesuNe · **#215**

Surprise, surprise! I even got a higher score in Get Strong at the Opening now than roughly four months ago. One thing I noticed is that I mostly do poorly when the task at hand is to exploit a weakness the opponent left behind. Of course I know my standard patterns but aside from that I frequently choose the wrong invasion points. On the other hand I'm relatively good at spotting the weak group which needs a defense move ^^

YCH Tesuji vol. 3 is next.

Code:

Book               1. Run (correctly solved [%])      2. Run                     3. Run                     4. Run (four months later)
YCH Tesuji 1     //     116 / 123 [94%]      |      98 / 123 [80%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     111 / 123 [90%]      
YCH Tesuji 2     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |     118 / 123 [96%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 3     //      97 / 123 [79%]      |      97 / 123 [79%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |
YCH Tesuji 4     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 5     //      75 / 123 [61%]      |

YCH Tsumego 1    //     121 / 123 [98%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tsumego 2    //     110 / 123 [89%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]
YCH Tsumego 3    //     101 / 123 [82%]      |     105 / 123 [85%]      |     114 / 123 [93%]      |
YCH Tsumego 4    //      69 / 123 [56%]      |      74 / 123 [60%]      |      92 / 123 [75%]      |

GS Opening       //        n/a               |     131 / 175 [75%]      |     144 / 175 [82%]      |     149 / 175 [85%]      
501 Opening      //        n/a               |     340 / 501 [68%]      |     372 / 501 [74%]      |

Furthermore I think I like me a good long coffee break here and there because I solved 851 problems on goproblems.com since 29th August.

SoDesuNe · **#216**

I keep thinking about the next step for improvement.

A while ago I began to replay professional games again and now I'm finishing Final Summit (somewhere within the next two weeks). The question is if I'm to follow my "old" plan of going over it like three times and then go back to Shuei (maybe even Dosaku, Doteki, Chitoku or another ten game match from Go Seigen). Essentially this boils down to whether I should replay old masters with outdated Fuseki and Josekis or if should focus on more modern players (I like Chen Yaoye) to get a feel for the "modern inventions".

Since in the end my struggles should yield improvement and not just the awe of experiencing beautiful games, I kind of slightly feel a bit drawn towards modern players. The advice from an amateur reaching 9-dan (starting at 7-dan) on Tygem in his mid-40ies could add to that. tchan re-posted this on his blog and the advice goes: Study only one Fuseki. I already read something similiar from Cho U.
The point is obviously to free time on the Go-board while playing the opening stage as well as off the Go-board while studying. I already play only one Fuseki as Black and as White I almost always play the same, too, so this should not be a great change. Although my Fuseki as Black does not get often played by professionals : D

The advice further includes to only replay professional games with this one Fuseki (actually two, one for Black, one for White). I could of course just stick to my rotating Komoku-Fuseki and therefor replay games of old masters, where this Fuseki was widely used. But then I'll replay games without the use of Komi, so Black might feel too passive and there is of course the thingy with outdated opening theory and Joseki.

(Unimportant tidbit: The reason why I gave up on replaying Shusaku is that I was tired of relaying Taisha almost every game. So boring.)

So, to dig even deeper into the question: What seems to stand at the bottom of things might be the appreciation and usefulness of modern opening theory and Josekis and whether I will have an easier time improving when I'm somewhat more acquainted with both.

My view right now is that I don't lose games (against players around my level) in the opening and when I do it's not due to "theory mistakes" but because I've made a tactical error. The middlegame is far more deciding and even sometimes the endgame (the area where I feel I can improve the most). That would mean, I can replay whichever professional records I like and just continue with Tsumegos and Tesujis : D

Suggestions, recommendations? =)

RBerenguel · **#217**

SoDesuNe wrote:

tchan re-posted this on his blog and the advice goes: Study only one Fuseki. I already read something similiar from Cho U.

Is there any more enlightenment in that post? I'm not in the chosen circle of readers for Tchan's blog

(I'm missing how easy it was to find what that Japanese book was before!)

SoDesuNe · **#218**

You could always ask him ; )

I'll will not give all of it away because tchan went through the trouble of finding and translating the tidbit. In general all of the given pieces of advice focus on "practicability" (or efficiency) to minimize the workload.

RBerenguel · **#219**

I'll do, I want to read it. I'm also missing all the wonderful pictures of go books!

SoDesuNe · **#220**

Code:

Book               1. Run (correctly solved [%])      2. Run                     3. Run                     4. Run (four months later)
YCH Tesuji 1     //     116 / 123 [94%]      |      98 / 123 [80%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     111 / 123 [90%]      
YCH Tesuji 2     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |     118 / 123 [96%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 3     //      97 / 123 [79%]      |      97 / 123 [79%]      |     107 / 123 [87%]      |     101 / 123 [82%] 
YCH Tesuji 4     //     119 / 123 [97%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tesuji 5     //      75 / 123 [61%]      |

YCH Tsumego 1    //     121 / 123 [98%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     120 / 123 [98%]      |     - dropped out -
YCH Tsumego 2    //     110 / 123 [89%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]      |     115 / 123 [93%]      |     113 / 123 [92%]
YCH Tsumego 3    //     101 / 123 [82%]      |     105 / 123 [85%]      |     114 / 123 [93%]      |     
YCH Tsumego 4    //      69 / 123 [56%]      |      74 / 123 [60%]      |      92 / 123 [75%]      |

GS Opening       //        n/a               |     131 / 175 [75%]      |     144 / 175 [82%]      |     149 / 175 [85%]      
501 Opening      //        n/a               |     340 / 501 [68%]      |     372 / 501 [74%]      |

The score of YCH Tesuji vol. 3 seems reasonable, too. Again it's not really the not-solving part but the right-first-move-but-sloppy-variation-reading part that breaks my back.
I guess due to knowing some problems quite well, I don't have trouble spotting the right move and I also know that it's the right one. But since I force myself to read at least some variations, I try to get over it as fast as possible and thus make stupid mistakes like not looking for a shortage of liberties.
This of course also tells me something, either I don't know the common shapes of liberty shortage well enough or my visualisation is too narrow so that I forget how the stone configuartion is after I mentally placed some stones. As always I think it's a bit of both. Liberties and the lack of them is one of my Achilles' heels anyway.

YCH L&D vol. 3 is next.

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SoDesuNe paves his road to Shodan

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