Messy tactical situations

tekesta · #1

Today on KGS I played an even game against "PHIHOL". I tried my best not to get sucked in into fights that I cannot control. Surprisingly, White resigned after I killed a large group in the center. I am sure I played in good form, but I still appreciate your efforts to point out flaws in my way of playing, so much obliged in advance for your kind commentary. If possible I would like for you to calculate the final result, had the game continued.

skydyr · #2

Well, white has 50 to 60 points on the board, while black has close to 80 points in dead white stones on the board, not counting his other territory.

crux · #3

tekesta wrote:

I am sure I played in good form, but I still appreciate your efforts to point out flaws in my way of playing

If the clock is correct, neither player took even 10 minutes for a game with 240 moves. This is not go, it's just putting stones on the board.

tekesta · #4

Quote:

If the clock is correct, neither player took even 10 minutes for a game with 240 moves. This is not go, it's just putting stones on the board.

It is Go, but of course it can never be called art. Such quick playing is indeed the mark of a beginner, even though the 7th law of Go states that quick, impulsive moves are to be avoided. I have not yet played enough games, done enough problems, or replayed enough game records to have the background info needed to think properly about my moves. So I just play mainly by instinct, with only a moment's amount of thought. What little training I have should help me win when I play this way, but as some of you have already seen, such a strategy blows up in my face from time to time.

jts · #5

May I make two suggestions, tekesta?

1. Try to play slowly, just for one or two games. You might make it your goal to use 18 minutes while you play out the first 50 moves (45 seconds per move, on average). Do whatever it takes. Read out the sequence you're playing. Then try to read one move deeper, two moves deeper - or read a variation where he plays a bad move (well, a move you think is bad). Ask yourself if the sequence will end in sente or gote. Is there any way you can change that? If it will be your sente, where will you play next? (And what will you do if he declines to take gote?) Are there any cuts you should check, any tsumego in the corner you should solve, any endgame moves you can plot out in advance? Can you try to estimate the score? There is so much to do in Go - you should have plenty to do in 45 seconds. And if you don't, just sit on your hands and think of England while you look at the board and let the clock run down for a little bit.

2. If you try that a couple times and don't find that it helps you, play blitz. You should always choose time limits that put at least a little bit of pressure on you - it creates a certain sort of focus.

tekesta · #6

Quote:

1. Try to play slowly, just for one or two games. You might make it your goal to use 18 minutes while you play out the first 50 moves (45 seconds per move, on average). Do whatever it takes. Read out the sequence you're playing. Then try to read one move deeper, two moves deeper - or read a variation where he plays a bad move (well, a move you think is bad). Ask yourself if the sequence will end in sente or gote. Is there any way you can change that? If it will be your sente, where will you play next? (And what will you do if he declines to take gote?) Are there any cuts you should check, any tsumego in the corner you should solve, any endgame moves you can plot out in advance? Can you try to estimate the score? There is so much to do in Go - you should have plenty to do in 45 seconds. And if you don't, just sit on your hands and think of England while you look at the board and let the clock run down for a little bit.

I find this easier to do when playing against my opponent in person. When playing online I let my mouse get the better of me :oops:

I'll try it out and see how it works.

DrStraw · #7

tekesta wrote:

It is Go, but of course it can never be called art. Such quick playing is indeed the mark of a beginner, even though the 7th law of Go states that quick, impulsive moves are to be avoided. I have not yet played enough games, done enough problems, or replayed enough game records to have the background info needed to think properly about my moves. So I just play mainly by instinct, with only a moment's amount of thought. What little training I have should help me win when I play this way, but as some of you have already seen, such a strategy blows up in my face from time to time.

In that case you probably have not played enough to benefit from a review of your game, especially one played with little thought. I would recommend playing 100 games and trying to play more slowly until you have a grounding in the basic ideas. Watch the games of mid-kyu players, maybe watching two games for each one played. After having done this you will probably be producing games which would benefit from a review.

Bill Spight · #8

I am not a quick player, myself, but you have gotten so much flak because of quick play that I thought that I would give some suggestions that you can apply without much thought. :mrgreen:

Main focus: Look for opportunities to sacrifice.

Messy tactical situations

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