So I'm approaching this game in my late twenties for the first time. My goal is to attain a rank of SDK, maybe approach 1k. I have no ardent desire to reach dan level but I'd take it if I got there. I've studied for a few months focusing on the basics of invasion, approach, attack/defend and light joseki/fuseki. The game makes sense to me but I have a long way to go before I can win a game or understand how to read a board well. I am understanding the concept of forging territory and fortifying spots on the board to acquire points.

That said, I'm starting the game about 15-20 years after some players normally do--and at least 10 for many others. Is my aforementioned goal of rank/apititude still attainable despite my late start? I'm sure I could study like crazy and get it done, but does anyone have any input as to why I wouldn't be able to make it to SDK or beyond at this point?

Hi Jnak, welcome to the forums. You're never too old to start. And as I'm in my late twenties myself, I would argue that's not old at all. I once heard that a Chinese pro (I forgot the name, maybe somebody else knows where the quote originated?) said that with enough study, anyone can reach 5-dan. But if I would be allowed to give you one piece of advice: don't focus too much on rank. It's just a number and not very indicative of playing strength at any given moment anyway. Fixed beliefs about what you can and cannot achieve because of age, talent, etc are the only thing standing in your way to not only enjoy the game, but also become good at it.

I started playing go at age 22. My late start did put a cap on my progress, but I did reach US 5 dan in my 30s. There is no reason that you can't reach SDK or dan level. But, as Hushfield says, rank is not something to worry about. It just allows you to set a reasonable handicap with someone you don't know.

You can certainly learn enough to have enjoyable games.

Good luck!

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When I saw the subject line I thought it was maybe written by someone in their 70s!

I agree with Bill. I started at age 21 and reached 5D in my mid-30s. I think it is possible for anyone, of any age, to reach 1D if they so desire and reasonable for most people to reach mid-dan level with enough effort. Especially these days with all the online resources. Neither Bill nor I had that when we were learning.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

Hi! I started playing go shortly before I turned 30. I played off and on for about 2 and a half years before playing more regularly this year. I just made it to a stable SDK rank on the KGS server, and there is every indication I am still improving. Your goals are very reasonable, and as long as life allows you to devote enough time to the game you should be able to achieve them in a reasonable amount of time. (And neither you nor I are anywhere near the oldest beginners!)

That said, don't fall into the trap of thinking you must achieve a certain rank to enjoy the game. You will never exhaust all there is to learn, but you can have fun no matter how strong you are. Just start playing and enjoy the journey!

My father has expressed some interest in learning to play, and I don't think he's too old either! One of the great things about teaching at a community college is that I get to see people of all ages thrown into a classroom together. There are certainly different challenges for an older student approaching a new subject for the first time, but most people who apply themselves can do quite well even with challenging material, particularly if they have been continuing to learn new things throughout their life.

Maybe there is hope for me yet. I just learned the game, and I am in my 60s.

I started in my mid- to late-30's. My progress is very slow.
You have a 10-year head start. Enjoy.

hahahaha... I thought the same thing.

You young people have no idea how much of your life is still ahead of you. Don't give up so soon

Have two friends which started around the age of 25.
Both of them used less then 2 years to reach 2 dan KGS.
Everything is possible with effort.

I had something in mind but didn’t know how to write it.

So… I’ll just leave it at this: I’m 57 now, and although I first encountered Go at age of six or seven, there were many too long pauses, and I only began taking Go a little more serious about six or seven years ago. And since I went from twenty-something to ~17k relatively fast (within a few months) I thought, at the time, that I could reach Shodan within a year or two

“Meanwhile” I’m ~15-13k, and I’ve accepted that—given that I have to work too much and that I also have a life outside of Go—I may never reach SDK, or that my rank may perhaps even drop since all my peers (rankwise) are moving upwards and there seems to be a very slow downward movement for people whose playing strength doesn’t change.

<shrug> but I’ve decided that I’m in it for the braintickle


Cordially, Tom

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Hi Tom, I'll throw these two out here; not sure if they are remotely related to what you had in mind --

- Exponentiation.
- The value and power of hard work.

Hi, I'm 41, started playing last october
Becoming sdk one day would be fine, but I'm allready having a lot of fun at my level so I don't really care...

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I started about four years ago, when I was 40. Even if my spare time is quite limited I visit our local Go club more or less regularly and participated at some tournaments (five so far...). My rank progression in somewhat limited, howewer it's quite enjoyable nevertheless and I met some quite nice and interesting people.

Too old for what? Realize that there is only one person or so in 7 billion that started early enough to be the best in the world. Unfortunately no one is really sure who that one person is currently! In the last three thousand or so years no one has started early enough to "finish" Go, so don't worry, 'Go' for it!

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Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21

Thanks all for the input, glad that I have hope yet for Go aptitude.

Can someone help me with this question: I played my first game on KGS versus a robot ranked about 27k. I captured a ton of stones (32-17 advantage) but ultimately lost by 3.5 because I let the CPU have the top and top left portions of the board without invading at all (thought my other efforts would still let me prevail). From this score, can I glean a rank? I'd like to know where I stand, rank-wise, even if it's 30k.

I hear you about rank obsession. I'm setting my goals low overall so that I don't get discouraged. But, I like how rank shows objective skill (like an ELO rating). I felt like I had the CPU beat and may have left some captures on the board before I ended the game. But, everyone has to start somewhere.

You will get a tentative rank after your first win. Until then don't worry. As you gain more wins it will become more reliable.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

Gotcha, thanks. Does this also apply if you beat a robot? If not, I'll focus on human opponents. On that note, I'm open to handicap or no handicap games if anyone wants to play sometime. PM if interested. Note I'll be able to play on weekends only for the next few weeks, then more liberally after that point.

Sounds like you're focusing too much on studying instead of playing. Rather than focus on the basics of invasion or joseki/fuseki, focus on exposing yourself to the common patterns and playing as much as you can.

He sounds like me.