I played one game on KGS with an 8k opponent. I probably resigned too early, but I really didn't see any options left for points.

He was nice enough to hang around and give me a few comments after. I also started up Drago and did some analysis myself. It'd be great to know if my thoughts are anywhere near the right mark.

As always always always, comments welcome.




Off topic KGS question:

Yeurgh. You must not. But someone said, years ago, that he got stronger when he realised he shouldn't play a move unless he absolutely had to. He was around 1 dan then.

While we are on ancient British wisdom, there is the one about a play being gote if you hope the opponent answers; and sente if you hope the opponent doesn't.

The most useful examples are actually "games of chicken" in the early endgame. There you really do follow the drill for quite a way (or lose).

Thanks for the feedback, Charles. I haven't been able to develop the nerve to actually carry through with the drill, even against the computer. I get 10-15 moves in, and I just... can't... tenuki. It's like staring off a cliff and trying to jump, even with a bunjee attached. Can't do it. Probably should be able to, actually. With a bunjee, anyway.

I have been trying to figure out when I need to play and when I don't need to. That exact thought, actually. Glad to see I was on the right track. I am not there yet. A long way to go.

I played a few games on KGS for a laugh as AlwaysTenuki and NeverTenuki*. AlwaysTenuki was a lot harder to win with (but possible!). Both rather silly .

*or some 10 letter abbreviation

Well, if it was hard to win for you, it's probably impossible to win for me But I may try it out some more against the computer.

Hi Sam,

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Corner
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . 2 . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . 1 . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . c 4 O a . . . .
$$ | . b 3 5 6 . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ ------------------[/go]

This joseki mistake rather than a is really common at ddk levels (and seems to be made increasingly frequently up to ~11k on igs, after which I don't see it any more). It's a good one to learn how to punish (black at b - after which you can either capture w stones if w plays c or connect) - it definitely helped me get to 10k.

So, because of the #1 stone, this is slightly different than the san-san invasion (where san-san invades alone)? White needs to extend a third space at A instead of bending at the head of two stones like he does in the "normal" san-san?

I hane'd at six because that's what I usually do against a lone san-san invasion. I didn't know that the joseki differed here. Really, I had no idea If I'm making mistakes on the basic san-san, forgive me. I learned san-san on my own, and haven't reached it in Ishida or Weiqi Dingshi Daquan yet.

My go training, since family has come back:
(...has been much skimpier.)

Games with my daughter.
3 games of go with my 5yo daughter, one per day. We play these mostly to exercise her ability to concentrate. Shes' only playing about 50-60 moves right now before she loses interest. Before she left on vacation, she was playing 100, so hopefully we can work her back up. When she came back, she was focused on making eyes -- the more eyes the better, to her. She's starting to back off on that now, and look for more territory.

If anyone is interested in seeing the games, I will try to get the pics of them off my phone to share. She isn't quite the go master she believes herself to be, though

Tsumego/Tesuji
I've been going very light on these - 20-30 at first, down to just about 7 yesterday. I really need more time to spend on these, or just better time management. I feel much sharper when I am doing 50+ of them.

Joseki
I've been doing a lot of these, for me. Weiqi Dingshi Daquan has been fun. Google Translate plus Sensei's Library has been helping me figure out Chinese parlance for certain moves, but I am only vaguely closer to understanding the Chinese. Also, studying up on the Lee Sedol/Gu Li jubango has given me a context for some of them, and I see them in games more and more.

Games Online
Many fewer games online. You've seen most of them.

(My feelings about KGS and IGS...)


Conversely, I played my first game on OGS today, and I liked the interface. Very slick. The fact that I won was also pretty nice. I almost feel guilty for winning this one. I am too used to losing, I guess.

(Game hidden)

If you allow your stone to be captured, two things happen:
1. your corner virtually dies
2. the stone you played instead is way too close to thickness

When it has become fairly clear that this group lives, this area has become less interesting. All groups are safe now and the biggest open area asks for a move.

It may not appear to you like that, but a higher ranked player will not miss the opportunity to play there. This is my question to you: what is the biggest "open area" at move . Hence, where should you have played with ?

I hope I can help! I'm just around 4 kyu so I don't really know what I'm doing:) couldn't get into too much detail because of time constraints though.

_________________
On Go proverbs:
"A fine Gotation is a diamond in the hand of a dan of wit and a pebble in the hand of a kyu" —Joseph Raux misquoted.

EDIT: Seems I'm late to the party, and multiple people posted while I was thinking and posting about san-san variations.



Don't worry so much about mistakes on "basic" joseki ... the variations are always broader than you think.

These are actually the kind of things I enjoy exploring. This one is nice because it often comes up in games, so there's good reason to think about the position. In fact, this very corner came up in a recent game of mine. The section in question starts at move 33. Note that I've done some study of the position, and it was difficult on me anyways. The entire game is interesting (to me, anyways). I hope you don't mind me posting it in your journal as an example. I've made a number of comments in the SGF that I hope are helpful:

In terms of KGS, have you made any attempt to use the Automatch function? It allows you to set how many handicap stones you are willing to give or receive, and you can give it an estimated rank. It will automatically try to match you up with an opponent with a proper handicap set.

I know that the KGS Beginner's Room has been pretty quiet as of late, but you can always pop in there and see if any other beginners would like to play a ranked game with you.

As for OGS, I'm on there, though I tend to play correspondence-length games (a few moves per day). If you can stand for a longer game, at whatever handicap, I'm up for it (ranked or not, doesn't matter to me). Send me a message on there.

Thanks, Knotwilg! See, there's always something for me to learn, even when I win.

Thank you, Elom! Great feedback. I really like your variations. And 4k is still wayyyy better than me, so I can definitely learn from you.

Marcus - thanks for posting your game. I'm going through it right now.

Re: KGS automatch.

Yes, I've attempted to use it repeatedly. I currently have wasted an hour of my life watching it spin spin spin. The problem seems to be that I have a ?-mark rank, and you seem to need a real rank for it to work correctly. The most it has ever done is matched me with an unranked bot or two, which helps not at all.

I do like the sense of community at KGS. I'm sure it'll sort itself eventually.

All right, but what is your answer to the question I asked?

I really am not sure. K15? I was trying to push into this from the flip side with 69, but all I did was make it stronger.

Alternatively, the san-san is still huge for him, so R5 to make it harder? Or even san-san myself? Feels a little slow.

Sorry for not responding earlier. I've instinctively treated questions asked to me as meant for private reflection. It didn't even occur to me that people might really want answers from me

Saturday training:
Around 20 tsumego.
Finished Chapter? Section? 1 of 4-4 knight's approach in my chinese joseki book.

One game with my daughter, about 60 moves at McDonald's, before she ran off to play with other kids. Two games with my wife, giving her 15 and 14 stone play-anywhere handicap. I didn't win either, of course .

Then we got one of our friends to play a game, first with me, and then with my wife. My wife said she had fun for a change. She gave the guy a 4-stone handicap and lots of take backs, teaching him and advising him all the way through about her strategy, and only lost by 1 point. The new guy had a great time, too, and wants to play again.

It was good to see my wife really having fun for a change. Playing me is not fun for her. If she wins with a huge handicap, she feels like she didn't deserve it, and if she plays me without a handicap, she is frustrated too. She may actually end up liking the game

Hi Sam,

Yes, I meant 3-3 for both. It's huge. It easily makes 25 points of difference.

You don't have to respond of course, but in my kind of teaching, where I don't want to bombard you with comments but select a few highlights and try to elicit an answer, it makes sense to do so.

Dieter

Knot - Thank you for asking, and thank you even more for following up with me. Knowing the answer is fantastic. (I guess I am used to my Chinese Kung Fu teacher: he asks a question, but gives no answer, you have to find it yourself.)

I still am really fuzzy on the when-to-do for this type of defensive move. Basically, before it looks too tasty for the opponent?

Training yesterday:
EasyGo - 100 of the basics*.

Three games on OGS. A couple of easy wins on 9x9s, a loss on a 13x13 that occured because I lost connection (thank you McDonald's WiFi) and when I came back I was rattled and confused. I had played a move while the connection was down that wasn't on the board. It was a very important move. I ended up misclicking, but immediately hit undo and told my opponent where I had inteded to go. The opponent thought for a long time and realized I was going to destroy him, refused the undo, then moved where I told him I had intended to play. I was so angry after, I couldn't continue playing in a logical manner, and made stupid mistake after stupid mistake.

To the cad in question (who is not on here): I'll pass you rank-wise soon and leave you far behind, choking and coughing in my dust.

Is that appropriate? Saying that my vengeance is being better than him?

Anyway, long story short: no games worth looking at.

Training today:
EasyGo - 120 of the basics*, twice. (240, total, I guess)

--
*Not very many life and death, but actually ataris, double ataris, connects, saves, etc. Basic basics. I get a surprising amount of them wrong, usually a full third. I guess it shows how much work I need to do.