DDK - SDK Thinking back.

POGO · #1

Well today i finally became SDK.
So i decided to make a post of what helped me the most for newer players.
Now i know SDK isn't big or anything compaired to 1k-1d, but for me. this is a mark for something i set out to do.
As a old top mmo player. playing this long and still being a tiny spec in the world is amazing.
screw hooked on phonics, im hooked on go.

Also i implore you to post what helped you the most, from ddk to sdk. or even sdk to shodan!

So off the start. here's what helped me the most.

Learning 3x3 Invasions. yes something this small got me from 18k-16k
Click here for it
Shygost's lessons. at first (and for any new player) what he is saying is like this
나는 파이를 좋아한다, but if you can understand the idea's. you will go far.
His views on openings and even middle game are still fasanating to me.
(in KGS, Lessons > LGD)

The most basic joseki.
Yes im 9k, i know a good 20 someodd joseki. wow.
but the one EVERY player should learn early on is this

Learning about shape. now i always though bah shape. ill just play my way and win. NO
once i even remotly dove into a book about good shape. i jumped 2 kyu's
Matthews C. Shape up! was a good series.

The MONKEY JUMP!!!!
this move took me a bit to understand how valuable it was.
knocking off 5-10 points in endgame....is just wow
Here is the monkey jump

The go book's that helped me the most.
Ironically janice kim's go series.
Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go By: Toshiro Kageyama
Elementary Go Series
And once fundamental princibles of go By: Yulin Yang comes in. i hope that will help me to ;D

Reading.
yes.yes. i may not be able to read really well. but past 1dan you will need it.
so i started early.
I found for me the best way to work on reading. is just visualize ladder's,l/d problems and even in game for random fights.
or even watching the honinbu games. yes, i spent the good part of those 8 hours a day reading variations.

my current teacher tinstar.
He has helped me from day 3. even though hes busy most of the time.
He has been the most invaluable source of information. and a good freind

our game while we are both drunk are the best times ive had playing this game!

My wife.
well we know why. and for those who dont. Click Here

and my son.
hes been pushing me to get stronger to be able to teach him more.

And you guy's.
For the countless help youve given me (weather you know it or not)
Oh,wait. and magic wand for for a post on gd a while back ;D

Chew Terr · #2

Congratulations! I know how thrilled with myself I was when I got SDK. I know there's a huge amount to go, but it took a lot of effort to get there, so celebrate!

Also, in your hidden comment, the marked stone is the wrong color for the kite joseki.

daniel_the_smith · #3

Congrats!

Graded Go Problems for Beginners vol. III took me from 12k to 8k.

CarlJung · #4

POGO wrote:

The most basic joseki.
Yes im 9k, i know a good 20 someodd joseki. wow.
but the one EVERY player should learn early on is this

Is that actually joseki? I have never seen or played it before, and it's not in kogo's.

fwiffo · #5

The marked stone was probably supposed to be white (or the numbered stones should have the opposite color).

POGO · #6

opr for the love of @#$%%
yeah its wrong let me fix it
Edit: fixed

freegame · #7

That is indeed one of the easiest josekies to remember.
However, it is not as easy as it seems to use it, and it's variations, in the most efficient way.

I have made a nice sgf about this joseki a while back. you can download it for free from my website.
(It's base on a pro lessons I once watched.)
For those interested here is the link to the download page. It's the first lesson.

palapiku · #8

The joseki is still wrong...

Chew Terr · #9

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c The joseki. $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . 3 . . W . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

We knew what you meant, so we didn't look too close. But this is the one you mean, I think.

freegame · **#10**

This is the joseki

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wcm1 basic joseki $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . $$ | . . 2 . . . . . . . . $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . $$ | . . . B . . . . . . , $$ | . . 4 . . 1 . . 5 . . $$ | . . . 3 . . . . . . . $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . $$ +----------------------[/go]

edit: Chew Terr was quicker. btw. having move C6 marked as one seems weird. the real first move in this joseki is the approach at F3.

Hushfield · **#11**

Congratulations on making SDK. I like your sharing with other players, so they can progress the way you did. Sharing is good. For me, getting from DDK to SDK (well, KGS DDK to SDK; I'm now finally starting to ween my way into EGF SDK territory, not quite there yet) also included some of the things you mentioned like the one joseki everyone should know and the 3-3 invasion.

Actually, one of my first nights at the local go club, another player told me that learning just two pieces of theory would help me improve about 2-3 stones. These where the 3-3 invasion and the monky jump. And what do you know, he was right. (Playing a lot of games and doing a lot of tsumego naturally helped, but those two things had an immediate effect on my games.)

Tryphon · **#12**

Am I dreaming or are DGS 10k pretty stronger than KGS 10k ?

fwiffo · **#13**

It seems that DGS ranks are a stone or two stronger than KGS equivalents, and perhaps a bit further apart too.

POGO · **#14**

Hushfield wrote:

Congratulations on making SDK. I like your sharing with other players, so they can progress the way you did. Sharing is good. For me, getting from DDK to SDK (well, KGS DDK to SDK; I'm now finally starting to ween my way into EGF SDK territory, not quite there yet) also included some of the things you mentioned like the one joseki everyone should know and the 3-3 invasion.

Actually, one of my first nights at the local go club, another player told me that learning just two pieces of theory would help me improve about 2-3 stones. These where the 3-3 invasion and the monky jump. And what do you know, he was right. (Playing a lot of games and doing a lot of tsumego naturally helped, but those two things had an immediate effect on my games.)

monkey jump! forgot that xD (added)

mdobbins · **#15**

fwiffo wrote:

It seems that DGS ranks are a stone or two stronger than KGS equivalents, and perhaps a bit further apart too.

Depends on the way you approach each server. I can usually hold a 4k or 5k rating on KGS but tend to keep a 9k or 10k rating on DGS. But my DGS play is more like speed go in slow motion.

SoDesuNe · **#16**

Interesting thread!

I don't know exactly what brought me to SDK, but I remember that at DDK "In the Beginning" was the first real eye-opener - although "Opening Theory Made Easy" is far better but I read this later. Finally I knew how to start with my stones before entering the fighting stage ^^
Furthermore I easily gained two stones through "Graded Go Problems For Beginners Volume 1&2". Then I just solved hundreds of Tsumegos with goproblems.com and "Cho Chikun's 900 Elemetary Problems". That is all I did till SDK and till 7 Kyu or so I just bought one japanese Tsumego book.
Since then,... oh dear ^^ A whole lot more.

topazg · **#17**

It varies greatly at different ranks, and is more comparable 1d+, but I think KGS SDK is the easiest SDK to achieve (not that this is intended as a put down in the slightest, very many congratulations on getting there POGO!).

Chew Terr · **#18**

topazg wrote:

It varies greatly at different ranks, and is more comparable 1d+, but I think KGS SDK is the easiest SDK to achieve (not that this is intended as a put down in the slightest, very many congratulations on getting there POGO!).

[obligatory videogame reference]
"Real Demon's Souls begins now!"
[/obligatory videogame reference]

Li Kao · **#19**

Getting to 9k didn't feel big to me. The step from 11k to 10k on the other hand... It took me almost three months to get from 11k to 10k.
Congrats on SDK. Only 9 stones to go until you're shodan

Toge · **#20**

Here's a trick against those who just memorize joseki. Black could play big knight move to get perfect result if white just goes with the standard pattern. Joseki moves for white would be "a", which leads to complicated crosscut, and invasion at 3.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Variation - good for black. $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . 3 a . O . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

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