For the past 4 days I have been exercising vigorously on a daily basis and I've noticed that I have a slightly easier time understanding what I've learned so far in weiqi. At least I feel as if I understand more than before. Has anyone else here noticed improvements in their weiqi skill after embarking on a fitness program? Much obliged in advance for your replies.

Yes. When I’m in better physical shape, I can think more clearly. Being in good shape doesn’t help in itself, but it supplements study with the brain.

Same with computers: good hardware + good software = success

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be immersed

Yes, it's long been scientifically established that there's a relationship between physical and mental health and performance.

I started going to the gym on 4th Oct 2019, 3 times a week, and eating healthy. I weighed 81.7kg (12 st 12 lbs, or 180lbs). I now weigh 67kg (10 st 7 lbs, or 147lbs). I feel pretty good! But, I haven't noticed much change in my Go ability. Probably because in the case of last year, I studied Go when I got home from work, now I am in the gym instead! If you play a game immediately after doing an hour of cardio, you'll probably do pretty well. Playing a game the day after the gym? Unless you're elite level like those chess players that have personal trainers, I can't see it doing much myself at our level. I think being free from distractions, not being stressed about real life events, and getting enough sleep will do much more.

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12k: 2015.08.11; 11k: 2015.09.13; 10k: 2015.09.27; 9k: 2015.10.10; 8k: 2015.11.08; 7k: 2016.07.10 6k: 2016.07.24 5k: 2018.05.14 4k: 2018.09.03 3k: who knows?

Japanese pros often refer to 体力 (tairyoku), which translates to stamina, endurance, bodily strength, etc. Playing go in a tournament involves sustained concentration and physical strength. In title matches, with long time limits, players may concentrate for hours at a time. In fast play bodily strength is also a factor, for example combating stress, and supporting very focused concentration. Concentration helps to avoid blunders. He isn't a go professional but the chess master Fabiano Caruana, who challenged Magnus Carlsen in the most recent world championship, is known to maintain a strenuous physical exercise routine.

My instinct is that the effect is probably real, but the effect would be smaller than significant sleep deprivation or intoxication (18 hours without sleeping is apparently similar to a .05 BAC on many tests). It probably also matters more for sustaining concentration in long title matches than it would for one of us playing a single <= hour long game on a daily basis.

In terms of optimizing your performance in Go, I suspect it makes the biggest difference when additional training has reached the point of diminishing returns (I've heard of players training for 11 hours a day, but I suspect they're at a real risk of burnout, or at least that it might be counter-productive).

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Occupy Babel!

Yes, Amateurs do not play games with long time limits compared to the title match games in Japan. However, it is common for players in amateur tournaments to play three games in a day. That could be enough of a stress that being in good physical condition could help.

Many years ago there was research into mental fatigue which suggested that it is actually physical fatigue. As I recall, in one experiment people did difficult arithmetic problems in their heads for several hours straight (I think 6 hours, but maybe 8). Anyway the subjects who were lying down while they did the problems did not make more mistakes at the end of the time than at the start.

When I used to play in large bridge tournaments, in my 20s I thought nothing of playing 10 hours a day, in three sessions. A decade later I usually skipped the morning session, which was a separate event from the other sessions, unless the morning session was part of a multi-day event, and I always made sure to rest between the afternoon and evening sessions. If I had been more physically fit I might not have felt the need to do so.

Now I believe in the zone of competence, which, if maintained for several hours, depends upon a balance of physical alertness and relaxation. It is interesting to observe how, for many people, mental concentration is combined with physical tension. OC, relaxation is not the same as physical fitness, but I think that a certain level of physical fitness is necessary to staying in the zone.

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The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Maybe interesting: https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/27 ... =417198403

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My "guide" to become stronger in Go

I think training proper habits is the most important,no matter if you are fit or not ut only has small effects compared to that,but its much easier to stay fit than have a proper training in Go,maybe thats why people like it.

To expand on this -- there's a lot of research and evidence about how physical activity yields cognitive benefits. So far, it seems that for optimal cognitive benefits, 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise works best. Aerobic exercise (jogging, cycling, swimming, etc.) puts stress on blood vessel walls, reduces oxygen in the blood, and elevates enzymes and signal proteins that maintain blood vessels; as a response to all of this, new capillaries form to improve blood delivery throughout the body, including the brain. Exercise also elevates hormones and other substances that support brain plasticity (neurotrophins), and as new capillaries form over time, these substances are better able to reach and affect different regions of the brain. The regions where this happens most significantly are associated with executive functions and memory, both of which are quite important in Go!

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