I have been trying to retrain the unreliable neural net in my head. The study
began with relatively simple cases where KataGo reports that I often choose
the wrong move even though there are only two possibilities.
All the games were played on KGS against the same opponent. He always has the
black stones and there is no komi. I am about 4 kyu and he is a stone weaker.
The analysis will probably be of little interest to anyone else, but collecting
and organising the material may help me. More diagrams may be added later.
This post deals with situations where Black played a wedge between two white
stones. KataGo and I both think the wedge moves were bad in these games, but
White still has the problem of answering correctly.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$ 57 moves from file wrong-side-01-move058.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . X , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X a B b . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . X . X . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X X . X X . . . . . . X O . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O O O . . . . . X X O O . . |
$$ | . . O O O . . . X , . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
In the above diagram, Black played the marked stone. I replied at
a,
but KataGo thinks
b is 1.4 points better.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$ 69 moves from file wrong-side-02-move070.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O X . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . X . . . , . . . . X , X . . |
$$ | . . O . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O X X . . . . . . . . b . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . O . O B O . . |
$$ | . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . X . X c X . . |
$$ | . . . O . X . X . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X X . X X . . . . . . X O . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O O O . . . . . X X O O . . |
$$ | . . O O O . . . X , . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
In the above diagram, Black played the marked stone. I replied at
a,
hoping to poke through at
c but KataGo thinks
b is 1.8 points better.
After
b, Katago wants White to play a series of forcing moves against
Black's top-right corner in order to live locally.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$ 35 moves from file wrong-side-03-move036.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O a X . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O O . O B O . , . . . . X , X . . |
$$ | . X O X . . b . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
In the above diagram, I played
a in answer to the marked
stone, but KataGo thinks
b is 3.9 points better.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$ 51 moves from file wrong-side-04-move052.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . X , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . O B O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . b . . . , . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . X O . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . O X O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . . . . X X O O . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . X , . . X . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
In the above diagram, I played
a in answer to the marked,
stone, but KataGo thinks
b is 1.2 points better.
ReviewOne might say that "reading is the answer", but what if one's reading is inconclusive?
Perhaps I should work out what feels right and then play on the opposite side.
(I have other unpublished examples that support this counsel of despair.)
More seriously, I may have been thinking that my first stone should be played
so as to interfere with the opponent's shape. This is sometimes useful, as in the
third diagram, but I should think first about finding and protecting
weaknesses in my own shapes. A rule of thumb which fits all the published cases is
"Play on the outside", if one can work out which side that is.
Minor Edits for clarity, 8 April 2021