Greetings venerable Life In 19x19 members! I just registered and thought about introducing myself.
My name is Marek, nickname Gorim (a dwarvish name, but fits "Go" quite good ), recently turned 25, from Poland.
I started playing go some 2.5 months ago, don't really know why I started playing at that particular moment. For years I played all kinds of board games/card games/miniature war games, but stayed away from chess, and had very little knowledge about other "mind games". Years ago a friend of mine that has a board game shop that I used to frequent said that he plays board games just for fun, and if he would like to compete in a game, he would play Go, not simple board games. Funny that I recalled his words only after some 5-7 years later, and started to read what this Go is all about:)

I have many other hobbies that I won't drop, as I love to play the guitar, and am "bit" addicted to computer games, but anyway feel that Go will be with me for the times to come:)

Thanks for reading and see You on the forum/KGS:)

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Formerly Gorim

Welcome! Why did you stay way from chess?

Chess was the only "mind game" that I knew (besides checkers, that I regarded as "for kids") and so generally I stayed away from all the "mind games" I knew, because I thought that playing games that You can learn how to win from books was not fun enough, to "stif", and leaving to little room for instinct and "natural born talent for games".

Now I have totally different view about those games, but well maybe as I was the best player in my town in board games/miniature war games I just wanted to stay in my comfort zone.

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Formerly Gorim