Can anyone here steer me towards a decent book on the topic; or better yet (my budget being a bit tight) some online articles? I'm not looking to become a master of the opening game; I'd just like some sort of clue as to what I'm doing.
Overwhelmed by opening
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SCWillson
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Overwhelmed by opening
Now that I have graduated to playing primarily on 19x19 boards I feel that I have no idea of what I'm doing during the opening phases of the game. This lack of understanding of what I'm doing does me injury throughout the game. Sure, I put stones down on the star points or the 3-4 or whatever, but this is just monkey imitation of what I see other players doing. I still don't understand the why of what I do in these early phases. I've seen tons of joseki or tesuji or tsumego articles and even entire websites devoted to these topics but nothing about the humble opening.
Can anyone here steer me towards a decent book on the topic; or better yet (my budget being a bit tight) some online articles? I'm not looking to become a master of the opening game; I'd just like some sort of clue as to what I'm doing.
Can anyone here steer me towards a decent book on the topic; or better yet (my budget being a bit tight) some online articles? I'm not looking to become a master of the opening game; I'd just like some sort of clue as to what I'm doing.
Assertion without proof takes up little time; misrepresentation is always beautifully brief. –John Stuart Mill
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tchan001
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
http://senseis.xmp.net/?AboutTheOpening
http://senseis.xmp.net/?GeneralOpeningPrinciples
http://senseis.xmp.net/?InTheBeginningStudyNotes
http://senseis.xmp.net/?JosekiEveryDDKShouldKnow
http://senseis.xmp.net/?FusekiExercisesForBeginners
http://senseis.xmp.net/?GeneralOpeningPrinciples
http://senseis.xmp.net/?InTheBeginningStudyNotes
http://senseis.xmp.net/?JosekiEveryDDKShouldKnow
http://senseis.xmp.net/?FusekiExercisesForBeginners
http://tchan001.wordpress.com
A blog on Asian go books, go sightings, and interesting tidbits
Go is such a beautiful game.
A blog on Asian go books, go sightings, and interesting tidbits
Go is such a beautiful game.
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Boidhre
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
Only one book needed for a very long time: Opening Theory Made Easy
Second book if you want but not necessary in my opinion when starting out: In the Beginning - Davies
The first one is superb and the things you learn are also quite applicable in the early middlegame too.
Second book if you want but not necessary in my opinion when starting out: In the Beginning - Davies
The first one is superb and the things you learn are also quite applicable in the early middlegame too.
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SCWillson
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
Thanks guys! Those are something I can start with. 
Assertion without proof takes up little time; misrepresentation is always beautifully brief. –John Stuart Mill
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mlund
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
I'm also going to recommend "Fundamental Principles of Go" by Yilun Yang, 7P
The first chapter is great it terms of understanding what stones to play in the corners, what their positions are good for, and how to pick the correct direction of play in your opening. The rest of the book is awesome too, but that opening section was amazingly helpful to me starting in on 19x19, revisiting as I improved, and even dan-level players at my local club revisit that book every couple of years.
- Marty Lund
The first chapter is great it terms of understanding what stones to play in the corners, what their positions are good for, and how to pick the correct direction of play in your opening. The rest of the book is awesome too, but that opening section was amazingly helpful to me starting in on 19x19, revisiting as I improved, and even dan-level players at my local club revisit that book every couple of years.
- Marty Lund
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jts
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
Frequently when I'm offering teaching games or game reviews to players on KGS I find myself making the same diagrams over and over to explain basic points about the opening that they find confusing. Making those diagrams here with probably save me time in the long run...
If you think critically about these diagrams and internalize the message, it will be hard to continue to make beginner mistakes. It will be fairly easy to play a sensible opening.
The meaning of the first, second, third, and fourth lines.
The corner
Speed
All the books that are other people are recommending are useful, but if you feel like you're playing standard opening moves with no understanding of why, these are the most basic points that you want to understand. Focusing on the 3rd and 4th lines, and on the corners (where the 3rd and 4th lines come together) could be compared to pulling your stones out of atari, or making your groups live, or refusing to let your enemy break your shape. In any game there will come times when the right move is to sacrifice a stone, or a group, or a shape, but if you're feeling lost you can go far just by pulling out, living, and blocking. Likewise, you can go far by avoiding plays on the lines of death and defeat, emphasizing the lines of territory and victory, and developing corners before sides and sides before the center.
If you think critically about these diagrams and internalize the message, it will be hard to continue to make beginner mistakes. It will be fairly easy to play a sensible opening.
The meaning of the first, second, third, and fourth lines.
The corner
Speed
and 
- the former slightly extends Black control in an area that already has four adjacent black stones, the latter stakes a claim to a new area of the board while potentially offering an extension to a white position in either the bottom left or the top left. You generally don't want to get stuck in a situation where your stones are so close to one another that they're redundant, while all of your opponent's stones are efficiently spread out.All the books that are other people are recommending are useful, but if you feel like you're playing standard opening moves with no understanding of why, these are the most basic points that you want to understand. Focusing on the 3rd and 4th lines, and on the corners (where the 3rd and 4th lines come together) could be compared to pulling your stones out of atari, or making your groups live, or refusing to let your enemy break your shape. In any game there will come times when the right move is to sacrifice a stone, or a group, or a shape, but if you're feeling lost you can go far just by pulling out, living, and blocking. Likewise, you can go far by avoiding plays on the lines of death and defeat, emphasizing the lines of territory and victory, and developing corners before sides and sides before the center.
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SCWillson
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
jts, thank you very much. I think you cleared up a lot of what was confusing me, and I will be copying those diagrams for further study. Thanks again!
Assertion without proof takes up little time; misrepresentation is always beautifully brief. –John Stuart Mill
Re: Overwhelmed by opening
I second "In the Beginning" by Ikuro Ishigure.
Other than an introductory book on Go, this is really the only other substantive book I've read for opening theory (or at all....). I've actually read it more than once cuz it's so good. It will help you get a good handle on exactly what it is you are trying to do during opening and ways to accomplish that goal.
But as a side note, I don't recommend memorizing any joseki or the like at this point. It is more important to get a feel for the game first. Instead of playing in the 4-4 point for your first two moves, try placing the stone in the middle of the sides or even the middle of the board. No doubt this is not a "good" move, but it will help you develop a game sense for why the corners are necessarily more valuable than the sides. There is a big difference from just reading and learning theory vs. actually feeling it come to life on the board. I remember playing some wacky moves when I just started out to get a feel for how an opening influences the mid game.
Anyhow, just be sure to review your games. There is no point in playing a lot of games to improve if you aren't actively learning from each one.
Other than an introductory book on Go, this is really the only other substantive book I've read for opening theory (or at all....). I've actually read it more than once cuz it's so good
. It will help you get a good handle on exactly what it is you are trying to do during opening and ways to accomplish that goal. But as a side note, I don't recommend memorizing any joseki or the like at this point. It is more important to get a feel for the game first. Instead of playing in the 4-4 point for your first two moves, try placing the stone in the middle of the sides or even the middle of the board. No doubt this is not a "good" move, but it will help you develop a game sense for why the corners are necessarily more valuable than the sides. There is a big difference from just reading and learning theory vs. actually feeling it come to life on the board. I remember playing some wacky moves when I just started out to get a feel for how an opening influences the mid game.
Anyhow, just be sure to review your games. There is no point in playing a lot of games to improve if you aren't actively learning from each one.
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Archivist
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
I too, have a beginning problem.
Do just fine with creating my first few moves, and then --- W invades! I am sure that my replies are what cause my losses because somehow, I'm unable to stop them from cutting me into pieces, complicating a game that I could otherwise comprehend. I think direction of play is a lot of it.
Do just fine with creating my first few moves, and then --- W invades! I am sure that my replies are what cause my losses because somehow, I'm unable to stop them from cutting me into pieces, complicating a game that I could otherwise comprehend. I think direction of play is a lot of it.
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gowan
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
Archivist wrote:I too, have a beginning problem.
Do just fine with creating my first few moves, and then --- W invades! I am sure that my replies are what cause my losses because somehow, I'm unable to stop them from cutting me into pieces, complicating a game that I could otherwise comprehend. I think direction of play is a lot of it.
Sounds like you may be thinking some area is solid territory when it isn't. It is hard to make territory directly. If you surround an area that is actually territory, you are likely to be playing too solidly. Areas become territory through multipurpose moves; moves that solidify territory and at the same time threaten something else. You probably should welcome some of those invasions because you have an opportunity to follow the proverb to make territory while attacking.
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xed_over
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Re: Overwhelmed by opening
gowan wrote:Archivist wrote:I too, have a beginning problem.
Do just fine with creating my first few moves, and then --- W invades! I am sure that my replies are what cause my losses because somehow, I'm unable to stop them from cutting me into pieces, complicating a game that I could otherwise comprehend. I think direction of play is a lot of it.
Sounds like you may be thinking some area is solid territory when it isn't. It is hard to make territory directly. If you surround an area that is actually territory, you are likely to be playing too solidly. Areas become territory through multipurpose moves; moves that solidify territory and at the same time threaten something else. You probably should welcome some of those invasions because you have an opportunity to follow the proverb to make territory while attacking.
yeah, one of the things I learned (or am learning) -- and I forget from which book(s) -- if you have a large enough framework, you want your opponent to invade.
edit: oh, same thing gowan said (I didn't read it close enough)