I used to be 1D on kgs when everyone had higher rankings around last dec.

Then I came back and im now a 2k, but I can usually beat 3k by around 30-50 points, and alot of 2k. My problem is with 1k im not so hot.

I think some of my problems have been fixed but I noticed I think I still do this:

1. Get too focused on "punishing" a bad play and end up going too far and killing myself

2. Sometimes get side tracked.

If you want some examples im posting a few games I won and lost below... if anyone can tell me general mistakes I seem to make, that are in my general go or in more than one game it would help tons:

one more

From what I've heard from few stronger players (kgs 7-8d) there is a "quality" gap between average 2k and 1k. There are milestones on kgs, and ranks in between aren't much different. I have an account 1d side account and a 2k main account, and I find playing 1d even and 1k even feels much similar.

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Formerly Gorim

I am not quite playing at your rank, therefore the following is just my guess in order to find out, if I understood something right or wrong. In your third game I think the game tilted when you played P9 in move 63 (and let your opponent play the huge Q17 for free). I would have played Q17 in move 63 by myself and maybe Q18 in the following in order to put some pressure onto W's corner and finally extend your wall to somewhere like K16. In the actual game, the wall became quite ineffective. The cut at Q10 seems not urgent for me since B can run out with Q9, P9 etc.; in case if a running fight goes on there, also the lower W stones could get problems. If I'm wrong I would appreciate and feedback and corrections.

So far my 2 cts (and - BTW - hello to the forum )

schawipp

It might be big, but I think protecting the cut is better, and using a wall to surround territory isnt the best idea, even if attacking whites group was too hard the only purpose of a wall is to attack so i had to use it somehow.

Not quite sure, the wall did become ineffective but I felt that white made such bad shape and such it should have worked, since it seemed overplay to me what he did.

The mistakes that I can see don't really have a common denominator, except well that they're mistakes It's a mixture of playing slow/submissive, overplay, aji-keshi, reading mistakes and errors in strategic judgement. I personally think you should work on trying to find moves that serve a specific purpose. Don't play by feel, but ask yourself: what does this move really accomplish? Try to read out the moves and sequences you want to play and compare before/after: did you really gain something after that?

Some examples:

Game 3:
- 21 is submissive, you have to cut and fight or play another joseki.
- 31 is big, but it makes your moves from earlier slow. Consider tewari: if you play this right after w r4, then w n4. Wouldn't you rather play h3 instead of n2 now? (ignoring the right side for the moment)
- with the sequence from 33 you just strengthen your opponent when you should attack - w is massively outnumbered. You could start with leaning at f15.
- when w invades your right side you mustn't let him take your corner away, too many points and too easy for w. Secure your corner at 55 or 61 latest. W has to live low, so you will get influence as well
- 65 wastes a ko threat

Game 4:
- the sequence from 19 on is aji-keshi. You could have cut w there, after the sequence you can't anymore. Just tenuki.
- sequence from 31: not so good for b - read more carefully? But the worst:
- 49: unnecessary and massive aji-keshi. Just tenuki. Later anything near g14 can be ladderbreaker, w has to be extra careful.
- 53 is normally bad, only for special situations
- 57 very dangerous, seems like overplay to me, but I can't read everything out. Your opponent played submissively - chance for you.
- 63: why not at g3? seems nice and easy.
- 69: you should h5 now to destroy w shape, makes fighting much easier

I don't know which time settings you prefer, but I think you should try putting more thought into your moves. Force yourself to read more, to find purpose in your moves - to play better. If you can make this a habit then it will also come easier in fast games.

Hope I could help.

Yea alot of those comments are true. I just didn't take the time to think enough and I have been trying to remind myself to ask "is this move necesary" before every move.

- with the sequence from 33 you just strengthen your opponent when you should attack - w is massively outnumbered. You could start with leaning at f15.

That is the only one i dont know about, it seems too hard to attack that stone and I would rather let him settle to get sente for the bottom like I did.

If you can't find a good local move in a certain position it's better to just take sente and tenuki now and wait for a chance later when the board position changes. For example: the situation when you hunted the big white group over the board. Perfect chance for a splitting attack that would have been much easier if you hadn't made that exchange before. I attach a very simple example for illustration purposes.

Ah yea that is good. In general one thing I do is what you are saying there, I get them to have a weak heavy group then attack it right away and don't always plan it enough, I need to plan better before getting into the action.

Thanks for the help

I think your problem can be found in the title of this thread - stronger but inconsistent.

When I replay a pro game, I can often predict the next move. There's only one drawback - there are a lot of moves that I cannot predict!

When I play guitar, there are some licks I can play just like Jimi. Again, there`s one slight drawback - all the other licks I play like Tami.

To get stronger, you have to be able to produce your higher level more of the time. That`s a matter of effortful practice. You know what you are aiming for, and you keep trying until you can consistently do it.

Still, this is not bad news! If you can play like a 1d or 3d or 7d some of the time, then it gives you hope that you can raise your consistency to that level to almost all of the time (nobody plays at their peak all of the time).

Also, with respect to one of your other threads, about reading. I think you were on to something when you wrote about "super fast reading". Occasionally, I am able to read without thinking verbally - I just watch a mental film roll past my mind`s eye. It`s much quicker and actually cognitively less demanding than trying to recall my verbal logic. However, this is a skill I have only recently become aware of, let alone have had time to practice..but it seems right. If you`ll permit another musical analogy - when a beginner sight-reads music, their thought processes go "g b d crotchet rest etc. etc." but when an experienced musician does it, their thought process is simply "...", i.e., they see the notes, they hear the music in their mind. It comes of lots of practice. But that`s why, for instance, a famous conductor can perform "miraculous" things such as being able to read an orchestral score on the train as though it were a newspaper.

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Learn the "tea-stealing" tesuji! Cho Chikun demonstrates here:

Right, but for me reading without thinking is a skill that i picked up awhile back. The super-fast reading idea is basically what you said, but I hardly ever think when I read, and maybe that is a problem xD. I read like 4-5 moves then stop to think, but if i want i can just read and read without thinking anything, no sounds/judgement.

Just to read faster I have to basically tell myself: read the next 20 moves fast.

EDIT: To better explain, I don't think black, white, black white. In my mind I just see the moves, but as the variation goes on to tell what is happening or make sense of it I end up using words every 5-10 moves like " almost in atari" or something like that, but I don't think about each move, I just play it out and only think to JUDGE the positions. In the "super fast reading" I dont usually have to judge, it is more like as I think of the next move or it comes onto the board in my head, i automatically understand the effect it has and don't need to think.

So maybe the idea for super-fast reading isnt the limiting of words, but rather the superior understanding to not need words, which is the same thing I guess.

another game from today, on my new acc (1D)

Can you spot the trick play I did at 116? Also I would be glad if anyone points out some mistakes here.

I'm roughly your strength, maybe a bit weaker. Hopefully my comments are still of any use to you ; )

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My "guide" to become stronger in Go

Thanks some of those comments really helped in the middle game. like 20-50