xed_over wrote:cyndane wrote:I made it to go club again this week! The game is so much more exhilarating in person. I wonder what it is about playing with people face to face that makes it like that.
Because there's this huge wealth of body language available, that by comparison, makes playing online feel like you're playing blind.
Your opponent is giving away all kinds of clues -- does he know this joseki/tesuji? Can I bluff this overplay to catch up? I see him exploring variations with his finger on the table, did I read it correctly myself? Is he worried, over confidant?
I've definitely noticed that I much prefer either playing in person (with anyone) or playing somebody that I already know online, and I think it has to do with seeing my opponent as a person rather than a black box. This was true for me to the extent that until I found a club I could go to regularly, I could never stick with go for more than a couple months at a time. Certainly, the interaction surrounding the game and afterwards is much more interesting.