Shigeki's Journal/Journey

[Bki]

(Game #2) Overwhelmed

Well, white is using an interesting strategy here...

: Slow. Something like G15, attacking the three stones (seeing as he seems to want to save them) and building power to attack K17 would be better.

: This is not sente, and only give you enough space for one eye if your opponent ignore it. I like G14 instead.

: See comment for G14 would be better.

: Good.

: Bad. L16 or N16 would be the move here (you can also jump, but be aware that white can connect underneath)

: L16 would be better.

: connect.

: Instead, black R17, white R18, black S18, and white is dead.

: White should abandon three stone and take R17, living in the corner.

: Connect.

[shigeki]

I had a feeling that through were bad moves. Don't know how I missed those connect moves. Thanks for the feedback. Your comments are quite straightforward and understandable.

[shigeki]

Update

I didn’t play much go this week. However, I’ve started using spaced repetition with my tsumego practice and I like the idea so far. It feels like a system and I like systems.

I also bought “The Second Book of Go” and “Learn To Play Go Vol. 2”. I was initially reluctant to read books due to the practicality of passive comprehension but I have since changed my mind about it. I believe a few well-written books should have their place in my study regimen.

I’ve also considered saving up money for a goban. My rationale was that a physical board will force me to slow down when going over a position…and it would be a nice thing to have. Upon further thought, I realize that the haste I have experienced when using SGF clients on a computer is entirely artificial. A computer grants the privilege of speed that is simply abused. These programs can save you time but that saved time can easily be converted to wasted time if the person isn’t diligent. Above all else, these implements are just mediums by which to experience Go. The nature of the game doesn’t change, but rather your interaction with it does change, ergo, a change in behavior.

Anyways, I’ll post a game next week. That is all.

[zac]

Good luck Shigeki. I hope you find a lot of joy in learning and playing go.
Reading some books probably can't hurt. Watch out though because buying go books can become something of an obsession...
There has been a handful of books that have given me some real insight into the game and a corresponding jump in my rating though.
And surely we can never have too many problem books! I'm actually running through graded go problems for beginners vol.2 again as I was feeling a bit burnt out on harder problems, its a really great set.

[SoDesuNe]

I didn’t play much go this week. However, I’ve started using spaced repetition with my tsumego practice and I like the idea so far. It feels like a system and I like systems.

Yay, good luck with it! I'm really quite fond of the whole spaced repetition system : )

[shigeki]

Reading some books probably can't hurt. Watch out though because buying go books can become something of an obsession...

Ya. Luckily, there isn't an excess of great beginner books.

[shigeki]

(Game #3) I won?!?

[EdLee]

Hi Shigeki,

No problem.

P4.

you're correct: not needed.

of course this does not secure the top --
you have an open skirt N18 !

[shigeki]

of course this does not secure the top --
you have an open skirt N18 !

Open skirt...I haven't heard that term before. So I guess I should have turned before the extension.
Thanks for the feedback.

[SoDesuNe]

I wouldn't play at the top at all. If you block Black on the right, he can either shoulder-hit you on the low corner enclosure or invade. I'd play something more active, using your own stones to attack rather than to defend/surround territory.

My candidate moves are:
'a' might be a nice probe for later. 'b' seems to use your wall from the top, furthermore Black has weaknesses in his bottom right corner shape, so you can play 'c' in the future and threaten connection or establishing the beginning of a base. Though not immediately because attacking the lone black stone is more important.

After you got some stones in the center through the attack on the right, you could play 'd' or go in even deeper, depending on the center.

$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . O O O X X X . |
$$ | . O . O . . . . . , . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . |
$$ | . O . X . . d . . , . . . X O X X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . X . . O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . O O O X X X . |
$$ | . O . O . . . . . , . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . |
$$ | . O . X . . d . . , . . . X O X X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . X . . O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

[shigeki]

That make sense. I saw that weakness earlier in the game but in hindsight, I might have played there too late. I often find invasions hard to visualize so I'm a bit hesitant.

[skydyr]

Regarding securing the top, it's worth considering whether white should have blocked in the other direction instead of playing R16. With Q17, white's wall would be facing the white position in the upper left and give white a lot more potential on the top side. In the game, white's choice gives up potential on the top in exchange for potential on the right, but the right is less interesting because of the existing black group there.

[shigeki]

Ya, I think I usually would block in the direction that faces my stones...and in this case, it might have helped with preventing a black center moyo.

[shigeki]

Update
Didn't play go this week but I did do some problems.

Tsumego Stats

Source: Many Faces of Go

• Level: 0
  Completed: 66%

Source: WBaduk

• Level: Beginner
  Completed: 35%

Source: Sensei's Library

• Level: Beginner
  Completed: 4%

[shigeki]

Update

I'm slipping into inactivty...that's probably because I recently revived a previous hobby of music production. This is the problem with pastimes. You have to prioritize them among others. I gave up chess so I could focus on go, but it seems like now, Go is taking the backseat to music. I'm still keeping up the tsumego though (somewhat).

Tsumego Progress

Source: Many Faces of Go

• Level: 0
  Completed: 100%

• Level: 10
  Completed: 23%

Source: WBaduk

• Level: Beginner
  Completed: 54%

Source: Sensei's Library

• Level: Beginner
  Completed: 6%

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Accuracy: 163/180 (90.56%)