Laerthd study journal

Knotwilg · **#101**

Laerthd wrote:

In the meantime, a much stronger player looked at my games and told me that I basically don't know any fundamentals.

While this may be a true observation (or summary of his observations), it is not helpful.

In my reviews, I try to isolate one area for improvement to focus. In your case, from this particular game, I chose "recognize wasted stones and avoid adding more weight to them". You can focus on this in your next games and post them for review. If you continue making this mistake, we can understand why, talk about the proper way to think and point out techniques to recognize wasted stones and ways of avoiding adding weight. If you solve it by yourself, new areas of improvement will surface as the next important thing.

Based on one game we cannot tell for sure what is the biggest flaw in your game. Moreover, all people make multiple kinds of errors at the same time. However, it is my reviewing style to at least try and isolate one major flaw and encourage you to fix it. I find this more helpful than leaving a player bewildered with the vast amounts of knowledge they are lacking.

Bill Spight · **#102**

Knotwilg wrote:

Laerthd wrote:

In the meantime, a much stronger player looked at my games and told me that I basically don't know any fundamentals.

While this may be a true observation (or summary of his observations), it is not helpful.

Well, it should be.

Fedya, who is around 6 kyu, faces the same problem. It is obvious from his games and his comments that other players around his strength have a better grasp of the basics than he does. But where can he learn the basics? With so many go resources in English these days, why can't he find literature covering the basics? I think it's out there, but somehow it does not seem so easy to find. I shrug my shoulders and say to check out Sensei's Library and Go Problems. But I am not sure how much of the basics they cover and how well. The beginner problems that I have looked at on SL are quite good, though.

Laerthd · **#103**

Hi Ed,
No, to be fair, I did not know about C3 and C5.
But I am not sure I understant you comment in parentheses (also, I now know what is a operative word)

Hi Knotwilg,
I think this is a useful remark. Sure your remark on a concrete flaw in my games is more useful but given that I thought I had mastered the basics, a reminder that it is not the case is welcome.
But you are right, focusing on one error is probably more efficient.

Hi Bill,
Yeah I think defining the basics is a difficult task. Sensei library is interesting but I find it to be quite a mess. Hopefully after alphago master starcraft it will go back to go and find a smart way to classify knowledge about this game.

EdLee · **#104**

Hi Laerthd

Quote:

No, to be fair, I did not know about C3 and C5.
But I am not sure I understand you comment in parentheses

Include C3 and C5 as part of your basics.

Laerthd · **#105**

As always, it has been a long time since the last post. I had not much time to play this month but I recently played a game where I was globally happy with my game. However I lost and even with the errors I have identified I still lost a lot more points.

Here's the game:

BlindGroup · **#106**

One thing that strikes me in the early game is that you are making moves that are too small early on. I think move 16, for example, would have been better played to enclose one of your other corners. Usually, when white makes a two space extension like 15, black tenukis.

Knotwilg · **#107**

When a 3H game goes lost, we can try to find moves that "lost a move".

You found two: 60 and 126. Good analysis.
Another one is as early as move 20. Small life in gote and being sealed in is really unacceptable in that situation.

Other than that there's a clear theme to be found in moves 30, 70 and 74:
When your opponent threatens to cut a weaker part from a strong part, always consider if you can strengthen the weaker part and whether the cut is then still a problem.

The fact that all these connections were empty triangles, should make you very critical, almost sick of playing that move and as such look for alternatives.

I must congratulate you with move 54: it takes into account the weakness of the shape very well.

Laerthd · **#108**

Hi BlindGroup,

BlindGroup wrote:

One thing that strikes me in the early game is that you are making moves that are too small early on. I think move 16, for example, would have been better played to enclose one of your other corners. Usually, when white makes a two space extension like 15, black tenukis.

Right, the smallness of this move completely escaped me. Thank you

Knotwilg, thank you for the comments. I think you point out something recurrent in my games. I underestimate how bad it is to be sealed in. Maybe because I don't really know how to value/use influence and at lower level neither did my oppenents so I could always counter it later.

It is kind of funny to see that on a 3H game you are allowed 3 losing move and can still be pretty close. It puts in perspective the games I played with 9H ^^'

BlindGroup · **#109**

Also, in case it helps, in handicap games with more than 2 stones, I tend to focus on playing defense rather than offense. Obviously, this is a matter of taste. But the way that I see it is that with the handicap stones, I start out with a big lead and just try to avoid giving up too much of it. I also find that (at least for me) players who can give me this many stones are MUCH better fighters. So, I feel that starting fights plays to my opponent's advantage. I only pick fights that I clearly see I can win. Otherwise, I just focus on developing my own positions.

Bill Spight · **#110**

BlindGroup wrote:

Also, in case it helps, in handicap games with more than 2 stones, I tend to focus on playing defense rather than offense.

The usual advice is to play defensively with more than 5 stones.

Bill Spight · **#111**

BlindGroup wrote:

One thing that strikes me in the early game is that you are making moves that are too small early on. I think move 16, for example, would have been better played to enclose one of your other corners. Usually, when white makes a two space extension like 15, black tenukis.

at D-10 makes san-ren-sei and gets the last big place in the opening. G-03 is also good. It is not only a kind of enclosure, it aims at K-02 or perhaps an invasion of White's botton side framework.

Laerthd · **#112**

Lately I took a bit of time to improve at go again. Since I am on holiday I finally reached 9k on IGS!
I wanted to do it before the end of the year so mission accomplished.
Here is the game that got me promoted. I haven't reviewed it yet but I think I played quite well.

Unfortunately starting Janurary, I will probably have even less time for go. I just hope I can climb another level until March and the 2 years mark since I started playing go

BlindGroup · **#113**

Nicely played! Two quick thoughts at the beginning from someone at about your level:

1. Move 14: Is it necessary to block the slide here? My feeling is tenuki.
2. Move 22: Did you consider the double hane at H6?

Laerthd · **#114**

Hi BlindGroup,

I think you are right for move 14.
For move 22, I thought of the double hane and I think it would have been better by a huge margin now. But I thought it would lead to a messier game and I absolutely wanted the win before 2018.

Knotwilg · **#115**

Key move: 88

You decide to resist the peep, which is a good, adventurous idea in itself. However, this embarks on an insecure fight, in a position where you are ahead. Perhaps you thought you were behind and needed to fight. If so, you probably underestimated the power of your top/right group/wall. Black has a lot of territory there, but if you keep it simple, you will likely amass points at the top while harassing his invading group and his top left structure.

Eventually you win the fight, after having won the fight in the top right too. This shows that you are a comparatively good fighter, which at 10 kyu is a decisive asset. As you progress, you may want to become better at picking your fights.

Enjoy!

Full review:

Laerthd · **#116**

Hi Knotwilg,
Thank you for the review. For move 88, I did not think I was ahead. I thought the game was pretty balanced.

Currently I have no time and a internet connection too slow for new games so I decided to review older one.
This one apparently I won on fox go, probably at 7k but the record don't show correctly so I cannot be sure.
I think I was too submisive during this game and didn't invade at the correct spots.

Laerthd · **#117**

This time a game I lost.
Still fox go, probably 7k but I cannot read the ranks.

I am much more confused about what went wrong in this game. By move 50 I think I already lost the game.
It took me some time to review this game and I am not sure if my comments are good. But on the other hand I clearly found a bug in my evaluation function that I need to solve.

here is the game

EdLee · **#118**

Hi Laerthd,

:w32:

maybe B17...

:w38:

not sure about this top hane...

:w40:

hmm...

L3 ?

maybe K6 & E9...

:w48:

even if you want to jump, maybe K6 first.

:w50:

compare this board v. ( :w46:

K6 + E9 )...

:w52:

Locally, at least E7 ?

( Losing K4, then :w46:

, and

... hmm, difficult for W, it seems. )

Laerthd · **#119**

It has been quite some time since I posted in this journal!

I noticed that I haven't improved significantly recently and it is probably due to the fact that I focus more on trying to squeeze as many games as possible in my free time to level up instead of trying to learn. So I think it is a good idea to make some time to post in this journal and see if I can catch some of my mistakes.

To restart, here is a game I played and lost today of FoxGo at 8K:

I've let white develop too much on the top (move 49) and I am not really proud of how I used my center left group.

EdLee · **#120**

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