Splatted wrote:
The reasoning is that more complicated tsumego are built on top of the simpler ones. This is an entirely literal statement. The positions found at the beginning of beginner tsumego can also be found 1 or 2 moves in to the solutions of a more advanced ones, and those advanced problems will again be found 1 or 2 moves in to the solutions of yet more advanced tsumego. It is by building this foundation step by step that one learns to solve more advanced problems.
He also stresses that it's important to repeat problems and always read out the answer thoroughly. This applies even when you remember the answer from last time you solved it. I'd also like to mention Kageyama's "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go", which is a book available in English I think many people here have read*. The very first thing he has people do is read out ladders. Of course we all know the solution to a ladder, but that's not the point. It's about reading practice and fully internalising a common pattern.
So my opinion is that although SoDesuNe's experience of improving more from hard problems because they forced him to read is likely very common, the important difference was not the problems themselves, but actually that he was reading in one instance and not the other. In other words I think people are focusing on the wrong variable.
Sorry if I repeat anyone else
So, the thing here I like is the focus on reading thoroughly. That said, while much of optimal study is debatable (I myself study and learn very quickly, but even if you use my methods can we say you get the same result? Not really). However, I may be able to convince you that solving easy problems is actually detrimental in comparison with solving real problems (and I hope to show why I say real problems).
Before we get into that, I must mention this pro's advice can be effective -- it's not my intention to say it's bad advice. However, I do think there is better advice AND I don't think upo hearing his advice that majority of players can follow it.
So what is a tsumego problem and why do we do them? Tsumego may actually be a specific reference, but is also used generally for other problem types in which on must analyze a position in Go. We solve them to improve our reading ability.
So does solving easy problems improve our reading ability? Well, let's think about that. We would probably consider the problem easy if its within our ability and not so easy if it pushes us - so already i think if you are looking for easy problems you are specifically preventing yourself from being challenged. You may find this subjective, but you must consider that this subjectivity means people WILL interpret it that way and as such by following this advice many will end up failing to challenge themselves.
On top of this, some define easy based on time to "solve". But what is a "solve" and how are you timing and verifying it within the time? A solve would be to have read out and understood the moves and variations of a position. It is very much NOT simply being able to find the solution one has marked as correct in some answer key or program. Generally if people are timing, they're using a program as well. These programs have the benefit of enforcing a time however they have the downfall of not being able to test what you actually read out aside from the one variation.
On top of this we have the issue of the initial advice and reasoning "Building on top of simpler tsumego" -- This may be true to a degree, however it's not clear advice. I'd posit that touting such a thing as a reason simply encourages people to try to reduce problems to instinctual/vital points. The issue there is that those types of behaviors are not reading, they are where your reading should begin. You don't play the move that feels right, you read the move that feels right and then decide if its a good idea after hopefully considering other moves. The simplest example would be a 3 space eye, one would play the vital point in the center -- would get a problem marked as correct and yet it reads only one move and no responses. It may be silly to think one should read the actual capture since you "know" it will happen, BUT that reading is actually practicing the skill you're supposed to be practicing AND not all situations are equal (which is to say in a real game playing in the center of a 3 space eye because that's how it worked in the problem will not lead to a kill, the group must first be surrounded which itself should be read out to be done efficiently)
These things together, the advice, the types of problems being sought, the impossibility of knowing whether you read out all the variations within 60 seconds, the tools being used - They all encourage many people to avoid reading.
If used properly it CAN still be effective. However, even used properly it's not as effective at improving your reading as maintaining habits which force you to practice reading when that is your goal - Such as just solving problems that aren't too easy out of a book with no answer key. [Having a book or program tell you the answer does not improve your reading even if you read out the problem, its pretty useless to improving your reading skill].
Coming back to the same problems is good as well, as what matters most is that you're reading this in your head. Coming back to problems allows you to much more confidently know if you had solved them and can even show improvements in reading when you realize you missed a variation last time around.
In summary:
Telling people to solve easy tsumego, while a completely legitimate way to improve, actually tells them many things which encourage them to not solve the tsumego at all or to put very little effort into it and either way stifle reading improvement. Also, even when it works it is outshined by the results of practicing deeper reading. These exercises are simple: Practice imagining moves in your head and you become better at doing so -- This is true if you stare at a blank board with no problem, or the hardest problem in he world.
I'd also add that keeping them "easy enough", which is basically just meaning that you won't get bored and walk away, has merit. But it's more about moving on from that which is just beyond you than doing what is "easy". To that end, if you feel like you want to give up on solving all tsumego because the problem is just so hard, then move on to the next one.
"In other words I think people are focusing on the wrong variable." -- With this I'd disagree in part. I do agree that reading focus is what's important. I have to say disagree though because I acknowledge the proposed [and common] advice of solving easy problems is, has and will lead to players who are practicing exactly how not to read. Even with the added bit noticing the importance of the thorough reading -- and this can be seen in attempting to teach players. Give a beginner a tsumego app and try to convince them to read everything in their head before playing it out on the board and I'd be surprised if less than 80% of them just try to brute force the problem sets even while you're giving them the advice to stop doing that.
