Stuck at 2D

[karaklis]

Could be that your attitude towards the game is the problem. I would apply my following suggestions, if I had more motivation and pressure to improve my game..

Solving tsumego doesn't seem to imrove my game, too. ... Not looking at the solution, solve the next one after I'm sure I have it right. ... Didn't feel like I improved at all, not even my reading ability. ... When solving problesm I apply what I already know, nothing new.

If this method doesn't help you, try another: Try to solve tsumego, and if you cannot solve it within a short time (a minute or two), look at the answer and learn it by heart, so that you can solve it instantly when you see it next time. Hardwire it. Doing so will probably improve your reading as well.

But reading more advanced tesuji books seem like a waste of time (dictionaries and problem books).

Same advice as above: Learn the tesuji by heart so that you instantly recognize it when you see it.

Replaying professional games doesn't seem to help me.

Don't just replay, but learn it by heart, so that you can lay them out on the board days or weeks later. The best would be commented games of professional players.

And playing games seems pointless, too.

Probably true unless you review them and/or get them reviewed by stronger players.

I don't plan on teaching Go. In my opinion I understand it too little to teach someone.

This is a wrong assumption. You can easily teach others when they are five stones or more weaker than yourself.

Teaching someone who could profit by having me teach him could improve faster by simply playing games and reading the books I told about (one reason I listed them) (in my opinion) (from my experience).

Another wrong assumption. There are players that are stuck at around 7k (like me) who might profit by being taught by 2d players (like you).

[snorri]

Don't feel any improvement.

Maybe I'm parsing words too much, but why do you expect to feel improvement? When improvement is slow, maybe it's hard to feel. A 13 year old may still be growing, but may not feel it from day to day. That doesn't mean the kid should say to himself, "eating doesn't seem to make me feel as if I am growing, so I'm just going to stop that."

For myself, I know that when I thought I was learning new things, it felt like I should be playing better and sometimes I would. But that feeling is an illusion based on the presumption that go strength is about knowledge, when it's more about conditioning.

[Kirby]

...

Well, then...
Everyone reaches a level past which we do not improve...

Really? It'd be surprising to me if improvement were impossible at any point.

[Solomon]

Don't feel any improvement.

Maybe I'm parsing words too much, but why do you expect to feel improvement? When improvement is slow, maybe it's hard to feel. A 13 year old may still be growing, but may not feel it from day to day. That doesn't mean the kid should say to himself, "eating doesn't seem to make me feel as if I am growing, so I'm just going to stop that."

For myself, I know that when I thought I was learning new things, it felt like I should be playing better and sometimes I would. But that feeling is an illusion based on the presumption that go strength is about knowledge, when it's more about conditioning.

Nonsense, this was how I felt when I was 1k:


Then when I became 1d:

[Spezi]

Don't feel any improvement.

Maybe I'm parsing words too much, but why do you expect to feel improvement? When improvement is slow, maybe it's hard to feel. A 13 year old may still be growing, but may not feel it from day to day. That doesn't mean the kid should say to himself, "eating doesn't seem to make me feel as if I am growing, so I'm just going to stop that."

For myself, I know that when I thought I was learning new things, it felt like I should be playing better and sometimes I would. But that feeling is an illusion based on the presumption that go strength is about knowledge, when it's more about conditioning.

You may be right, but not only do I feel no improvement, but I also see none (rank).

[Numsgil]

Might upload the next game I play. But don't have time for playing right now.

No time like the present! Do you play on KGS? It's pretty easy to look up past games. What's your s/n? I'm less sure about IGS. If you're playing on a different server from those two... why?

[snorri]

Then when I became 1d:

I hadn't considered hair dying, but I suppose it can't hurt.

[Bill Spight]

This is how I felt when I was shodan:

[EdLee]

I don't plan on teaching Go. In my opinion I understand it too little to teach someone.

This is a wrong assumption. You can easily teach others when they are five stones or more weaker than yourself

Spezi has the right idea.

[Numsgil]

Is this you?.

Looking at the rank graph seems to show steady enough progress.

You also haven't played many games lately.

[Spezi]

Yes it's one of my accounts. But with that I only play 10sec games. And when I won some games I would stop playing with that account for a while. It's not representative at all, but a result of me being an idiot.

[tchan001]

http://www.igoindonesia.org/tutorial-go ... -hard.html
http://tchan001.wordpress.com/2011/06/0 ... lculation/

[Spezi]

Thank you all for your tips
Just played a game. But it seems like a bad game for posting here. It's only fighting. Also I won. Though I was lucky; 2 groups nearly died. I think he let me off too easily some times. I was white, playing against some 2d on kgs. Times was 30min + 1min/move. But posting it can't hurt, I guess.
[sgf-full]http://files.gokgs.com/games/2011/7/13/TheZombie-vogelfrei.sgf[/sgf-full]
44: h8 seems better
Also my endgame was bad. Don't know about the fighting. But in comparison to other games I play on KGS I guess I played quite good.

[Tabemasu]

Do you only play on one go server or have you tried others? You also said you were taught before, have you tried many different teachers or only one? In any case, here's a quick review of your game, enjoy!

W36: This move is too passive. You are better off playing at e7 to put black under pressure.

W40: I think this may be an overplay. If black plays d2 next, white is uncomfortable.

B51: This move is really bad, your cut was correct.

W60: Better to play the keima at c13.

B77: Bad direction, it's better for black to play around f14.

W80: You should play f11, e11, f13, e13, g13. Blacks shape is bad and you can easily exploit it to get out to the center.

B87: Now the game seems gather tough for you.

W112: I think this move is too early. You should probably probe around p17 first.

W124: This should be at m12 I think. Next m13, n13, m11, n11, l12, o12.

B129: The splitting attack here seems too good for black.

W134: Does this actually work?

Overall I would say that it seems like you're stronger than your opponent, but you aren't severe enough when you get the chance.

[Spezi]

Thank you for the review; I mainly play on KGS, but played on IGS, too (when I was like 8 kyu). Some time ago I wanted to try playing on IGS again, but I wasn't sure which rank I should pick, so I didn't.
36: was frightened of black c5, but now that you point it out; it seems I could simply have played c6 in response(and here I thought Bc5 was one of my best moves...)
60: really? Thought it would be bad because of black b11
134: didn't really read it out