Well, my intent was simply to say that I would skip that part of the deal. I am not trying to evaluate my wife's beauty against any other person's. I have not seen all of the women in the world, but I do find my wife to be beautiful. My wife's beauty, though, is not the reason that I have love for her. It is a nice plus, though.

_________________
be immersed

I'd give the apple to Kami. Given the popularity of go in Asia, being the world's best go player would virtually make you royalty there, anyway. Plus, I've always had a thing for asian girls.

If it makes me 9d kgs in strength, then no thanks. If it makes me a top pro perhaps.

Strong amateur/non top pro doesn't sound nice to me. Making a living from it is annoying and finding opponents for even games too. Currently I can hit automatch and get an opponent of my strengths shortly after. Perhaps the sweet spot is around 4d, you still find games but you're decently strong.
But Hushfield is right. For many things cheating spoils the fun. Improving is very nice, and the stronger you are the slower you will improve. And the feeling of having achieved something yourself instead of being given it is much nicer. So I think after the initial enjoyment from being strong wears off I might even drop go.

And even for top pro I need to think. Probably I prefer programming over playing go as my main time sink.

_________________
Sanity is for the weak.

Never!

I only see the downsides of such pill.
Very few opponents to play even games, on each server a huge following, each loss discussed across the world, yuck... I rather enjoy my life in anonymity and have all the fun I can - and I absolutely do not believe that a 9d has much fun than me playing Go. Not to mention than to become 9d with a pill is one thing, but to stay 1d takes serious work... I am not prepared to work that hard on Go.

I could go on, but I hope you get the drift...

_________________
- Bantari
______________________________________________
WARNING: This post might contain Opinions!!

The journey is more important than the destination.

GIVE ME THAT PILL.

What's the catch? There has to be a catch, right?

The slow acting pill sounds fun.

_________________
David

Go Game Guru: Learn Go | How to Get Better at Go | Go Game Shop | Go Boards | Baduk TV

I would definitely take it, but since it doesn't exist, I'll just have to get there the hard way .

_________________
We don't know who we are; we don't know where we are.
Each of us woke up one moment and here we were in the darkness.
We're nameless things with no memory; no knowledge of what went before,
No understanding of what is now, no knowledge of what will be.

I think it would be neat to take the pill, and then be able to analyze 9d games whenever I want. I think that being able to play at a 9d level would lead to at least being able to understand at a much higher level much sooner.

Overnight I would lose all my existing Go friendships and instantly become an over-the-hill 9 dan, without the physical or mental stamina to compete "anymore". Where's the fun in that?

_________________
Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21

Oh no, the curse of this kind of quick fix is the thing itself.

To play moves at a 9d level without understanding them? It would be like watching someone else play whenever you played. It would become, quite literally, a soulless game.

_________________
Tactics yes, Tact no...

I don't really see a question here. Definitely take it.

Not knowing why I'm 9d doesn't stop me trying to learn from/understand the moves I play from my current level (which is where the fun comes from anyway). I'd have to change my vote if the pill made you 9d and playing, studying or answering questions about go puts you into a zombified state where you play/answer at the level of 9d but can't remember/see what you've done. Would anyone take that pill? What if it made you play perfectly?

I thought that Tami had clarified that the question was "you didn't remember that you took the pill", not "you don't understand the moves you play."

_________________
Occupy Babel!

I'd take it, then spend the rest of my life looking for a similar one for programming.

(In case that I didn't remember taking it -- erm, probably spend a while wondering why I can suddenly play so well.)

I'm with ez4u. I wouldn't take it becuase I would lose all my present go friends and, in fact, find it hard to get a good game at all. One amateur shodan player I know refuses to take lessons or study very much because if he got much stronger he'd lose the opportunity of playing with his favorite opponents on even terms. Imagine all your present opponents/friends suddenly having to take a large handicap. You'd mostly be playing teaching games, which are fine in their way but I think most people don't want to play that way all the time.

Oh. I misread (seems I don't just do this in go). In that case it's even easier to take it as enjoying the game as a 9d sounds amazing.

I'm more interested in something that can make me a stone or two stronger than venturing into the unknown.

I look at it this way: does the 9d gets more enjoyment out of being 9d or more enjoyment from the memories of having become 9d? There's no way an amateur kyu can know.

_________________

What would it mean not knowing how and why you are 9d?

1. There is a Sai guiding my hand?
2. Can I learn from Sai?

In that case, give me the pill. If I have to stay the uninterested, go-dumb Hikaru of the first episodes, no thank you, I'd rather be Tsutsui.

How would that work, by the way, in the post mortem analysis?

"So, Honinbo-san, why did you play here?" - "I don't know". "But will this group die?" - "I don't know".

Not the most honorary Honinbo ...

People who take the pill, care for prestige, not for understanding. Ego, not go.

This question looks like a good opportunity to moralise.

The obvious answer to me: Depends on the Goddess.

I love pills. Do I need to take it with water?

_________________
Offending ad removed