Kill them quickly?

[daal]

One more thing:

...I savor in the possibility that I could very well win the game under the opponent's nose by meeting his demands. ...

The word "savor" here seems to indicate that this is an enjoyable experience.

I've heard people before say something similar to this. Is it really that enjoyable to let your opponent have what he/she wants? I actually feel like I enjoy trying to mess up my opponent's plans.

I enjoy it very much when I am able to give my opponent what he wants- but with a twist that makes me come out ahead. It's even better if I can let him take exactly what he wants, knowing that it just won't be enough. And as for the increased chance of making a mistake if the game takes longer, well, I just don't worry about that. I'm always vigilant, of course- no reason to throw away a game over a silly mistake, but worrying about making mistakes tends to cause them.

As someone to whom this seems to happen often (twice today, I got my way in a game only to find that my way was the stupid way). I can assure you that the feeling that this causes is not one tick more enjoyable than being crushed in 50 moves. On the contrary, sometimes I wish my opponents had just put me out of my misery instead of letting me think I had a chance.

[Kirby]

Thank you for the responses, my friends.

[Bill Spight]

BTW, one of the names of go is the Long Game.