Life In 19x19

I don't know if it applies to go, but I've used this in music: if you know you need to work on something (play calmer), and yet you're having a hard time getting there, then try to intentionally overdo it: try to play a few games slightly too slow in the opening. You might find that moves that seem slow actually aren't.

NoSkill wrote:

RobertJasiek wrote:Ensure you don't make DDK mistakes in the opening. Beyond that, read Rin Kaiho's fuseki dictionary twice.

Since you notice that you fall behind in the opening, why don't you simply learn from your mistakes? How do you know that you are behind if you do not understand that you are behind? Can you or can you not do positional judgement during the opening?

Well my bad openings usually come down to this:

1: Lack of knowledge of mini-chinese, kobayashi, 3-4 joseki patterns (other than the basics), and such things.

But MAINLY it is because of:

2. Playing a move that looks interesting after only reading a few moves into it.

3. Seeing the correct move with my instinct, because my instinct is actually good for fuseki, but then doubting it thinking it might be too slow and invading or doing a bad move instead.

I have to agree with Robert's earlier comment in this thread - if you already know what you are doing wrong, you know what you must improve to fix the problem. You've listed three things here that you find as the source of your problems. Why not try to fix these things (eg. read about mini-chinese, kobayashi, etc.; read more moves before playing; consider your instinct move more seriously).

IMO, you are lucky because you seem confident that you know where your problems lie. In my case, sometimes I can see errors I made in a particular game, but I'm at a loss for my biggest problem areas in go. Since reading is so important, I typically assume that reading is my problem.

But since you know what you are doing wrong, then adjust accordingly!

Good luck!

Reading Fuseki strategy books these help explain why some things aren't Fuseki. Observing pro games, Kombillo is great you can do searches, and look at how several pros handle a situation, though I find this somewhat limiting since many of the databases only have a few games that fit any particular Fuseki. You can even build your own database of pro games that you can review.

Then above and beyond that sometimes you have to be creative and solve your own Fuseki problems, especially ones that involve common hamete plays, which I enjoy doing offline.

Ideally I would find a partner or study group then keep playing the same Fuseki over and over again as both black and white, however I don't think many casual clubs do this, except maybe with the traditional Fuseki.

Kirby wrote:[
I have to agree with Robert's earlier comment in this thread - if you already know what you are doing wrong, you know what you must improve to fix the problem.

It's not necessarily that simple. Knowing what you are doing wrong and knowing how (some technique) to stop yourself from doing this thing that is wrong aren't at all the same. If it were, losing weight would be easy.

There is another issue pointed out on the same martial arts site that provided the 'basics versus fundamentals' essay. It applies quite nicely to Go, IMHO.

'...The primary question is not "What did I do wrong" but rather "What is wrong with the move I just did?"

The difference is the emphasis of the question. "What did I do wrong" is on you. The emphasis of the question "What is wrong with the move I just did" is on the move itself...'

I think this helps us realize that knowing something went wrong and knowing what to do about it can be two, quite different, things.

Hi Dave, off-topic:

ez4u wrote:knowing something went wrong and knowing what to do about it can be two, quite different, things.

Of course, no argument there.

Fuseki mistakes often manifest themselves at a much later stage in the game. IE, of the hundred previous moves which was the one that wasn't correct, was it a Fuseki mistake or a poor execution of the Fuseki, these are the kinds of questions I ask myself. Once, I can answer this question, then I look at what the alternatives are. I find I go through iterations where, my Fuseki improves, I can beat most of the hamete, I rank up, then the hamete comes back stronger in addition to some of the competition also knowing great Fuseki moves. For example, I get fairly competent at refuting 3-3 shoulder hits at 6 kyu, but as I approach 4 kyu, I start losing to players, who play 3-3 shoulder hits, but because they actually play the joseki, and it is a few points difference, then I have to go back and look where was I depending on being able to turn Fuseki mistake into game deciding 50 point play, I only get maybe 10 points out of the play, so then I need to find places to make up those other points I was counting on to win in that line of play.