Progress in Black and White

[Majordomo]

Cool, thanks for the tips! One thing is certain - one never needs to run out of material to read heh. As to redoing problem books, well I haven't come to the point where I've felt it natural but it is on my to do list. I first started doing books and problems in march (after getting obsessed after my first ever 19x19 game in february - an even game against a 2d who said he was "decent", and me having learned the rules and played dozen or so 9x9 and 13x13 games also felt "decent" at the time).

I only finished Cho Chikun's Elementary in June, and Attack and Defense and Lessons in the Fundamentals in May - but it's on my to-do list since I know how much it helps to drill these things.

BTW, does Lifein19x19 have its own KGS room, and if not, could we start one? Would be a good way to see others here who are online. Anyway I'm probably available tomorrow for a game Sparky - and if not the week that's coming up should have more time for Go than previous weeks heh. Around which times do you play? I'm mostly relegated to playing in the evenings 7-8 PM++ (CET+1), after my daughter is asleep.

[dfan]

My own personal experience as a KGS 4k:

• 1001 L&D is definitely not too easy for me. I do not get 100% of even the one-move make-life problems. These problems are really good for reminding me that I really have to read everything out all the way and not just make obviously good looking moves.
• GGPB3 is fairly straightforward but a lot of the problems in GGPB4 are very challenging. (I have heard other people claim that there is a pretty large qualitative jump in difficulty between the two volumes.) In particular, a lot of the positions in GGPB4 are much more sparse, which has always been a problem for me, as I have difficulty pruning my variation tree.

[oren]

BTW, does Lifein19x19 have its own KGS room, and if not, could we start one?

Lifein19x19.com under Clubs on KGS.

[Majordomo]

Found it thanks =) Looked under social instead of clubs.

So... I don't even know what I'm doing anymore - here are three games from today as exhibit 1 2 and 3 of what not to do... So much for progress - I feel worse than ever (well aware that I am in fact a lot better than when I began so there's that).

The first game, ach, I think move 75 is just well, a losing move. The end where I resigned I ataried from the wrong side but it didn't matter I'd already lost a long while back.

The second game - I don't even know - I just played like I'd won for half the game - after I lived inside his influence, so by not counting or realising he was eeking ahead in points I played slack and ta-da a 10 point win... I even gave up on a group on top thinking it didn't matter.

The third game, move 90 by him and I collapse (though I did spot a neat shortage of liberties to get a bit of it back). How do I defend here? Is my side still so unsecured that I can't expect to keep it at this point? When and where would I have shored it up at some point? Then after 144 by him I also collapse and well, the game is long over but I just play it out...


The Games

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3


I feel like I'm meandering too much of the games.
1) I don't consider the aji in my own position in general, I think my safe spots need reinforcing, I think my unsecured areas are territory
2) I don't read out replies when I play "big" moves, then when my opponent makes an attachment or something I don't expect and I'm stomped as to what to do -
3) I meander in the sense that when everything is safe and solid I can't for the life of me figure out how to evaluate what is big (aka middle-game big moves) and I develop in gote and lose out.
4) When living inside mojos or running I'm also meandering, thinking I'll be fine but not realising what my opponent is getting in return and the aji that arises in other parts of my position.
5) I don't take the time to count... Except maybe when it's too late.

Now, I do read, I actively try to read out - but when everything is too open I don't even see where to start - when it gets down to local fights cuts and crosscuts I can do alright for my level but ah... I'm not at the level I want to be.

Again I'm returning to the idea of getting a teacher. I know I could probably keep at it alone, but it's hard to get my games reviewed consistently by others than myself - and I find the time for reading Go books (let alone playing) kind of hard at the moment, being back at work and my daughter starting kindergarten so maybe a teacher would be more "efficient" timewise than going about it alone - worth trying I figure heh.

[oren]

Again I'm returning to the idea of getting a teacher. I know I could probably keep at it alone, but it's hard to get my games reviewed consistently by others than myself - and I find the time for reading Go books (let alone playing) kind of hard at the moment, being back at work and my daughter starting kindergarten so maybe a teacher would be more "efficient" timewise than going about it alone - worth trying I figure heh.

You can ask for reviews in the L19 room and the KGS Teaching Ladder. For sure, someone in the KGS Teaching Ladder can help.

[dfan]

There's also GoKibitz, which I think deserves more attention than it's gotten.

[Majordomo]

Yeh, GoKibitz looks really nice - I should try it - aaaaaaand done!
https://gokibitz.com/kifu/4Jbjzb2dZ

For those who want to look at the game here:



A game I just played, and finally a win despite massive blundering (three times where I accidentally played a move when reading - I should cut out hovering - it's a crutch! move 4, 61, 191 (the major one heh)). Bit sad I forgot to make it an even game so he played without komi but eh, I don't think it changes things that much.

Hmm, I felt I got pushed around a lot, I ran down my time pretty quickly so when he started poking everywhere I submitted - but were there overplays on his part? Any point where could I have resisted favourably? He overreached himself at one point there though, and my reading there paid off since I got to kill his large dragon to the point where even losing my group there near the end didn't matter. The shape I had at the bottom, as it stood at move 79, it's alive right (it is when I read anyway)? While I have outside liberties at least.

The sequence that followed move 40 was very painful (especially after 49 where lack of reading on the cut cost me) - and a misread altogether on my part. I should have cut with D11 I think. I felt he was ahead after that, until I got the sequence at 97 there where I got into his other potential territory at a low cost.

Anyway, it feels good to win heh, and today I'm also having my first lesson with Thundergod (Peter Marko - https://www.facebook.com/IgowithPepe), so I hope that's something that will keep me focused and continuing to improve at the game!

[Shenoute]

Hello Majordomo,

Just two small comments, I hope they make sense.

pushes from behind and is not needed for black's safety. Since it makes white's weak group noticeably stronger, I'd suggest playing the keima (L14) immediately.

feels terrible, as you saw. By connecting his stones and isolating black's D10 stone, white has become much stronger in this area. This means not only that the area around D8 becomes potential territory for him but also that the J14 group is not that weak anymore. Once C12 is played, the next move for black is to cut at D11 (white D12 in this shape is not an invasion and black should have no trouble keeping his stones at C14 and D10 connected).

[Majordomo]

Thanks for your comments - I agree on move 35 - pushing from behind is something I find myself doing too much of, usually because I misjudge the strength of my group, or because I think it's fine when I'm taking territory (despite opponent getting a perfect outside for example) - Other than - or maybe after L14 - the clamp, is that something that I should consider there instead or as a follow up? or G15 to put pressure on the group from the other side (and then proceed to try and build my left side by running him out to the center / to the right)?

Ye move 41 - I don't know why I feared something like D11, C13 - After that I play B12 and am fine right or do I need / want to take the atari at E12 and aim to cut of the ponnuki?

[dfan]

Yeh, GoKibitz looks really nice - I should try it - aaaaaaand done!
https://gokibitz.com/kifu/4Jbjzb2dZ

Cool! One tip - if your handle in the SGF doesn't match your GoKibitz handle, you should add a comment at the beginning saying which side you're playing, so commenters know who they should give advice to.

[dfan]

Ye move 41 - I don't know why I feared something like D11, C13 - After that I play B12 and am fine right or do I need / want to take the atari at E12 and aim to cut of the ponnuki?

First instinct after D11 C13 is definitely B12, and B13 and D13 are miai. You are much stronger locally here (5 stones to 3); W may get a small concession but this fight is happening on your terms.

[Majordomo]

Ye, spent some more time reading variations there. Well hopefully I won't make the same mistake again in another game heh. Anyway, added just a few comments on the GoKibitz site (just repetition of what's here).

[Majordomo]

Ugh - just a momentary lapse of concentration and ta-da a lost game.




In hindsight there are several misreads in this game, and I'm not sure I played well in the fighting that arose all in all, but if I'm reading it right he's the one who is losing until I play 79 at L8 instead of the hane at M10.

I think 51 should be the cut at M7, and also the sequence at 55 - 61 was a big misread on my part.

Also, I've now had two lessons with Thundergod on KGS - and my assessment is that it's very helpful to have someone stronger point out the weak parts of your game. Besides reading mistakes he identified several instances where I played inconsistent (in terms of strategy), where my imagined "big moves" were in fact slow moves instead, and where I created shape issues for myself that could (and would) later be exploited. So I think a lesson a week will be a good thing - but I also can't slack on tsumego / tesuji which I have been recently (I just finished Jump Level Up 1 - but I should be doing more), nor the playing games part.

[Majordomo]

Ugh... Dead again...

I sought out a handicap game against a stronger player and ended up playing a 1k on 4 stones. Things were going well enough until I decided to blunder away everything. I'd even read it out previously that I'd be fine - but somehow I played it different when he first did it. Stupid not to trust my reading. And maybe stupid not to just play solid and not have to worry at all. The fact that my rating dropped again to 6k is something I try (and fail) not to care about.

I'm really annoyed at these games where I just blunder away everything like this. However, I did try to play more severely / attacking in this game - despite my desire to just take territory when the opportunity presented itself. I think I did middle'ish - and my reading wasn't up to par but I did get some things right I think (direction if not execution maybe?). Anyway - I'd love to hear more severe attacks and variations I could have accomplished. I let him get away with too many things, but without my blunder there at the end I think that I'd be in decent shape come endgame, with a shot at winning. For the game I think my failure in the middle attack where I effectively hand him a bunch of stones and territory was my biggest error beyond the blunder - the others - the seki in the top left and him living in the bottom right were also big mistakes but more directly down to my poor reading.

[EdLee]

I'm really annoyed at these games where I just blunder away everything like this.

Go is extremely unforgiving in this regard.