I just lost 5 games in a row. Should I quit Go?

negapesuo · Post by **negapesuo** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:38 am

It's pretty much the end of the world. Armageddon as we know it. I'm supposed to be getting better not worse, and I had so much momentum going upwards, and then.... THIS HAPPENS.

Always wondered how a person would be the same rank in kyu year after year, but I guess this is how it happens.

hyperpape · Post by **hyperpape** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:07 pm

I recently lost something like 9 out of 10 games. I'd been slowly improving over the course of several years, and seem to have regressed a bit.

bogiesan · Post by **bogiesan** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:33 pm

I have never won a game against the club’s top (3kyu to 1d-ish) player. I don’t even know what he’s doing most of the time. In the forty or more years I’ve been playing, I’ve quit go three times. So, yes, based on my experience, you should quit and sell your equipment. Give it a rest for a few years and you can start up again.

Tryss · Post by **Tryss** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:47 pm

If you have 50% chance to win each game, you'll get a serie of 5 loss (or more) every somthing like 60 games on average.

jlt · Post by **jlt** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:56 pm

Park Junghwan lost 6 games in a row in 2011 and didn't quit Go.

: Capture.PNG (53.7 KiB) Viewed 11138 times

kj01a · Post by **kj01a** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:15 pm

My biggest losing streak is 23 games in a row. Losing is not a reason to quit!

gowan · Post by **gowan** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 2:52 pm

It is said that we learn more from games we lose than from games we win. Think about your attitude when playing. If you are anxious when you lose a couple of games in a row you might be trying to win too hard and falling prey to self-serving reading. If you are playing blitz games, most likely when playing with someone your own rank it is effectively tossing a coin. In any case don't quit. Actually rank is not important. It is important to be present mentally when you play and enjoying the game.

ez4u · Post by **ez4u** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 5:43 pm

If you have to ask...

Bill Spight · Post by **Bill Spight** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:00 pm

ez4u wrote:If you have to ask...

The answer is YES.

Post by **Joaz Banbeck** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:41 pm

ez4u wrote:If you have to ask...

...the answer is clearly no.

Bill Spight · Post by **Bill Spight** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:46 am

Seriously, IMO one of the virtues of go is the handicapping system, which is good enough that players of widely disparate abilities can play games where each player has about a 50:50 chance of winning.

That makes games more interesting, and provides a good challenge for advancing players. OC, under such conditions, losing or winning 5 games in a row is not unusual.

MikeKyle · Post by **MikeKyle** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:30 am

I know it doesn't feel great but sincerely I think this is the worst time for you to quit go.
When I loose a few in a row it's often a sign that the concepts I understand the game by are shifting around a bit (of course it can also be just chance.) These times are very frequently close to the times where I'm playing my most ambitious and exciting go!

Mike Novack · Post by **Mike Novack** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 11:12 am

MikeKyle wrote:...... (of course it can also be just chance.) .......

Do NOT forget always to keep this in mind. It already has been pointed out that even if your chances of winning are 50% you should expect a run of five losses every now and again. You might be surprised if you did the math, but even if you were favored to win 55% to 45% a run of five losses not all that unlikely.

Kirby · Post by **Kirby** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 4:50 pm

Don't worry about a losing streak - we all have them. A frog crouches before leaping forward

Post by **Joaz Banbeck** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:49 am

negapesuo wrote:It's pretty much the end of the world. Armageddon as we know it. I'm supposed to be getting better not worse, and I had so much momentum going upwards, and then.... THIS HAPPENS...

Five?
In his book, 'Get Strong At Excuses', Bozulich says that you need at least ten losses in a row.

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I just lost 5 games in a row. Should I quit Go?

I just lost 5 games in a row. Should I quit Go?

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Re: I just lost 5 games in a row. Should I quit Go?

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Re: I just lost 5 games in a row. Should I quit Go?