Life In 19x19

Seven months ago I started to take on my local 3 Dan (QQQ rated). He learnt go in China over a period of years. Earlier threads show how badly stuffed I got.

I played about 50 games with him online, (Ogs and a private server - DGS based). We play live 3 times a week where he shouts at me a lot. Passes for teaching I think.

I also played loads of willing 1-5 kyus on OGS. Often with minimum handicap. I have the highest loss to win ratio on OGS I think..everyone beats me. I payed 209 games there..

Usually I solve problems at a rate of about 5 a day.. no big deal.

I was preparing to resign this game - then move 134 -140 happened:

[sgf-full](;FF[4]GM[1]PC[Online Go.com: http://www.online-go.com]
GC[Game ID: 284733]
GN[Dr Bobs MT]
DT[2011-06-05,2011-07-02]
PB[fatboy]
PW[drbob]
BR[1 dan]
WR[14 kyu]
OT[1 days / move]
CP[Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported]EV[OGS Minitournament: Dr Bobs MT]
RE[W+R]
SZ[19]
KM[6.5]
RU[Japanese]
HA[0]
;B[pd]
;W[dp]
;B[pq]
;W[dd]
;B[qo]
;W[kq]
;B[cf]
;W[fd]
;B[dj]
;W[gq]
;B[cq]
;W[dq]
;B[cp]
;W[co]
;B[bo]
;W[cn]
;B[bn]
;W[cl]
;B[bm]
;W[cm]
;B[dr]
;W[er]
;B[cr]
;W[ic]
;B[pj]
;W[md]
;B[qg]
;W[ch]
;B[dh]
;W[ce]
;B[bf]
;W[be]
;B[ci]
;W[df]
;B[dg]
;W[ef]
;B[oc]
;W[mb]
;B[mq]
;W[lp]
;B[jp]
;W[ln]
;B[hp]
;W[jq]
;B[jn]
;W[hq]
;B[gn]
;W[ho]
;B[io]
;W[hn]
;B[gp]
;W[hm]
;B[go]
;W[il]
;B[km]
;W[mm]
;B[eq]
;W[fp]
;B[ep]
;W[do]
;B[fq]
;W[fo]
;B[eo]
;W[fn]
;B[en]
;W[fm]
;B[fr]
;W[gm]
;B[ip]
;W[iq]
;B[kk]
;W[ki]
;B[ml]
;W[om]
;B[nl]
;W[nm]
;B[mj]
;W[mh]
;B[no]
;W[gr]
;B[em]
;W[dk]
;B[ck]
;W[el]
;B[fk]
;W[fl]
;B[gk]
;W[ij]
;B[ek]
;W[dl]
;B[jj]
;W[ii]
;B[hl]
;W[hk]
;B[gl]
;W[im]
;B[ji]
;W[jh]
;B[ih]
;W[hh]
;B[ig]
;W[hg]
;B[hf]
;W[jg]
;B[if]
;W[fg]
;B[jf]
;W[lg]
;B[jc]
;W[kd]
;B[gc]
;W[he]
;B[id]
;W[ie]
;B[hd]
;W[je]
;B[eb]
;W[db]
;B[ec]
;W[dc]
;B[mo]
;W[lo]
;B[lr]
;W[kr]
;B[is]
;W[ks]
;B[gs]
;W[oo]
;B[oq]
;W[qn]
;B[po]
;W[pn]
;B[ql]
;W[pk]
;B[qk]
;W[ok]
;B[qi]
;W[nj]
;B[ni]
;W[mi]
;B[nk]
;W[oj]
;B[lj]
;W[kf]
;B[ol]
;W[pl]
;B[oi]
;W[pm]
;B[lm]
;W[mn]
;B[jk]
;W[ik]
;B[jl]
;W[ll]
;B[mk]
;W[li]
;B[kp]
;W[lq]
;B[ko]
;W[kn]
;B[gi]
;W[gf]
;B[ae]
;W[ad]
;B[af]
;W[bc]
;B[da]
;W[ca]
;B[ea]
;W[cb]
;B[kc]
;W[lc]
;B[bl]
;W[rn]
;B[nb]
;W[sq]
;B[ro]
;W[so]
;B[rq]
;W[sr]
;B[rp]
;W[sp]
;B[sm]
;W[sn]
;B[nd]
;W[pf]
;B[og]
;W[ne]
;B[oe]
;W[nf]
;B[of]
;W[lb]
;B[op]
;W[ia]
;N[RESULT]
C[Result: W+R
]

)[/sgf-full]

OK it's a statistical anomaly and probably says more about how OC I am than anything and how far his will to live is giving out .. but I won....

Before anyone chips in. Yes it was a sucker punch I was well and truely grilled until 130 onwards..

Are you sure he's 3d? There are a lot of odd moves in that semeai that don't make sense. For example, move 153 at M9 is simple, easy life. I'm probably being unreasonable, it's far easier to miss these things in the heat of the game, it just seems rather odd that he blundered and misread so badly more than once when it was a clearly tricky race requiring some careful reading.

Sure?... He's 3 dan on QQQ.. and seems to hold it there. But there are other things. I think when you play someone of my standard. Your guard drops and possibly boredom makes you play slack. He may have even been drunk at key points

He does actually play quite regularly against strong players.. He has two friends - one of whom won some Chinese provincial cup and claims 5 dan so its not as though he's rusty.

Do I care if he's 3 Dan?... nope.... He's just a lot better than me... If you want Graham .. I'll set up a game between you two.. then you can judge . He might move up a gear...

yep.. I agree with m9... at the time I went "what?"... maybe his kid was playing online for him

HA HA.... I just go a message from him over the inbox on OGS

"its your lucky day.
my 153th hand should have gone to M9."

Hehe, sorry, I don't mean to undervalue him or your result at all, it's quite an achievement, it's just there are lots of things that seem funny to me. For example:

White 122 @ J18 looks suspiciously like it kills (although the bottom fight is pretty urgent, I admit, and it's hard to know whether he'd have gone back there or not later).
Black 137 @ R11 is better at P10, no? That cut he's protected doesn't even work.
Black 143 @ M7 seems required, or White 144 @ M7 seems to kill
White 150 @ M8 kills
Black 151 @ M9 lives
White 152 @ M8 kills
Black 153 @ M9 lives
White 174 @ J18 kills

Maybe he was just having an off day

A 3 dan got bored of crushing someone 49 games in a row, so on the 50th game he crushed him again but then "forgot" to make life.

topazg wrote:Are you sure he's 3d? ...

I agree with Topazg's suspicion. The whole lower left corner seems dubious for black.

Nonetheless, congratulations on the win.

Apologies for my ignorance, but what does QQQ mean? The sgf says that he's 1d...

too many q's.. it,s qq.com. Chinese site with gaming arm.

His middle moves were off.. which he is clearly annoyed about judging by his no mercy approach to our current games.

Interestingly I see to play better against him live. Not that I've won yet but the games are more marginal and he is counting more than he was..

jts wrote:Apologies for my ignorance, but what does QQQ mean? The sgf says that he's 1d...

Well on OGS he's now 1 kyu!!!! He's only ever played me, the rank was a provisional which because of OGS peculiarities in ranking got converted.

Ranking is all very nice but in go it does seem very flaky in places which doesn't help with credibility at the best of times.

Many years ago as a lowly 9 kyu in Judo I pulled off a Kata Guruma against a 2nd Dan and by all accounts it was a pretty certain ippon.:

http://judoinfo.com/images/animations/b ... guruma.htm

It was dumb luck but the rolls of laughter across the dojo and the look he gave me - shudders - lets say I avoided him in free fighting as much as I could thereafter..

Also not to take away from the win, but QQ is sort of like Yahoo in terms of playing Go :p

Of course, holding 300+ (apparently 3d per their conversion) there is all the more impressive given the nature of the wild ranking system and turbulent player base

Edit: Hehe, just saw a post regarding QQ - three Chinese amateur 5d had some difficulties getting to QQ 3d for a while. Partly due to the common slow time setting, partly due to the difficulty in getting enough points from wins, and partly from losing games XD