Life In 19x19

I have just been looking at the Malkovich section of the forum, and it looks like a great learning resource. But with 180 games now available, I am not sure how to find ones that would be particularly good for beginners, say in the 20k-30k range. I am thinking that they would be the ones with more commentary than average, particularly explaining the more basic ideas that would be taken for granted by most players (and therefore skipped over in the commentary). Can anyone remember any games which would be good to follow?

I would recommend one of topagz's games (not the one against me) he has really good commentary.

Check out some of Araban's games. He is very good at invoking general principles as goals to guide his play.

The absolute best games in that forum are the three-game series between Violence and Magicwand

Game 1:
http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... f=37&t=732

Game 2:
http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... f=37&t=819

Game 3:
http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... f=37&t=932


See also:
http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... =37&t=3403

Also Chew vs Fwiffo http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... f=37&t=950 had some good comments.

jts wrote:The absolute best games in that forum are the three-game series between Violence and Magicwand

I agree that Magicwand's games are very entertaining, but I'm not sure they are the best thing for a beginner to be studying.

I second the recommendation for big brother malkovich, and I'll also add a recommendation for the Rengo Malkovich game. It's a great read, and you get an assessment of almost every move by a SDK, a low dan and a mid dan.

I agree that Magicwand's games are very entertaining, but I'm not sure they are the best thing for a beginner to be studying...

They are definitely not beginner material. They are short on comments, and very short of beginner-level comments.

Pace Joaz, I don't imagine the best reason to read Malkovich games is to get good comments, beginner-level or otherwise. I can't imagine that learning to think about Go the way I think about Go would be a very good way for a beginner to reach mid-kyu level. We can say of amateurs trying to learn by aping other amateurs, "They give you all the faults they had/And add some extra, just for you." I remember, Joaz, when I was 15k or so, you reviewed my games and emphasized very, very basic concepts, which was helpful. If you had reviewed my games with an eye to getting me to play exactly the way you play in every particular, I'm sure that I would have all the faults that I developed on my own, plus a few extra misconceptions unique to you.

I would say a beginner should read Malkovich games for inspiration. They're exciting. The good ones get you fired up about go.
It's the same with other subjects. How many people genuinely care about the minutiae of people marching around southern Pennsylvania and shooting each other? Who wants to read about the sordid details of the dynastic crises of medieval England? Who could possibly care about the legal troubles of an unemployed semi-vagrant - let alone an unemployed semi-vagrant of the 5th c. BC? Who wants to know more about the life and times of the director of a federal science initiative? Well, if you slap on some light fictionalization and work a bit on character development, the answer is "a lot of people".

My own game: http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... =37&t=6160


My comments are admittedly not that great (though Hyperpape's may be very good), but it's an ongoing, exciting (in my opinion) game and I would be more than happy to answer any questions.