Hushfield's Study Journal
Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:43 am
Hi, I am Hushfield. I would like to be a better go player. Not just stronger. Better. Currently, I have multiple accounts on KGS. I use my main account, Hushfield [6k], for serious games and KGS Plus. Fear of losing and streaks of angry games without thinking have led to me also creating some other accounts on KGS. On those accounts, I sometimes find myself resigning and leaving instantly, not saying thank you to my opponent, or even arguing with people. From this day on, I will leave those accounts gathering virtual dust. Impatience and anger are not characteristics which help one improve.
The following will be my plan:
Phase 1: Fundamentals
My goal is to acquire a firm grasp of the fundamentals, as well as broader experience through playing many serious games. After playing go on and off for about 3 years and consulting various sources on this, I believe that in order to become a better player, one needs a very strong base to build on. I believe this base consists of solid reading ability and being truthful to the fundamentals (e.g. cutting and connecting, the struggle to get ahead, good shape). Also I will work tirelessly to cultivate a calm mind before, during and after a game, so that one day, I won't have to, but this will just be my natural mode of being. I want to be good-mannered all the time.
I don't know how far this training can take me. I hope this will make me at least several stones stronger, and that should eventually be reflected in a ranking of KGS 4k-2k. It's hard to put numbers on this, because I have never been a KGS 4k or 2k. I have no idea how strong that is. I also have no idea how long that will take. I do believe, however, that study of the fundamentals can get me (far) beyond my current level.
Training Program
Weekly
- Do a lot of tsumego, following Benjamin Teuber's method of not looking at the answers ever. I firmly believe in this method.
- Play at least 4 serious games a week, if possible more.
- Analyze each game played, and discuss this analysis with stronger players.
- Take two days a week of absolutely no go study. No books, no games, no tsumego. Being human is a good thing. I burned out on go before. Overkill is not desirable.
Daily:
- Tsumego (between 30 and 60 minutes)
- Read, and try to completely understand one chapter from one of the basic texts mentioned under study material.
- Work towards target of playing at least 4 serious games a week
- Work towards target of analyzing my own games and discussing these with stronger players
- Meditate for 20 minutes (this is the only exercise I will perform on non-go days.)
Study Materials
Tsumego:
- Kanô, Yoshinori: Graded Go Problems for Beginners, (vols.2 – 4)
- Yi, Ch'ang-ho: Selected Life and Death Go Problems (vols. 1 – 6)
- Chô, Chikun: Encyclopedia of Life and Death (elementary, intermediate and advanced)
- Maeda, Nobuaki: “Life and Death: Intermediate Level”
- Bozulich, Richard: “Five Hundred and One Tesuji Problems”
Books:
Kageyama, Toshirô: “Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go"
Davies, James: “Life and Death”
Davies, James: “Tesuji”
Things I will not do:
I will not play blitz games. This one required tough deliberation, because I keep hearing that blitz games sharpen your intuition, which sounds like a perfect fit for ingraining the fundamentals in my play. However, I can't deal with the pressure. I get angry. I play moves I know to be bad. Therefore I will refrain from playing blitz games for the time being.
Because this study program emphasizes one's own ability, and learning things for oneself through reading and experimenting in games, I will also refrain from studying pro games and joseki. Pro games are a great exhibition of staying true to the fundamentals, and both pro games and joseki are important study materials for maturing as a go player. However, both also tend to instill shallow imitation in weaker players like myself, and this is opposite to what this program tries to achieve. That is exactly why I don't want to look at the solutions of tsumego.
On go days, this program takes around 3 hours, making for around 15 hours of study a week (games included). I am shocked at how much that is. Yet, I am determined to put in the effort. Go can be an unforgiving lover at times, but I'm head over heels, so what choice do I have?
Study journals are quite selfish things. I cannot offer you much in return for reading this or helping me on my way, except for being absolutely honest. In particular, if any of you have some advice for me or would like to comment on some of my game analyses, that would be greatly appreciated. All I can offer in return is to do the same for players weaker than me that are looking for such services.
I would like to thank SoDesuNe, fwiffo, Benjamin Teuber and Dieter Verhofstadt (my teacher) for providing me with examples on which to model this training program, and I would like to thank you for reading.
Cheers,
Hushfield
The following will be my plan:
Phase 1: Fundamentals
My goal is to acquire a firm grasp of the fundamentals, as well as broader experience through playing many serious games. After playing go on and off for about 3 years and consulting various sources on this, I believe that in order to become a better player, one needs a very strong base to build on. I believe this base consists of solid reading ability and being truthful to the fundamentals (e.g. cutting and connecting, the struggle to get ahead, good shape). Also I will work tirelessly to cultivate a calm mind before, during and after a game, so that one day, I won't have to, but this will just be my natural mode of being. I want to be good-mannered all the time.
I don't know how far this training can take me. I hope this will make me at least several stones stronger, and that should eventually be reflected in a ranking of KGS 4k-2k. It's hard to put numbers on this, because I have never been a KGS 4k or 2k. I have no idea how strong that is. I also have no idea how long that will take. I do believe, however, that study of the fundamentals can get me (far) beyond my current level.
Training Program
Weekly
- Do a lot of tsumego, following Benjamin Teuber's method of not looking at the answers ever. I firmly believe in this method.
- Play at least 4 serious games a week, if possible more.
- Analyze each game played, and discuss this analysis with stronger players.
- Take two days a week of absolutely no go study. No books, no games, no tsumego. Being human is a good thing. I burned out on go before. Overkill is not desirable.
Daily:
- Tsumego (between 30 and 60 minutes)
- Read, and try to completely understand one chapter from one of the basic texts mentioned under study material.
- Work towards target of playing at least 4 serious games a week
- Work towards target of analyzing my own games and discussing these with stronger players
- Meditate for 20 minutes (this is the only exercise I will perform on non-go days.)
Study Materials
Tsumego:
- Kanô, Yoshinori: Graded Go Problems for Beginners, (vols.2 – 4)
- Yi, Ch'ang-ho: Selected Life and Death Go Problems (vols. 1 – 6)
- Chô, Chikun: Encyclopedia of Life and Death (elementary, intermediate and advanced)
- Maeda, Nobuaki: “Life and Death: Intermediate Level”
- Bozulich, Richard: “Five Hundred and One Tesuji Problems”
Books:
Kageyama, Toshirô: “Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go"
Davies, James: “Life and Death”
Davies, James: “Tesuji”
Things I will not do:
I will not play blitz games. This one required tough deliberation, because I keep hearing that blitz games sharpen your intuition, which sounds like a perfect fit for ingraining the fundamentals in my play. However, I can't deal with the pressure. I get angry. I play moves I know to be bad. Therefore I will refrain from playing blitz games for the time being.
Because this study program emphasizes one's own ability, and learning things for oneself through reading and experimenting in games, I will also refrain from studying pro games and joseki. Pro games are a great exhibition of staying true to the fundamentals, and both pro games and joseki are important study materials for maturing as a go player. However, both also tend to instill shallow imitation in weaker players like myself, and this is opposite to what this program tries to achieve. That is exactly why I don't want to look at the solutions of tsumego.
On go days, this program takes around 3 hours, making for around 15 hours of study a week (games included). I am shocked at how much that is. Yet, I am determined to put in the effort. Go can be an unforgiving lover at times, but I'm head over heels, so what choice do I have?
Study journals are quite selfish things. I cannot offer you much in return for reading this or helping me on my way, except for being absolutely honest. In particular, if any of you have some advice for me or would like to comment on some of my game analyses, that would be greatly appreciated. All I can offer in return is to do the same for players weaker than me that are looking for such services.
I would like to thank SoDesuNe, fwiffo, Benjamin Teuber and Dieter Verhofstadt (my teacher) for providing me with examples on which to model this training program, and I would like to thank you for reading.
Cheers,
Hushfield
Although I'm some stones stronger I do plenty of mistakes, so take everything with a grain of salt ^-^
is too close to the side hoshi stone. You already have a pincer in place, so there is no need to add another.
is even worse, Black should play a double approach or simply take the corner: