Game after hiatus

[Jujube]

Played a game today, I've commented on it, please do add your own comments and pointers to help me improve.

I've been away from Go for some time. I've started doing tsumego again recently. Hoping to get to 5 kyu on KGS (it's a more reasonable goal than 1 dan. Small steps).

Thanks!

[EdLee]

Hi Jujube,

Why ?

In your var, @ S17 is strange -- either S18 tiger's mouth, or R18 connect. S17 means B can cut off W with P18. Your var's @ S16 also strange -- B would P18.

, Misread or misclick ?

Seems not urgent.

Very slow.

Doesn't do much.

Both B & W slow moves here.

I also like your var better than your game move.

B2 ?

[Jujube]

Hi Jujube,

Why ?

We're told to "connect your own stones, separate the opponent's" in every beginner's go book, and every go book that mentions the fundamentals, probably. I was following the advice too literally. Maybe go books should word it like this: "connect your stones and separate the opponent's, unless your groups are already settled, or the opponent's groups are already settled, or if there are more urgent points to play elsewhere, or if the sequence is smaller than keeping sente".

, Misread or misclick ?

Misread. I thought that you had to play a small knight's move in this corner sequence. I thought I would be able to cut through it. Then when I realised I couldn't, I played so that White would have to crawl on the second line. I wanted to keep building strength on the right side.

B2 ?

B2 seemed small. But I guess it's my sente so I can exchange B2 before playing away.

In a general sense, I found White's influence quite scary. You say the sequence of moves at 62, 64 and 66 are slow - wouldn't White get too much strength in the centre if I were to play elsewhere? What would you have done (imagining that you were possibly drunk and playing at my level in order that you end up in this situation to begin with)...

[EdLee]

We're told ( traps ) in every beginner's go book

From and your notes at ,
it seems there's some significant un-learning and re-learning ahead.

Please see also post 83 and post 10 .

Excerpt from Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go, p. 11:

After you have learned the rules, your first step should be just to play for a while...
During this period, if you see an enemy stone, try to capture it, try to cut it off.
If you see a friendly stone, try to save it from capture, try to connect it.
Concentrate on this alone as you build up some practical experience.

Some beginners may see this:

After you have learned the rules, your first step should be just to play for a while...
During this period, if you see an enemy stone, try to capture it, try to cut it off.
If you see a friendly stone, try to save it from capture, try to connect it.
Concentrate on this alone as you build up some practical experience.

Some more experienced people/teachers may see this:

After you have learned the rules, your first step should be just to experiment...
During this period, if you see an enemy stone, experiment.
If you see a friendly stone, experiment.
Concentrate on this alone as you build up some practical experience.

[Jujube]

Mmm, very interesting points.

I think the lesson for today is: not to follow advice blindly.

It's difficult to eloquently expand on that idea without falling into a paradox. (You must follow no advice. Which means you can't follow advice to follow no advice. Which means you can follow advice. But you were told to follow no advice. Ad infinitum).

I think (and here I'm attempting to not make a list) look at the board and see if you can play the move you want to play, weighted by past games, patterns, principles and calculation. Don't play a move just because you saw it mentioned in a book once that it was 'always correct'.

I'll try and apply that in my next games.

Oh and by the way, I've just bought the Jump Level Up series and I'm working my way through them. I think you'll like them Ed, they are full of structured problems divided into different bits of the game and specifically targeted at appropriate levels. They are very big on tsumego and calculation and very sparse on words. So basically learning by doing, not learning by consuming advice that has been translated from Japanese but not really done in a helpful way.