Hello all and any. I thought I'd plunge into Go exhibitionism with a journal of my experience with Jasiek's
First Fundamentals book. Updates to be posted as I finish each chapter.
Starting level: 14 kyu OGS (live game rank), 13 kyu DGS (correspondence rank)
I plan to study the book one sub-chapter a day (one principle), placing stones on a real goban for most diagrams and considering the issues raised.
I'll make an outline of the chapters and subheadings, adding each subheading as I study it, and to keep this beside me in daily games. I also will try to play one live game a day, with handicap or reverse komi to make chances of winning even. Also during this time I am working Level Up volume 7, which is slowly helping me to improve my reading.
Chapter 1. Choose the Big and Valuable. I was not always sure why areas delineated by x's had the boundaries they did, but figured this wasn't a big issue. There was no question in my mind that the area identified as larger was, in fact, larger. Example 40 called out a couple of groups as weak that surprised me. Still the chapter has 40 examples illustrating the 4 principles in the chapter, and I understood a lot of it. I noted several peripheral questions that might not be relevant to the point being illustrated. This ground seems thoroughly covered.
10/10/2015 – Lost game with 1 handi stone, 14 kyu vs 13 kyu, as white. Tried to apply first three subheadings of chapter 1 to live game and was defeated soundly. I wound up making a lot of influence that I couldn't or didn't know how to use. Actually as I look at the game one day later, I feel like I played stupidly. (
https://online-go.com/game/3016335)
Record: L → -1 net, 0% win
10/11/2015 – Studied Chapter 1, Principle 4. Won game against 1 handi stone, 14 kyu vs 15 kyu, as white. I felt that I was outplayed most of the game but won some points in the endgame. (
https://online-go.com/game/3021275). My outline now has all 4 principles of Chapter 1, though I haven't finished the problems at the end of the chapter.
Record: LW → 0 net, 50% win
10/12/2015 – Did Chapter 1 Problems. Success on problems 1 and 3. Problem 2 answer over my head. I appreciate the result but couldn't do that myself. Problem 4 answer was instructive after I chose the wrong answer.
Won even game 14 kyu vs 14 kyu. Tried to employ Choose the Big and Valuable principles. My opponent made this a fighting game, and it seems my reading was a little better. He did defeat my attempted nose tesuji by turning it into a ko, so that's something for me to look at. Also, he had a big, empty part of the board, while my areas were all invaded. (
https://online-go.com/game/3026585)
< I learned that the tesuji I had in mind is not the nose tesuji. I don't know the name of it. Also, maybe I see where I could've gotten into Black's big area, by avoiding premature endgame.>
Record: LWW → 1 net, 67% win