A beginner's journal of little interest

[oren]

Playing on the iPad was nice, having to manually input the game into GoWrite afterwards was not so good.

Maybe try Tygem or IGS, so you can get the files from a computer client later?

[Boidhre]

Playing on the iPad was nice, having to manually input the game into GoWrite afterwards was not so good.

Maybe try Tygem or IGS, so you can get the files from a computer client later?

I was having a problem with IGS, I had to log into Net Social Plaza to get at the sgf files but when I tried to log into it I got redirected to a page in Japanese asking for a Membership Number. I think this has something to do with some paid newsletter or something. I don't know. Tygem later tonight anyway.

[oren]

I was having a problem with IGS, I had to log into Net Social Plaza to get at the sgf files but when I tried to log into it I got redirected to a page in Japanese asking for a Membership Number. I think this has something to do with some paid newsletter or something. I don't know. Tygem later tonight anyway.

Way back when they had automail which was great. After every game, you would just get your sgf in email. I think it's been disabled though, but someone else can correct me on that.

The net social plaza is working for me right now. I've heard people having the same problems you said though.

Tygem is always fun and tons of players.

[Boidhre]

Way back when they had automail which was great. After every game, you would just get your sgf in email. I think it's been disabled though, but someone else can correct me on that.

The net social plaza is working for me right now. I've heard people having the same problems you said though.

Tygem is always fun and tons of players.

Yeah as far as I know, IGS is paid for in Japan but free internationally, but I'm logging in from an Irish IP so I don't see why this would cause problems.

[Boidhre]

So. Small update.

I haven't been playing much, my sleep was very disturbed for the past week and I felt my concentration was poor and combined with a constant headache playing games wasn't going to happen. I have been doing tsumego, reading some theory (on tsumego) and playing through some commented pro games. All enjoyable things to be doing. It's very nice after a long depression to take a break for an hour and enjoy doing some problems or playing through a game. My actual play at the moment is not pleasing to me, but I suppose if my play ever is very pleasing to me I'll probably have far less interest in doing things to improve.


My son asked to do tsumego. His interest in go has been waxing and waning over the past year, me getting depressed for long periods and not encouraging him either way doesn't help. So I got him Essential Life & Death 1, it has some nice cartoons on the cover and the problems and language used is simple and crucially there's no answers in it which prevents him from cheating. He likes to lay the problems out on the board and play out sequences trying to live or die. He is very much a 30k player at the moment and honestly I don't care if he gets strong or not, I just think it's healthy for a six year old to play something like go or chess. My daughter likes making patterns with the stones, or confidently placing a stone on the first line when I'm playing a game with someone (always the first line for some reason). She's too young at 3 to play the real game I think but as soon as she's a bit older I'll probably teach her how to play.

[Boidhre]

I had a pleasant afternoon meeting with Tom today. Nice chat and a fun game. I got off to a terrible start and pretty much couldn't claw my way back from there, he's at least 3 stones stronger than me now I think, we did play on 4 stones last Sunday but that was a bit one sided and many things died, so we tried three today and he won comfortably. We discussed the game afterwards, there were quite a few plays we both missed to the other person, me more than Tom, and we think it's a timing issue as in, I know X move is big but it's gote, let's try to squeeze in another play in before getting to it and this blowing up in our faces.

My study has been been a bit haphazard of late, I'm doing some tsumego but not consistently enough I think. I keep jumping from doing a couple of life and death problems, to a few endgame problems to some tesuji problems and end up getting fewer done than if I'd decided on one type and stuck with it each day. I'm not getting many games in either which isn't good. However what little I am doing is enjoyable and I feel like my grasp of the game is improving somewhat rather than declining so I can't complain too much.

[Bill Spight]

A couple of comments.

[Boidhre]

Thank you kindly Bill.

[Boidhre]

Just myself and Tom today at the club, we played one blitz game where I took 9 stones and one slow even game. Predictable results in both were achieved. Overall I'm not doing great mentally at the moment, just normal problems rather than illness related I think, I'm not focussing well and I'm not getting much of anything done, obviously this impacts on go related activities. I'm not playing anywhere near enough go but I'm having a lot of fun when I'm playing it so it's ok. This game was a bit of a mess for me, Black was behind from very early on and the gap widened from there, that didn't bother me I was playing even with someone who can give me 3 stones, what got to me was my move selection at certain fairly key points in the game. I played some very slow moves in the midgame and a few absurdly hopeful moves too (sente mirages I tend to think of them as). I tried experimenting with tenuki'ing more in this game and it lead to interesting results. Breaking somewhat more my habit of being, in poker terms, a calling station might be worth a stone for me I think if I can get a better feel for when I'll get away with tenuki.

[EdLee]

Boidhre, especially .

[daal]

What makes you say that you don´t have to connect at ?

[Boidhre]

Thanks Ed.

What makes you say that you don´t have to connect at ?

I don't see a way for white to connect after , connecting is nice for me as it links up my weak group in the centre though.

[daal]

Thanks Ed.

What makes you say that you don´t have to connect at ?

I don't see a way for white to connect after , connecting is nice for me as it links up my weak group in the centre though.

White doesn't have a way to connect, but he does have a way to separate, leaving you both with a weak group to take care of. If you connect, only white has worries.

[Boidhre]

Thanks Ed.

What makes you say that you don´t have to connect at ?

I don't see a way for white to connect after , connecting is nice for me as it links up my weak group in the centre though.

White doesn't have a way to connect, but he does have a way to separate, leaving you both with a weak group to take care of. If you connect, only white has worries.

True.

[Boidhre]

There's a Go tournament on in Ireland this weekend, I really want to go. The issue is my sleep cycle has gone into this lunatic 24 hours awake, 12-14 hours asleep cycle and I don't know how long it will last for. I may need to take my psychiatrist up on a referral to a sleep specialist. My sleep is sufficiently bad that I worry that I won't be able to participate in the tournament properly or socialise properly (which is half of the reason to go in the first place for me).

I don't know, I pretty much have to decide today if I'm going to be able to book or arrange accommodation at a reasonable price for the weekend.