dumbrope's holistic study journal

dumbrope · #1

I'll post my games in game analysis from now on instead of here or on this thread, which is too server-specific. This thread is for progress reports and general musing.

You may ask: what is a holistic study journal? By this I mean that at this stage in my life, any improvement at go I can seek is necessarily intertwined with other aspects of life. In particular, I don't know if it is possible or wise to separate my go pursuits from, say my health goals. I lose so many games due to lack of concentration or due to fatigue, etc. that I'm fairly certain that being in better shape would improve at least some of my games. No one has really said it better than Hans Pietsch in this interview where he talks about what he was taught by Kobayashi Chizu:

Quote:

Hans: Not only advice on go technique, but also about how to live my life day to day. For example how to do my household chores. She always found out when I did my chores badly like vacuuming, dish washing. Then she saw right away that the game on the next weekend would not be good. And she was always right. The concentration on the things you do in your life away from the board is also important. You have to concentrate on everything you do and follow a goal. Satoru said the same thing. Even when he goes out to eat, he has a goal. It can be something small like today I want to talk much or drink a lot. There is always a small goal. Eventually, 100% of the way you live your everyday life reappears on the go board.

I don't think I'm going to report on the status of my laundry unless I really think it's interfering with my go. But lack of sleep, physical condition I think are important considerations up front.

Like some of the Russian chess schools, I'm just going to spend a couple of weeks creating habits to get in better physical shape, though less intense than I think those diehards are.

Goals to review progress on 2013-09-30, two weeks from now:

Exercise 1 hour per day, 5 days per week. (I won't hurt myself at this level since I've resumed exercise many times before from sedentary to this level.) This will be challenging as I will be travelling one of those weeks.
Record quantity of sleep per day each day the 1st week. Attempt to increase sleep to at least 7 hours per night or until natural, refreshed waking---whichever is longer---by end of 2nd week. This is also a stretch goal. I can hardly recall a time when I had a week of good sleep.

Honestly if I can't do this, it's hard to imagine any go improvement.

Suggestions are welcome. I'll try to be open-minded.

SoDesuNe · #2

dumbrope wrote:

Goals to review progress on 2013-09-30, two weeks from now:

Exercise 1 hour per day, 5 days per week. (I won't hurt myself at this level since I've resumed exercise many times before from sedentary to this level.) This will be challenging as I will be travelling one of those weeks.

I don't know what your Status Quo is but exercising 1 hour per day is pretty intense to just get in better shape. Though I also don't know what you mean by "exercising" ^^
I went to the gym three times a week for 1.5 hours each a while back and I ended up pretty athletic. Nowadays I'm content if I go for a half an hour walk a day and swimming once a week. YMMV of course =)

What I found pretty helpful as well is solving problems for half an hour straight. In my opinion this works best with books because you can take them to a quite place, where you can work without disturbance. For me this helped with focussing and keeping patient and calm.

PeterN · #3

Got to second what SoDesuNe said there, an hour's exercise each day is a lot for just getting in better shape. Never really considered this aspect before so I'll watch this with interest and wish you the best of luck. :tmbup:

For books though I like the idea of doing them in not so quiet places, if you can focus through that you should be able to focus in a game.

PeterN

dumbrope · #4

Code:

Date          Weight (kg)    Sleep (hrs)   Notes
2013-09-17    79.0           5.5           (For me that's BMI = 25.4, and I'm not Batman, so some work ahead.  Sleep poor due to allergies.)

dumbrope · #5

SoDesuNe wrote:

I don't know what your Status Quo is but exercising 1 hour per day is pretty intense to just get in better shape.

It depends on intensity, I guess. For me, we're talking about 500-600 kcal expenditure, max, in that hour, less if it's mostly strength training. I include any warm-up or cool down in this, but that's only a few minutes. In the past, I've found that after a couple of months of doing this I can decrease the length of the workout and increase the intensity, but if I start out knackered I can't keep up the schedule.

There used to be this guideline to exercise 30 minutes three times a week. I think some health organizations have bumped that up in recent years. While better than sitting on the couch, I never found that to have much effect for me. I think everyone has a threshold beyond which they get results. Because I also want to lose weight, the effort has be higher than if I only had to maintain my existing weight.

dumbrope · #6

Reset. I totally failed. Trying again.

dumbrope · #7

A new game, my first in many months. I am so rusty. Only 101 moves. I have commented points where I have questions.

EdLee · #8

Hi dr,

did you consider any other local moves ?

Knotwilg · #9

Hi

Highlights:

:w20:

you pressured a safe group at the bottom and lost sente
:w50:

bad shape allowed Black to strengthen himself in sente
:w64:

pressuring the lower side once more lost sente again, while you should have cut/attacked the groups at the upper right
:w92:

another threat against Black's super strong group was ignored and Black settled things actively on the right side

From these highlights it is easy to derive a theme: "are my moves really sente"?

Black had a sharp, greedy attitude in this game. It was a good game so I wouldn't be too disappointed.

dumbrope · **#10**

EdLee wrote:

Hi dr,

did you consider any other local moves ?

Well, I considered some less effective moves, but now I see that simply connecting at d5 is at least sente. I could have spent a little more time at this spot.

EdLee · **#11**

Hi dr,

Do you see any other local candidate ?

dumbrope · **#12**

EdLee wrote:

Hi dr,

Do you see any other local candidate ?

Well, you made me spend another half an hour looking now and I am sincerely thankful for the prodding. There are some possibilities attaching at 'a' (C10) that are beyond my level to read out in my head and 'b' (B4) reduces more in gote than the game move 'g'. I know moves like 'g' are usually bad style. The move at 'c' I ruled out instantly.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . X X O . . . X . . X . . . X . | $$ | . . . X . O O . . , . . . . O O . . . | $$ | . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . O O O O . . . . . . . . . O O X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . a , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . c . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . g O . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . b . X X X O . . , . . . . . O . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X O O . . . . X . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

EdLee · **#13**

dumbrope wrote:

I know moves like 'g' are usually bad style.

So close. Keep trying.

dumbrope · **#14**

@Knotwilg: thank you for your comments. Your alternative for :w64:

I did consider but I didn't imagine your follow-up.

Uberdude · **#15**

I don't know what Ed is trying to suggest is a better move either. But I like this way best, get territory rather than connecting on dame (maybe black doesn't play 6 yet to save for a ko threat, though probably should do 4 as white there is kind of annoying almost sente):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$W Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . X X O . . . X . . X . . . X . | $$ | . . . X . O O . . , . . . . O O . . . | $$ | . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . O O O O . . . . . . . . . O O X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 2 O X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . 1 O 6 . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . 7 X X X O . . , . . . . . O . . . | $$ | . . 3 . X . X O O . . . . X . . X . . | $$ | . . 5 4 . X . X . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Edit: actually black can do this to make white's corner smaller so he has to connect out (as 9 as descent in the corner can't live even with one more move after black cuts):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$W Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . X X O . . . X . . X . . . X . | $$ | . . . X . O O . . , . . . . O O . . . | $$ | . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . O O O O . . . . . . . . . O O X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 2 O X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . 1 O 9 . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 5 4 X X X O . . , . . . . . O . . . | $$ | . . 3 . X . X O O . . . . X . . X . . | $$ | . 7 6 8 . X . X . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Or there's this for excitement which seems to be a ko:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$W Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . X X O . . . X . . X . . . X . | $$ | . . . X . O O . . , . . . . O O . . . | $$ | . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . O O O O . . . . . . . . . O O X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 2 O X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . 1 O . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 7 6 X X X O . . , . . . . . O . . . | $$ | . 8 3 . X . X O O . . . . X . . X . . | $$ | 0 4 5 . . X . X . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Knotwilg · **#16**

In my opinion :w54:

is not the issue in that sequence. I pointed to an alternative :w50:

before, which handles the situation with good shape. Of course, any move can be subject to discussion but it's :w50:

that creates bad shape, not :w54:

Uberdude · **#17**

@Knotwilg; For sure your table shape for 50 is better and avoids the problem of the cut. I would also think about solid connect of c6 as, although it's weaker around e6, I don't want to give black b7 for maximum attacking possibilities on the c9 group (b10 shape attack for example). If black does cut white at e6 it's not a big deal as the b4 slide and b9 attach give white eyespace inside. I think the point about white not wanting to connect on dame is an important one though, as white's outside group is healthy and there's space inside (and indeed taking away black's corner territory is nice).

Here is my plan to deal with the cut, should black stubbornly persist with that idea (he's do better not to!). Not only does white live, but black's left side group is dying.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc Position at move 50 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . X X O . . . X . . X . . . X . | $$ | . . . X . O O . . , . . . . O O . . . | $$ | . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . O O O O . . . . . . . . . O O X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . b . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . a X . O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . c . X . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O X 4 O . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . 1 O 2 . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . 6 3 O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 7 . X X X O . . , . . . . . O . . . | $$ | . 9 8 . X . X O O . . . . X . . X . . | $$ | . 0 . . . X . X . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

dumbrope's holistic study journal

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