The Start Of A New Journey (Plan To Become Pro)

[hailthorn011]

So my day or two of rest proved to be more of a detriment than beneficial. I've lost games worse than I did before I left! However, I'm keeping myself in a positive state of mind. At this level, it's all about improving, learning, and overall just getting better. Sometimes it's easier to have this point of view, and sometimes far more difficult.

And yes, I lost my 6k ranking since returning as well. That sucked. But I can get back there. So no more slacking for me!

So this week I fully aim to get back on track and (finally) continue reading Attack And Defense. And of course I need to re-lose the habit of playing fast. Obviously this is why I've had such a bad turn lately, and I stated this in a previous post. I just can't play well in fast mode anymore.

Mainly, I'm going to take my time in fuseki and properly plan my moves from now on. As I'll be participating in the Tygem Pro Prelims and the CGA League, I really need to get into top form.

It's just crazy how fast momentum can shift. When sportscasters talk about it, I always thought they were crazy, but there might be some legitimacy to it.

Either way, my goals for today are these:

Play 2 Serious Games
Re-Read Chapter 1 Of Attack And Defense
Review both of my serious games
2 half hour blocks of tsumego

From now on, I'll be keeping a daily update on my activities. I'll post in the morning and say what my plans are, and post whether or not I succeeded in the evening.

Now that my sleep schedule is back on track, this should be relatively easy. So that's it for now, folks. Have a nice day!

[stalkor]

just a small suggestion, try to fit in daily exercise every day to keep not only healthy but also build stamina for long matches. this might sound irrelevant but this is probably just as important as learning go.

go run or play some ballgame or something:)

[hailthorn011]

just a small suggestion, try to fit in daily exercise every day to keep not only healthy but also build stamina for long matches. this might sound irrelevant but this is probably just as important as learning go.

go run or play some ballgame or something:)

And what do you think I'm doing when not playing Go?

[stalkor]

just a small suggestion, try to fit in daily exercise every day to keep not only healthy but also build stamina for long matches. this might sound irrelevant but this is probably just as important as learning go.

go run or play some ballgame or something:)

And what do you think I'm doing when not playing Go?

i dont DARE to guess

[hailthorn011]

just a small suggestion, try to fit in daily exercise every day to keep not only healthy but also build stamina for long matches. this might sound irrelevant but this is probably just as important as learning go.

go run or play some ballgame or something:)

And what do you think I'm doing when not playing Go?

i dont DARE to guess

Probably a good idea. Ha ha ha ha ha, just kidding.

...Or am I? The world may never know.

[hailthorn011]

Well, yesterday didn't quite go as planned. I was distracted by E3 for a good portion of the day and fell asleep around 7PM. Also I had to walk to several different places.

And today is Nintendo's E3! I definitely can't wait.

SO today, I'll have the same goals as I did for yesterday. This time I'll try to get these things done BEFORE E3 begins.

[hailthorn011]

Well, I keep getting distracted this month. First it was E3 and now Euro 2012.

Anyway, I lost in the Tygem Pro Prelims as expected. But the tournament seemed like a bit of a mess because a lot of players didn't show up, and so I ended up having to wait until yesterday to play my game in which I was paired with a 2D. I would display the game but I have no idea how to download SGFs from Tygem.

I also played in my first Canadian League match and lost that too. And I've played a few ASR League games. I also have done a lot of tsumego and read a bit more of Attack and Defense despite having a lot going on in my personal life as well as everything else going on.

I think right now I'm just going to adjust my goals to becoming a stronger player rather than aiming for pro. But at the rate I'm going, I'll be in my grave before I achieve either goal!

[hailthorn011]

So hailthorn continues to talk to himself, but he's decided to post anyway. And yes, hailthorn sometimes refers to himself in the third person. He's a wacko like that.

But I do digress. I'm nearing my 1000th game on my KGS hailthorn name, and I can't wait to hit that mark. It's been an excited couple of years. There have definitely been a lot of bumps on the road, long periods of inactivity, and things of that nature.

I've lost horribly and won magnificently. But usually I lose horribly more than I win magnificently. Also, my magnificent wins would likely make stronger players want to shake their heads. Regardless, it's been fun.

And recently, I stated I wanted to attain a pro rank. This was a huge statement to make. And I think, despite thinking i knew what I was getting into, the enormity of trying to attain that goal. Since saying that, the road has gotten murky and I've wanted to give up so many times. But then I remind myself that I simply need to try harder.

I've also been doing a lot of tsumego study over the course of the past 2 months, and I think I'm finally starting to see how it has benefited my play. In areas of life and death where I might have stumbled before, I'm handling those situations with relative ease. More often than not I don't even need to stop. I just recognize the situation.

However, there have also been some cases where I've made silly mistakes in tsumego and either failed to kill or been killed myself. But that's a part of the game. I understand that much.

I still haven't read as much of Attack And Defense as I would like, but I'm focusing more on life and death and playing games right now. Between the ASR League, the CGA League, and the L19 Tournament, I've got quite a bit of scheduled games ahead this week!

My overall goal remains the same: Get strong and attain pro. But my first step is to reach 6k and actually stay there. Whether it takes 2 years, 4 years, or even 10 years, it's a goal I'd definitely like to stay dedicated to.

But the biggest change in the way I look at all of this is, I just want to have fun playing the game. When the losses started piling up, I lost my confidence and as a result I haven't played very well. So I'm trying to find the balance between taking things seriously but also having fun to make it not be so devastating on my play if I suffer a chain of losses.

Losses, after all, are a sign that there are still things I need to grasp. Or I'm not concentrating hard enough.

Either way, I can imagine looking back on this journal in a few years and laugh at myself.

Actually the funny thing is, the other day I was out job hunting, and I got myself a newspaper. Out of whim, I decided to check out my horoscope, and it said something along the lines of, "if you really want something, you'll make it happen. Only you can get you to reach your goal." It was kind of eerie. I've never had a horoscope that spot on before.

But it's the simple truth. And I am definitely well aware of that. Anyway, I think I'm going to stop talking now. I get into this mode where I start typing, and it becomes rather hard to stop. It's a waterfall of thought, I guess.

Have a nice day, folks!

[SoDesuNe]

Woah, 1000 games is great! With all my accounts I don't even have 800 :O

And I'm too a firm believer of "if you really want something, you'll make it happen" - so go for it ; )

[hailthorn011]

Woah, 1000 games is great! With all my accounts I don't even have 800 :O

And I'm too a firm believer of "if you really want something, you'll make it happen" - so go for it ; )

I definitely agree. And I am gunning for it.

[hailthorn011]

Well, despite my studies, I'm still dropping games left and right whether I play fast or slow. I've played 5 games today and won once because it was against an idiotbot. I'm keeping a positive attitude, but I will admit, this month has been really bad. 7-17.

And despite reviewing my losses and having stronger players review those losses, I feel like I'm heading backwards. At this point, I think it's a realistic possibility that I could fall back to 8k if I keep playing. 1p? Ha, yeah right. I've tried taking a break before and that only seemed to cause me to play even worse than I was before.

This is probably the worst rut I've ever been in. I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel this time. And it's not like I've really learned anything recently.

Actually, this might just be a coincidence, but I recently created a topic where I stated that I thought soda could be hampering my play. Funny coincidence or not, but when I quit drinking soda, that's when my slide began. I'm not going to blame that for why I suck (since I sucked even while drinking soda) but I can't help but wonder if there's at least some connection.

What I really think would help would be to have a teacher right now. But I can't pay for a teacher. And I'm not advancing despite my studies. I'll just admit it, I've never been very good at self-study.

And I really want to stick to this goal, but it's looking like more of a foolish dream than a goal as each day goes on.

[illluck]

Personally, I've found that my records are a lot better when I play only a game or two per day. With more games I get worn out very quickly and start making more mistakes than usual (is that possible? :p).

Also, do you see a common theme in those lost games? Maybe there is an area of weakness that will immediately boost your strength if addressed.

[SoDesuNe]

I picked three of your last games and reviewed them to find a common theme. I found a couple.

1. You should solidify your knowledge about basic opening and middlegame principles.

• a) When you split a side, you should preferably do so with having two possibilities to make a base (Miai). A common base is a two-point extension along the third line.
  b) You should defend the weaker poisition not the stronger one. In most cases the weaker position is the one with less of your stones around.
  c) Don't fixate only on territory. Yours or your opponents. First comes save groups or attacking weak groups!
  d) Don't hurt your own weak stones by pushing your opponent towards them or by making him unnecessarily stronger.
  e) If you want to attack your opponent, you have to have strong positions. Otherwise your opponent can play forcing moves threatening to kill or cut you and gain an advantage in the fight.
  f) Don't let your opponent enclose you for no good reason - the center is important! You have to make small live while your opponent gets massive thickness, which can influence the whole game.
  g) Deny your opponent an easy base whenever you can.

After that and only here comes reading ability. It is really a minor part in the games I saw.


Here are the games with my comments. Beware I'm also a weak Kyu and prone to make mistakes ; ) Maybe stronger player will comment, too.

[illluck]

Two quick comments. In the first game, move 96 can net, opponent still has the push and cut to top, but at least you capture the stones.

In the third game, move 50 at R5 is a move that helps your opponent completely solidify corner (that kind of "armpit hit" is only good at making life when you need as much eye space as possible and contacts don't work). More common would be something like R4 or R3 later (I'd probably R3).

[Solomon]

I took a look at one of your games. You had 30 minutes of main time, let's take a look at how your time was spent:

Move # Time Remaining
1 29:57
3 29:55
5 29:52
7 29:50
9 29:47
11 29:46
13 29:44
15 29:42
17 29:41
19 29:39
21 29:38
23 29:37
25 29:34
27 29:30
29 29:28
31 29:24
33 29:20
35 29:18
37 29:17
39 29:16
41 29:14
43 29:13
45 29:10
47 29:08
49 29:06
51 29:01

26 moves in 2 minutes, and by the end of the game, you made 150 moves in 9 minutes (3.6s/mv)...that's not just playing fast, you're not even thinking so it's not even worth reviewing. Same for the other games you played that day (109 moves in 10 minutes or 5.9s/mv, 102 moves in 5 minutes or 2.9s/mv, 68 moves in 10 minutes or 8.8s/mv).