Best for SDK: book (Graded Go Problems) or goproblems.com?

[lebigot]

Is there any advantage in reading Graded Go Problems (for a SDK, so probably volume 3 and/or 4), compared to doing problems from goproblems.com?

What I love about goproblems.com is that the problems contain answers to many wrong moves, which helps understanding one's mistakes.

What do you think?

[emerus]

If you can keep yourself from clicking through goproblems.com without proper reading, I can't discern any objective advantage for either. There are pros and cons for each but overall, I think equally efficient.

Goproblems.com is faster so you can get more done.
Graded Go Problems requires more visualization and has more proofread solutions (better feedback).

The important thing is your preference. Which do you enjoy more? I personally prefer diagrams over a problem interface.

[Bki]

It depends on what setting you prefer doing problems in. I find it better to look at diagrams printed on paper than solving problems on my computers, so I prefer to have book or print a dozen of pages of problem to go through.

If you like to do problems before going to sleep, a book is infinitely superior.

[DJLLAP]

If you like to do problems before going to sleep, a book is infinitely superior.

I don't know about that. You can download the entire database of problems and load them in gogrinder or similar app. I know some people can't calm their mind down with "screen time" too close before bed but I really don't see much of a difference between reading on a tablet and reading a book, except the glow of the screen.

[Bki]

If you like to do problems before going to sleep, a book is infinitely superior.

I don't know about that. You can download the entire database of problems and load them in gogrinder or similar app. I know some people can't calm their mind down with "screen time" too close before bed but I really don't see much of a difference between reading on a tablet and reading a book, except the glow of the screen.

Less electricity used . (Well, I guess you might shut off the light if you're reading on a tablet, and I don't know which would use most, but why do you hate your eyes so much?).

[DJLLAP]

If you like to do problems before going to sleep, a book is infinitely superior.

I don't know about that. You can download the entire database of problems and load them in gogrinder or similar app. I know some people can't calm their mind down with "screen time" too close before bed but I really don't see much of a difference between reading on a tablet and reading a book, except the glow of the screen.

Less electricity used . (Well, I guess you might shut off the light if you're reading on a tablet, and I don't know which would use most, but why do you hate your eyes so much?).

Computer screens don't tend to give me eye strain, and since I still don't need glasses at 29, it seems I will be good in that respect until the standard 40s or 50s reading glasses phase. The only time I felt screens hurting my eyes was when I had a job as a data processor.

[jeromie]

I use both Graded Go Problems for Beginners (via SmartGo Books) and goproblems.com (though I don't have a paid account so I constantly have to start over). In my opinion, the problems in GGPfB are of a much more consistent quality. They're also organized in such a way as to emphasize important concepts. If were only going to use one of them, I would definitely choose the Graded Go Problems series.

[lebigot]

Thanks for the feedback. Beyond non-go issues like bed-time reading, I understand that Grade Go Problems is better curated (organization by theme, stronger answers).

With goproblems.com, I am surprised by some of the answers to my incorrect moves, and I really appreciate that: chances are that I would never encounter them, with Graded Go Problems, since I would have to figure most (wrong) answers by myself. Does anybody else find this feature very useful?

[xed_over]

Figuring out the wrong answers for yourself is part of the whole point. In fact, many people think you should never look at the answers at all.

When I first started out, I couldn't properly figure out how White should respond to Black's attempts. I would always guess moves that were in Black's favor, so I could never figure out why my answers were wrong -- they always seemed to work for me

So having a program that could auto respond "correctly" to my every wrong attempt was a tremendous help.

It took a while before I could even figure out how to properly solve Go Problems. It wasn't until I read the first chapter of James Davies' book, Tesuji, entitled "Reading", that I began to understand how to solve them -- essentially switching sides with each move attempt to search for the best response to that response (until my head exploded with the permutations -- or I learned to prune the variation tree in my head)

So as I get stronger, and my reading gets stronger, I'm starting to lean more toward the "no answer" camp. But its nice to have answers (or a stronger player) when you get stuck.

[Boidhre]

With goproblems.com, I am surprised by some of the answers to my incorrect moves, and I really appreciate that: chances are that I would never encounter them, with Graded Go Problems, since I would have to figure most (wrong) answers by myself. Does anybody else find this feature very useful?

Yes, working out why your answer fails is kind of critical to finding the blind spots in your reading. It's probably a more useful exercise than finding the right answer quickly.

[Cassandra]

With goproblems.com, I am surprised by some of the answers to my incorrect moves, and I really appreciate that: chances are that I would never encounter them, with Graded Go Problems, since I would have to figure most (wrong) answers by myself. Does anybody else find this feature very useful?

Yes, working out why your answer fails is kind of critical to finding the blind spots in your reading. It's probably a more useful exercise than finding the right answer quickly.

The hardest issues in my recent time as author / provider of the "Problem Corner" in the German Go Journal (= "Deutsche Go-Zeitung") were answers to the problems that were not given in the books.

Most of these attempts were not correct, of course, but there were exceptions also. One advantage with "solving" this special kind of problems was the fact that I knew that there must be a refutation.

On the other hand, there were a very few, and special, problems, where the answers sent by Kyu players provided better moves than given in the book's (= professional's) solution.