How long does it have to be a "dan" player

[Joaz Banbeck]

I have a new years resolution that I will be at least a 1dan player by this time next year (currently around 11-12k)

How feasible is this, and do you think it'll be too intensive of an effort? I obviously have other priorities as well… work, studies, family/friends and such.

You can do it. I have faith in you.

Be warned: it won't be easy. It will take a lot of your time. It will be like having a mistress or a drug habit.

If you are really into such an obsessive change in your life, I recommend becoming a junkie for a year instead. It will probably cost less than becoming 1 dan, and lose fewer friends. If you are only 25 years old, you should be able to retain your health through it.

Either way, you'll have the perpetual haggard look, you'll forget to do things like laundry and eating, and you'll find yourself pining for meetings in dilapidated buildings in the bad part of town. You'll find yourself using obscure jargon, and accumulating some secondhand equipment that you always carry around with you.

At the end of one year, you will be able to find a rehab center for junkies. There are lots of them, and many are free. But if you choose go, there are no such establishments.

Ok, that is the warning.

If you still want to be 1 dan, I recommend posting a game every day - and I mean EVERY day - in the game analysis section. If you appear to be serious about it, here are lots of people here who will offer advice that will help you improve.

I want to be 1d under the strictest criteria, so any feedback would be appreciated.

If you have an AGA rating of 1D, I don't think that most people will quibble. A KGS rating of 1D might be considered more of a gold standard - as long as you can maintain it for a week or two.

[LovelyLull]

I agree with Joaz that KGS 1D can be considered a gold standard. 1D on KGS is pretty much dan level anywhere, perhaps with the exception of some European countries. However an AGA 1D would be a bit off the mark from 1D in Korea or most European countries.

[DrStraw]

The problem with standards is that there are so many.

The problem with this standard is that it is not standard.

[Mike Novack]

The key thing to realize is that this is not a "one size fits all" question. The person asking the question is Not the average beginner, not if at aroundf 11 kyu just three weeks after learning the game.

[hyperpape]

You probably won't make it, but it absolutely is possible.

[findol]

I think most people are quite pessimistics about your goal. It's not gonna be easy but it's doable. Work for it, keep a tsumego book with you at all time, play as much as possible and try to find a teacher. And even if you fail, it's better to end up 2k while aiming at 1d than reaching a 6k goal.

good luck, don't forget to have fun on the way, let us know in a year !

[tapir]

I think most people are quite pessimistics about your goal. It's not gonna be easy but it's doable. Work for it, keep a tsumego book with you at all time, play as much as possible and try to find a teacher. And even if you fail, it's better to end up 2k while aiming at 1d than reaching a 6k goal.

You can reach 2k while aiming for 6k as well.

Everyone has met people that started a personal improvement challenge underestimating the amount of work / skill etc. that goes into reaching that goal. This is a major source of disappointment and a reason for people leaving Go altogether. It is the same for other skills, like trying to learn a language and giving up when it turns out harder than you thought.

Be willing to learn and be serious about it and you will see how far it will get you.

[findol]

This is a major source of disappointment and a reason for people leaving Go altogether.

It's a valid point. Staying motivated sur is a tough part. I would probably have been less supportive if he didn't have a reason and a deadline.

You can reach 2k while aiming for 6k as well.

However, I disagree with this one. Becoming 2k in a year is already not easy, and you are realy unlikely to reach it if you're only aiming for 6k.

[Knotwilg]

I'm sure Magnus Carlsen would become 1d in less than a year if he picked it up for even as small an amount as 1h a day. I believe a lot in talent(*), more so I think than in the proverbial 10 000 hours. So, if you are akin to Carlsen's talent, and put in 2 hours a day, you can definitely become 1d.

Even if it took me years to become a dan player and have been stuck at the low dan level ever since, I still think 1 dan is nothing special. Quite the contrary: the hard part is to let go of your thirst to be "original", to outsmart common sense. Consciously applying the 10 most important strategic principles and the 10-20 most common techniques for local situations, calculating a few moves deep & wide each move and resisting primitive impulses that go against those, will get you there easily.

It's not easy at all. This is what I mostly mean by (*)talent: not only the reading/calculating ability, or the capacity to absorb new concepts, but the mentality to focus while playing and to train well.

You can waste away the proverbial 10 000 hours by merely going through the motions while playing and reading tons of material.

The fact alone that you appear on this forum is a counterindication: you are already spending time fantasizing about progress instead of playing for progress. I'm 100% sure that Magnus Carlsen will not be seen here when starting his go career.

[wingly]

To cheer you up a bit, I was 27 when I first learn about this game, started October 2015, I became 1D in OGS around September 2016, so your goal is certainly feasible. My advice would be try to practice more problem every day, forget about playing too many games, where you will do same and simple mistake over and over again, it's simply frustrating... and have more confidence in game.

just my 2 cents

[Gotraskhalana]

I think that people highly, highly overestimate the age effect and highly, highly underestimate stereotype threat and highly, highly underestimate the value of training that fits the level, talent and previous knowledge of the respective student.

[daal]

I think that people highly, highly overestimate the age effect

Why do you think so? Do you think age doesn't play much of a role? How old are you? I'm over 50, and I think it does play a big role...

and highly, highly underestimate stereotype threat

What does that mean?

and highly, highly underestimate the value of training that fits the level, talent and previous knowledge of the respective student.

Here we agree

[skydyr]

and highly, highly underestimate stereotype threat

What does that mean?

The stereotype threat is that you buy into the idea that because you're old, or whatever, you're not capable of doing something. If you believe it, it has a way of being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Simba]

It's definitely possible - I got to 1d KGS a year after starting.

At the time I'd only played around 150 19x19 games, but much more importantly had done around 10,000 tsumego. I've always enjoyed go puzzles/problems more than actually playing. And the only two books I'd read fully were Davies' 'Tesuji' and Otake Hideo's 'Opening Theory Made Easy'. I didn't review or watch any professional games in my first year; was much more interested in just having fun with the problems than watching it.

Most games your desired level and below are simply won by whoever reads better. Yes, strategy/theory/knowledge is useful of course, but sooner or later, a fight will happen. So yeah, tsumego, tsumego, tsumego. Even if it's half an hour each day, make time for it. 10 minutes when you first wake up, 10 minutes in your lunch break, 10 minutes before bed. There's no excuse, and even if you spend an entire minute on each problem, that's ~11,000 problems in a year. Start today .

[negapesuo]

It's definitely possible - I got to 1d KGS a year after starting.

At the time I'd only played around 150 19x19 games, but much more importantly had done around 10,000 tsumego. I've always enjoyed go puzzles/problems more than actually playing. And the only two books I'd read fully were Davies' 'Tesuji' and Otake Hideo's 'Opening Theory Made Easy'. I didn't review or watch any professional games in my first year; was much more interested in just having fun with the problems than watching it.

Most games your desired level and below are simply won by whoever reads better. Yes, strategy/theory/knowledge is useful of course, but sooner or later, a fight will happen. So yeah, tsumego, tsumego, tsumego. Even if it's half an hour each day, make time for it. 10 minutes when you first wake up, 10 minutes in your lunch break, 10 minutes before bed. There's no excuse, and even if you spend an entire minute on each problem, that's ~11,000 problems in a year. Start today .

Where did you come across 11,000 problems???