Path to 9Dan, step by step.

[hl782]

I'm also halfway through Maeda Tsumego Vol. 1. The book says its appropriate for 10-4kyu, but that has got to be in terms of the Korean/Japanese Kiwon ranks (So about KGS 4k to 2d) - because some of the problems are damn tricky. I'm missing many of the Ko variations, and overall scoring roughly 50-60% so far.

Solving 50-60% in — how long? — 3 minutes? is pretty good. Out of curiousity, I took a quick looks at Maeda's third volume, which is the only one I have left. I had never looked at the foreword before, but he indicates that if you can solve the 1-3 kyu problems in 2-3 minutes, you are a dan player. My marks show that I was getting about half of them right when I was a shodan, so I was weak for my rank. Maeda suggests that 5-10 minutes is how long it should take to solve a problem at your level. Japanese amateur ranks have inflated by 2-3 stones since the 1960s, and Japanese ranks are pretty weak by comparison with US ranks, not to mention Korean ranks. I would not expect the problems in volume 1 to be dan level, except maybe a few in Japan.

I solve about 30 in an hour so roughly 2 minutes per question! Maybe I should spend more time to think about the problems before I check the solutions.

[Bill Spight]

I solve about 30 in an hour so roughly 2 minutes per question! Maybe I should spend more time to think about the problems before I check the solutions.

IMO, self pacing is probably quite good. After all, children are excellent learners when left to their own devices.

As a kyu player I spent about 2 minutes per problem. Although I once spent 2 hours on one, and got it right. As a 3 dan working on difficult problems, I would often spend about one hour on 4 of them.

[hl782]

At this moment I am consistently constant. Love that gap between the lower vs even lol.

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[Knotwilg]

Highlights at move 40, 53 and 66



I was particularly happy with my analysis of the position at 53. Before studying with Lizzie, I would attack the group with a boshi (cap) on the empty triangle lump. Since Lizzie, I have learnt to attack sideways, where the profit is most clearly generated.

[Knotwilg]

After all, children are excellent learners when left to their own devices.

This idea is at the root of modern reform of education but there are two major flaws with it. It is true children between 0 and 5 are excellent learners, when left to their devices of imitating and experimenting, provided they have almost uninterrupted attention with positive and negative feedback. First and foremost, while imitation and experimentation remain useful devices throughout one's life, we can't keep the same two persons responsible for all expertise and we can't afford offering that expertise with undivided attention. Secondly, the classrooms that are our optimal answer to the first problem, are full of peers, which during adolescence become a convoluted role model, drawing away the focus from the expertise we want them to acquire. Experimentation and imitation often prove to be problematic there.

Now it could be that in adulthood the same recipe as in early childhood prevails. I'm a debater, not a pedagogue

[Bill Spight]

A couple of comments on your latest game.

is fine. maybe best.

Given the fact that you do not want Black to develop on the top side, which would work with the Q-16 stone, just butt with D-16.

Cutting the elephant jump is tempting, but usually there is a better play. (Not that I know what it is. ) After Black R-06, White P-06, what has White gained?

Overplay.

Yeah, the empty triangle is horrid here, as usual. But your idea behind it is good. Cut Black to pieces. N-05 is the best play for that, and maybe the best play overall.

The problem with N-05 is that the ladder works for Black. However, this kind of ladder is seldom a problem. After Black O-05, White P-04, which connects the White stones and threatens the corner, the ladder is bad. White can simply atari at N-03 and then extend to M-03. This is good for White. Black has taken 5 stones to win 1. no ponnuki. And White has a solid group while Black has a weakened corner.

So instead of playing the ladder let Black descend to N-03. Now the ladder is good, so White extends to M-05. This position can certainly lead to complications, but it is good for White because of the weakness of Q-04. White should welcome this fight.

[hl782]

Pretty big decision on my part - after deep thought I decided to get formal lessons from Mark Lee (Formerly known as Kingmaker on KGS). Here's to a brighter future!

[hl782]

Still playing against 2-1kyus and just hanging in there.

Some tsumego progress - I've finished Volume 1 of Maeda Tsumego, and I scored 106 out of 225 - for a hot grade of 47%. Oof. This was probably the hardest problem set I've finished by far.

Almost all of my incorrect solutions were Ko problems, and I scored around 79% excluding the Kos. Fortunately, I've gotten better at realizing Ko a bit through the set, so on my rerun hopefully I score better.

[Kirby]

Still playing against 2-1kyus and just hanging in there.

Some tsumego progress - I've finished Volume 1 of Maeda Tsumego, and I scored 106 out of 225 - for a hot grade of 47%. Oof. This was probably the hardest problem set I've finished by far.

Almost all of my incorrect solutions were Ko problems, and I scored around 79% excluding the Kos. Fortunately, I've gotten better at realizing Ko a bit through the set, so on my rerun hopefully I score better.

Hmm, I wanna buy the Maeda Tsumego books now...

[hl782]

Victory vs 1Dan



Loss vs 1 Kyu

Hmm, I wanna buy the Maeda Tsumego books now...

I highly recommend them if you can get them through Amazon JP somehow. The problems are good!

[gennan]

In the 1st game above you note that the response to the Kobayashi opening has changed: nowadays white just aproaches high and then black doesn't attack with a 2-space high pincer.

This is due to AI. I made a video about AI evaluation of the kobayashi opening a while ago. This section is about the high approach.

[hl782]

Thanks for that post. I'll be honest though, I still like the Kobayashi, Chinese and Minichinese because it still gives me a simpler layout for the game by allowing me to build up large frameworks that let me bait and attack opponents. I've won 2-3 games in the past few days just because of the Kobayashi. Perhaps in the high dan levels it will become useless but for now - I'll stick to it

[yoyoma]

hl782, are you able to use a bot to review your games? The fight in the center is complicated, a bot is an easy way to check after what other possibilities there were. Two big chances for white was 116 at P3, which answers your N7 in sente. Second big chance was white 118 at O10, looks like black dies inside in that case.

Also for the joseki in the upper left, Black c13 is a mistake, and White D18 should be B13 -- even without a ladder.

[Bill Spight]

Thanks for that post. I'll be honest though, I still like the Kobayashi, Chinese and Minichinese because it still gives me a simpler layout for the game by allowing me to build up large frameworks that let me bait and attack opponents. I've won 2-3 games in the past few days just because of the Kobayashi. Perhaps in the high dan levels it will become useless but for now - I'll stick to it

Make the plays you want to make.

But truth to say, the bots don't like plays on the side too early in the opening. Even before the AI era, humans were starting to doubt the sanrensei, and Kobayashi II had evolved. IIRC, AlphaGo sometimes played the micro-Chinese, with a closer extension from the 3-4. It is worth trying out plays like shoulder hits and attachments against the opponent's corner instead of extending or wedging on a side.

Obviously, none of these openings is fatal at the amateur level. But having made one play on a side, don't be too quick to play another.

[hl782]

I've blown quite a few of games recently where I was winning by misreading simple life and death scenarios. I'm annoyed that my reading, not deep strategic reading, but basic L&D reading is holding me back. So, I decided to go through the remainder of 1001 L&D problems and the earlier volumes of Lee Chang Ho Tesuji/L&D series that I've finished before.

I don't want to keep on blowing games that I've won through silly mistakes anymore.