Hello from a late starter

PeterH · Post by **PeterH** » Fri Oct 07, 2022 7:41 am

Hi everyone

I'm (re)starting my interest in Go just now. I first became intrigued about 40-45 years ago and did a bit of studying from books (not much around online then). I could not find anyone to play against locally at that time and stopped. Life and location won - you will have heard all this before.

At the age of 67 now I discover I live just around the corner from the pub where my local Go club meets weekly. I'm finding the whole thing fun and exciting again and they are helping me relearn the basics.

I naturally want to study on my own as well. At this stage of my life I don't want to shine so much as to give club members an increasingly challenging and fulfilling game. Lifein19x19.com has already provided some valuable insights so I registered to participate more fully.

Unfortunately I am finding it much harder to assimilate training material than I remember from last time around and a recent stroke seems to have left me unable to concentrate for anywhere near as long. It is a bit of an uphill struggle and I will appreciate any advice on appropriate training approaches anyone can suggest.

jlt · Post by **jlt** » Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:59 am

Pratice tsumegos? You don't need to concentrate for a long time, just stop when you are tired.

Or replay sequences on a board? Again, no long effort is needed.

mhlepore · Post by **mhlepore** » Fri Oct 07, 2022 2:36 pm

Welcome to the forum Peter.

Go can be a struggle if you are trying to plow through the ranks on your own. You get beat up on the board but you don't know why.

If you can find someone local who is a little stronger (or a lot stronger) than you, they can help identify some weaknesses.

Also, there is a wealth of instructional videos on YouTube. Try searching for videos with terms like "DDK" (double digit kyu), "Go opening theory", or any other topic of interest.

Feel free to ask the forum for a teaching game online - there's a lot of us around and depending on your time zone, something should be doable.

EdLee · Post by **EdLee** » Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:22 am

Hi Peter, welcome.

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:35 am

PeterH wrote: Unfortunately I am finding it much harder to assimilate training material than I remember from last time around and a recent stroke seems to have left me unable to concentrate for anywhere near as long. It is a bit of an uphill struggle and I will appreciate any advice on appropriate training approaches anyone can suggest.

Don't set expectations too high, like "before, I was capable of ...". Give yourself challenges which are fun. Go through some beginner material to reinforce the fundamentals and to kickstart your renewed study with some positive feedback

I just went through the https://senseis.xmp.net/?BeginnerExercises again and they're not bad at all.

PeterH · Post by **PeterH** » Sat Oct 08, 2022 4:06 am

Knotwilg wrote:
PeterH wrote: Unfortunately I am finding it much harder to assimilate training material than I remember from last time around ...
Don't set expectations too high ... Give yourself challenges which are fun. Go through some beginner material to reinforce the fundamentals and to kickstart your renewed study with some positive feedback

I just went through the https://senseis.xmp.net/?BeginnerExercises again and they're not bad at all.

Yes, good advice - management of expectations i.e. don't don't worry about making a fool of myself, just relax and enjoy. I especially like the fun part!

Thanks for the pointer to senseis library. Have also ordered "Graded Go Problems for Beginners Volume One".

goTony · Post by **goTony** » Mon Jul 21, 2025 5:01 am

I would be happy to play u online possibly in person. crankydragon OGS

Life In 19x19

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