Training for North American Oza

[oso]

I thought it would be fun to compete in the north american Oza tournament the next time it comes up, so I decided to start a training regimen. What I decided to do was to commit to memory as many "demonstration" games as I could, where a demonstration game is a game where both colors are played by me, and each move is analyzed anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours long. every. single. move. From start to finish in the style of how they are commented in professional games.

Soon enough, I realized that these games would stretch out over days long. But I think the main advantage that I'm gaining from these games is that 1. My mental endurance is being beefed up to capacities beyond reckoning, and 2. I seem to be pushing myself beyond my limits and above. I guess you could say it's not about technical ability, but more about the mental strength that I'm gaining.

And then I thought to myself that these games might be interesting to the guys over at lifeon19x19. Ummm... I'm not sure if it's even a good idea to review games that you've played yourself. These are more demonstration games to be enjoyed, and this one isn't even complete. It's mostly commented with my ideas about the moves and filled with demonstrations. Also, the moves only reach to the early mid-game, but if you'd like to see what your ol' buddy Oso's been up to, I'd be honored if you guys checked them out and left a comment or to.

Oh, and one more thing, I know I haven't gotten around to thanking the guys who commented on my previous game. I'll go do that right now. Hurr...

Here's game one, (CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS!)

[oren]

Just so you know there hasn't been a North American Oza tournament in many years. It's also unlikely to come back anytime soon.

[oso]

Just found out the North American Oza doesn't exist anymore...

:ninjaedit:

Ah. Someone beat me to it.

[emeraldemon]

If you're in the U.S. there's a list of major tournaments here:

http://www.usgo.org/tournaments/MajorEvents.html

FWIW, I don't think playing yourself will be an especially effective study strategy. If you want to improve quickly, almost everyone recommends some subset of:

1) Play a lot
2) Life and Death problems
3) Reviews from strong players
4) studying pro games

Here are two articles from strong players about how to study, I find them both helpful:

http://senseis.xmp.net/?BenjaminTeuber% ... comeStrong

http://senseis.xmp.net/?DieterVerhofsta ... mprovement

[Shaddy]

[opinion]
I'm not sure if this is such a good idea. You may end up just reinforcing a lot of bad habits and blind spots- perhaps it'd be better to read a joseki book or do problems or something, which helps the intuition and helps to break blind spots and bad habits.
[/opinion]

[gowan]

There is a Japanese expression, katteyomi, which means self-serving reading. It refers to reading where you assume a certain move by your opponent which allows you an effective response, when there were other move(s) that would not have given you such an advantage. We all, even pros, sometimes do katteyomi. But I think it is extremely easy to do it when you are "playing yourself" (both sides) in a game. I think the best way to study, other than to play and have games reviewed, is to play through pro games and try to decide what the next move will be on each move. You will find lots of places where the pro's move will surprise you. Find a stronger player who can help you understand what's going on at those places and you'll learn a lot.

[oso]

You know, I think you guys are right. I could reinforce bad habits and blind spots by playing myself. I don't want to do that. Having said that, it wo7ld mean a lot to me if you guys could go through what I have so far and tell me just how far you think I've come, and an honest appraisal of how far I need to go. Thanks tto yo7u all, oso.

[emeraldemon]

Here are 2 pro games that start the way yours does. So at least the first 4 moves were ok

[Shaddy]

I've been trying to download your sgf to add comments, but the site is broken or something: I get timeouts every time I try.

[daal]

I think the main advantage that I'm gaining from these games is that 1. My mental endurance is being beefed up to capacities beyond reckoning, and 2. I seem to be pushing myself beyond my limits and above. I guess you could say it's not about technical ability, but more about the mental strength that I'm gaining.

While the stronger players are probably right about the likelihood of reinforcing bad habits, increasing your mental endurance is certainly valuable. Seems like you are thinking up and trying out interesting strategies for yourself. Can't be a bad thing.

[oso]

Please keep trying shaddy, I hope I can get you're feedback.

And thank you daal. One mustn't forget the importance of playing properly, of corse. So I'm grateful for the stronger player's perspectives, too.