Making progress

[Aphelion]

Shaddy is a dan player.

Edit: I can't believe you are pulling this rank argument on me.

[balmung]

Shaddy is a dan player.

Edit: I can't believe you are pulling this rank argument on me.

I have started reading the heart of Go series which is pure strategy. My stronger friends have showed me strategy is my problem. The person who out thinks rather than out fight is often times the winner. Understand that you don't have a rank that surpasses my friends so I will trust them, and the professionals in the books I'm reading clearly contradict what you are saying.

[Shaddy]

I am curious, what ranks are your friends? Also, I generally win by outfighting people.

edit. Expanding on what I said, I believe that strategy is emphasized a bit too much. You can be great at strategy, but if you can't fight well, you'll get ripped apart by people who can.

[cloud]

I completely agree with the above statement. When it comes down to it go is not a strategy game it is a fighting game.

[Chew Terr]

I completely agree with the above statement. When it comes down to it go is not a strategy game it is a fighting game.

"Next Location: Kinkerdijk! Round 1, fight!"

[daniel_the_smith]

The good folks at the nearby (mostly Korean) Go Center don't start exhibiting what I would call good strategy until they are 4d or stronger (I play as a 2d there, and stronger players might push that number up further for all I know). Good strategy is completely meaningless if you don't posses the fighting and reading skills to demonstrate over the board why it's good strategy. It's that understanding that is important, not the "good" strategy in and of itself.

Also, @balmung-- stop trying to figure out what is holding you back and just play and learn as much as you can. Trying to figure out what is holding you back is holding you back.

And, FWIW, I pretty much agree with Aphelion-- any thought process that doesn't spend 99% of the time considering hane or extension in that position is wrong. You have to "feel" it-- meaning you know it so throughly that your subconscious understands it. I don't think there is any shortcut to that sort of feeling, it's just experience. I look at the extension that was played there and it causes some part of my brain to feel that those stones are in pain, the same feeling I get if I see someone get punched in a movie.

[Kirby]

Interesting... While I would probably play 11 at R6, I am not sure that I get the pulsating "feeling" that people are describing. I'd feel much worse if it were playing a hane on two stones, but R6 is probably still the right move. However, I don't know if I get the pulsating feeling that everyone else seems to. Maybe I don't have enough experience.

@balmung: I wouldn't worry too much about the arguments that are taking place here. To me, go is a personal game, where you must learn from yourself. If you think that you need to do X to improve, then go ahead and do X... And have a lot of fun while you're at it!