Life In 19x19

TSLexi wrote:I play anyone who's up for a game. I know I should lose at at least 50 games just starting out. I actually want advice on this specific game, because I have been noticing I am losing by less every time, because I now understand the importance of getting and defending territory.

Not to splash water on that idea too much, but in this game you are too concerned with getting and defending territory.

In a fairly typical game on the 19x19 board each player will play about 120 stones and make about 60 points of territory. That's about 1/2 point of territory per play. But we know that the average play gains about 7 points of territory. That's a big percentage difference. Players get to keep only about 7% of the territory that they gain. What's going on here?

What's going on is that most of what a play gains, on average, comes from preventing the opponent from making more territory, not from making your own.

The opening is the time to sketch out potential territory, not to make territory. Territory typically gets solidified in skirmishes.

That's a problem for beginners, because they tend to get creamed in skirmishes. I know. I remember when I started out losing three or more groups per game. But I did not lose heart.

Faint heart ne'er won fair lady.

That's a go proverb.

Also:

It is better to die like a lion than to live like a dog.

OC, it is better to live like a lion than to die like a dog, as well.

Also:

De l'audace! Encore de l'audace! Toujours de l'audace!

-- Danton, 7 dan.

Ok, here's my next game after that, and I think I did a lot better this time around: https://online-go.com/game/984976

I got a lot more territory and prisoners this time around, and I think I did a good job at securing influence and territory, but my opponent did better. And most of my stones are alive!

Stop drawing pretty pictures and pay attention to how many liberties your stones have.

Uberdude wrote:Stop drawing pretty pictures and pay attention to how many liberties your stones have.

I did this time around.

Also, in this game, I would have won if not for the komi rule! https://online-go.com/game/985127

Playing with yourself is naughty.

Bill Spight wrote:Playing with yourself is naughty.

Haha. I wasn't, lol. Still, I think my last game deserves some critique...how could I have gotten the extra 4 points needed to win outright?

TSLexi wrote:Still, I think my last game deserves some critique...how could I have gotten the extra 4 points needed to win outright?

What is very helpful to you right now, at your level, is direct experience.

Try to finish as many games as you can afford to,
as quickly as possible. 100 is a good number.

Play, play, play.

You need to experience hundreds and thousands of different shapes and
situations. After this initial experience, then reviews are more efficient
and useful.

See post 8.

Hi TSLexi,

It's really common to take corners first (I mean all the corners... with the first 4 moves of the game... black and white get two corners each)

The reason is that when you play in a corner, it's like having two wall of
the house allready built for you, while plying on a border has only one,
and playing in the center as nothing "pre-built"

In go, do you know what "two eyes" means ? A shape that has two eyes is said to be
living, because your opponent would need to play two move in a row to kill which is not
possible.

In the corner, 6 stones are needed to do the smallest living shape.
In the border you need 8 stones.
In the center you will need 10 stones.

So for a same purpose (making a living shape) we may say that the corners is the place where
you will be the more efficient (ie where you need the less stone to achive your goal)


[edit] this is not an example of how a game should look like, this is just a diagramm with all the smallest living shapes...[/edit]

TSLexi wrote:

Uberdude wrote:Stop drawing pretty pictures and pay attention to how many liberties your stones have.

I did this time around.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
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$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

How many liberties does your have now?

Uberdude wrote:

TSLexi wrote:

Uberdude wrote:Stop drawing pretty pictures and pay attention to how many liberties your stones have.

I did this time around.

$$B
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Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
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$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

How many liberties does your have now?

3

Hi, if you can afford it, get some introductionary Go books, watch some games by stronger players - 15k?. Also, stop playing all those small diagonal moves - they're really bad. Trying to make territory with all those little diagonal moves is horribly inefficient. As for your last game, move 3, play corners first. "Shin fuseki" aside it's better to go for the corners first. Move 9, I'd have played in the corner, white 10 at the 3-3 point is a legitimate invasion of a stone on the 4-4 point, there's a fairly easy joseki sequence that you should learn and which doesn't start with black 11.

TSLexi wrote:

Uberdude wrote:

$$B
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$$ +---------------------------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
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$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

How many liberties does your have now?

3

Correct. How about now?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
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$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

Uberdude wrote:

TSLexi wrote:

Uberdude wrote:

$$B
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
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$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

How many liberties does your have now?

3

Correct. How about now?

$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . X . . . . O B . . . |
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$$ +---------------------------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +---------------------------------------+
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

1.

Correct. So how do you think you should have played differently in these first few moves?