Life In 19x19

Update time:

Going to try just playing one game a day, instead of none or lots...
harder said than done.
today about 5 days in and i've played 3 games today, oh well, go is just too fun sometimes and if I have a day off on holiday then why not.

After 3 games though and I'm done. the last one was a really fun one.
the first one was very tough, mybe it put me in a determined mood to try and get a good win.... or mybe on tilt

Here is the first game, comments very welcome but there really in not much to comment on, my opponent played early 3x3 invasions and then proceeded to make my stones look very weak, and exploited my weak group management and reading skills, a bit of thrashing about and the game was over very quick.

They fealt very strong, they were a Chinese player 1D tygem, i usually play the Korean 1D players who are weaker.

I'm white in both games.



I wonder if P8 was really bad, and G7 could have been something else?


The last game I played was really fun, lots of weak groups all heading to the centre and something is going to go bust!
Decided to go for the big kill and got it. though I reckon I was ahead by about komi so could have slugged it out as my position was ok ish.

Well I was playing quite a lot with Leela Zero the first half of the year. Taking even games on fairly low playouts using a 10block Master version from pangafu.

I do enjoy playing on a real board and being able to take as much time as I want, no time pressure or having to play at a good tempo for the sake of my opponent.

I really do feel it has improved my opening and feel for positional judgement. Also its probably ironed out a few tactical fundamentals, by reviewing with it afterwards.

I've ranked up on tygem to 3dan, verging on 4dan with another win or two. I was stuck on 2dan years ago. I reckon its down to an improved opening / mid game and then playing safe for a sure win.

I played in a tournament a couple of months ago and did quite well, 4 out of 6, and beat a dan player who I've lost to mybe 4 times previous.

Very happy about that, and had a very close game with the tournament winner.

So with that over with I've been slacking off the last couple of months, not playing much at all. Some not very serious games online, and my form is not so great, my stones feel a bit weak in general.
I'm not so motivated at the moment. Don't really feel inclined to attend any more tournaments for a while, and kind of gone off playing against Leela Zero.

I think what I'm missing is other aspects of the game, such as being creative and having good reading skills
These used to be my strong points and what I liked about playing Go.

I was playing out a few 1970's pro games from Go World, something I've not done in a while, and it was great! Just to think about positions and guessing where to play, whats the strategies at play, when to tenuki, etc.

It probably is not helping me get stronger quickly, but it was fun and I'm kind of at the stage in my go playing (12years) that its no longer so important.

So I've decided I'd like to:

1. Start reading some old go world back issues, study the pro games (move by move, endgames are a bit boring but is my main weakness), actually read/try the puzzles, read the extra material in go world too.

2.Try and get back into doing hard for my level tsumego, never did make it through the gokyo shumyo. But I reckon I need to back up my crazy strategies with solid deep reading. I like the feeling of out reading my opponent. ego?

3. Continue to play a bit online when I feel like it, (studying pro games on a board usually gets me fired up to try new stuff in my games) but when I do play, be creative, try things, I used to like playing tengen and 5-4's. etc

Dont want be no AI clone, no sir.

Here's the first game in a long while where I just said to myself, play some 5-4's, make that influence linger over the board like a bad smell, don't go all out for a huge never secure moyo but let my opponent sweat over what they want to do about it and be flexible.

It was a blast