Life In 19x19

Leyleth wrote:Playing go after you slept 5h per night since 3 days and after you had a day full of boring classes isn't a very good idea...

Might as well get used to it! Many of us here play Go after 5 hours of sleep + a full time job + overtime + shopping and cooking + family time + chores in and around the house, etc. And on many days we don't play Go because we simply can't squeeze it in.

When I was in school, I eagerly awaited adulthood, thinking I would then be the master of my spare time. I was right, too, I did gain the freedom to do what I wanted, except that I no longer had time to do what I wanted.

I think I had the most free time as a college student, followed by when I was a grad student. High school wasn't actually that great on free time, but it was more than a full time job and a child (even considering that I'm online far too much at work).

My middle game became very strong. It's the part where I manage to win 90% of my games. However, my fuseki's horrible. I got no idea what to do. 5k's are no longer a challenge for me. I'm ready to move up to 4k.

Anybody has some tips for the fuseki?

I already know:
- Corner-side-center
- largest spaces first

Other than that... I really don't know what to do... Any "gods" of this forum have some tips for the fuseki? I think it's a very important part of every game but I can hardly fight books about it. Is it just me?

Leyleth wrote:My middle game became very strong. It's the part where I manage to win 90% of my games. However, my fuseki's horrible. I got no idea what to do. 5k's are no longer a challenge for me. I'm ready to move up to 4k.

Anybody has some tips for the fuseki?

I already know:
- Corner-side-center
- largest spaces first

Other than that... I really don't know what to do... Any "gods" of this forum have some tips for the fuseki? I think it's a very important part of every game but I can hardly fight books about it. Is it just me?

Some people don't like the book, but I recommend, "Direction of play". I was about your rank on KGS, and was kind of the same way in fuseki. After reading the book, I went up to about 1k on KGS, and have not improved that much since...

hyperpape wrote:I think I had the most free time as a college student, followed by when I was a grad student. High school wasn't actually that great on free time, but it was more than a full time job and a child (even considering that I'm online far too much at work).

Hehe, I felt like I had more free time as a grad student than as an undergrad. It may have just been due to a different perspective, though.

Leyleth wrote:My middle game became very strong. It's the part where I manage to win 90% of my games. However, my fuseki's horrible. I got no idea what to do. 5k's are no longer a challenge for me. I'm ready to move up to 4k.

Anybody has some tips for the fuseki?

I already know:
- Corner-side-center
- largest spaces first

Other than that... I really don't know what to do... Any "gods" of this forum have some tips for the fuseki? I think it's a very important part of every game but I can hardly fight books about it. Is it just me?

Random things you may or may not already know:

* Asymmetrical corners are more urgent to approach/enclose than symmetrical ones, because they can be finished in one move.
* Don't make more than one weak group.
* Definitely don't have more weak groups than your opponent.
* Low-high-low.
* Approach from the open side.
* One eye and access to the center.
* Don't run on dame.
* Try to get the last big opening move, it's worth double (tedomari). (Typically these last two are mentioned as what low-dans are supposed to start trying to do, but it can't hurt to start early!)

No one knows anything about the opening, all we have are heuristics and experience. That said, Mr. Yang's set of heuristics are probably the most complete and self-consistent, and I would recommend getting a few of his books or going to one of his workshops. (I think his rules won't get you to high-dan by themselves, but nothing else is guaranteed to, either...)

You could also try reading Takao's Introductory Series. It's in Japanese, but I can send you a gloss to understand the main points, and the problems with solution/failure diagrams speak for themselves. Understanding his guidelines will help you a lot. If you can't find it on Amazon (see my review for ISBN numbers, etc.), then PM me and we can work something else out.

Oh, and never underestimate your opponents - you're going to start meeting other players who are as serious about go as you are...

Tami wrote:Oh, and never underestimate your opponents - you're going to start meet other players who are as serious about go as you are...

This is so hard for me to do, sometimes, against those around my same rank. Any tips?

When I think my opponent is weaker than me, I try to crush them by as much as possible.

Tami wrote:You could also try reading Takao's Introductory Series. It's in Japanese, but I can send you a gloss to understand the main points, and the problems with solution/failure diagrams speak for themselves. Understanding his guidelines will help you a lot. If you can't find it on Amazon (see my review for ISBN numbers, etc.), then PM me and we can work something else out.

Oh, and never underestimate your opponents - you're going to start meeting other players who are as serious about go as you are...

Thx a lot for your offer. It's very kind. I'll try to find the book.

@Daniel the smith

Thanks for these tips. Didn't knew most of them I'm just wondering about what you meant by: "Don't run on dame". You mean, don't play dames or don't create some?

Leyleth wrote:Thanks for these tips. Didn't knew most of them I'm just wondering about what you meant by: "Don't run on dame". You mean, don't play dames or don't create some?

Huh, I cannot find a sensei's page for this, weird.

The basic idea is that if you are running with some stones, you want to be running through a valuable area, but it's a bit more specific than that. I'm having trouble giving a better description without an example, I'll try to keep my eyes open for one if nobody else explains it better first...

re Go books - there are quite a few English ones. The ones that I can think of straight away are:

http://senseis.xmp.net/?InTheBeginning
http://senseis.xmp.net/?OpeningTheoryMadeEasy
http://senseis.xmp.net/?TheDirectionOfPlay
http://senseis.xmp.net/?501OpeningProblems
http://senseis.xmp.net/?The33PointModernOpeningStrategy
http://senseis.xmp.net/?ThePowerOfTheStarPoint
http://senseis.xmp.net/?TheChineseOpening
http://senseis.xmp.net/?DictionaryOfBasicFuseki
http://senseis.xmp.net/?ModernJosekiAndFuseki
http://senseis.xmp.net/?GetStrongAtTheOpening

not to mention Joseki books or commented game records.

I have trouble understanding the don't run on dame proverb too. Is it similar to the idea expressed by Uberdude here: viewtopic.php?p=90555#p90555 ?

I thought "don't run on dame" was a subset of the broader principle "don't just run." If you're running in a direction that separates or threatens a weak enemy group, then once you stabilize your own group you might have a promising attack. If you're not threatening any groups, then at least you want to be running smack through the middle of the enemy moyo, turning his potential into straw and ash. But if you're not threatening any groups and you're not running through an area that was likely to become territory, then you're running on dame, and that means you're just running. Right?

Opening Theory Made Easy is really good. Twenty great principles for the opening.

Perhaps it means that if you're on dame, that means you're no longer in danger and therefore don't need to run anymore?