Tami's Way

EdLee · Post by **EdLee** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:50 pm

Tami wrote:厚み　(atsumi)... 厚さ (atsusa)

Tami, thanks -- off topic, just for fun:
do you happen to have any favorite one-liners (or ones you find interesting)
with these terms: 厚み, 厚さ, 厚い, 熱い, 暑い ? I'm curious about their usage in Japanese literature (Go or otherwise).
(And yes, I know 熱い and 暑い are merely homonyms with 厚い, but I'm still curious to see some sample sentences.)

I thought it might be instructional (at least to me) to see how 厚み, 厚さ, and 厚い are used in Go writings.
Only if you have the time, of course. Thanks.

RobertJasiek · Post by **RobertJasiek** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:55 pm

contents here viewtopic.php?p=116863#p116863

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 12:05 am

For now, I`d like to confine discussion to Japanese terms.

I`m a 1k closing in on 1d (KGS), 2d on the Hiroshima scale. I`m not strong enough to provide critique of Robert`s ideas, although I do have some views concerning them, which I would prefer to keep to myself. If I choose to learn and apply one or more of his concepts, and it brings me results, then I will delighted to express my gratitude here.

This is my study journal, and it`s about my changing ideas. It could be that at times I`m talking complete rubbish, but I`m not asking anyone to buy books from me or engage me as a teacher or indeed to take me seriously. As I say, Robert, like anybody else, is welcome to share his ideas here if he wishes to. However, if somebody wants to argue earnestly and at length for the primacy of their own theories and definitions, they should kindly use their own thread, not mine.

John Fairbairn · Post by **John Fairbairn** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:24 am

Tami said:

For now, I`d like to confine discussion to Japanese terms.

厚み　(atsumi) - thickness - according to Mr Ito, atsumi means a strong area (the area near a thick group)

厚さ (atsusa) - thickness - this means strong stones themselves, and it can be graded - a powerful, living group (for an example, a wall with two complete eyes) is top-grade thickness; a powerful group with no weakness (for example, a ponnuki), but which might yet die, is medium-grade thickness; a powerful group with a defect is low-grade thickness.

I think it may be misleading to say a strong area near a thick group. The point is, there is no real thickness there yet. The stones that create atsumi rather have outward influence and have strong potential to become thickness, but they are just a stage on the way towards atsusa.

In fact, I think the single most enlightening comment I have seen on the topic is that the goal of the tick player must be to turn atsumi into atsusa. Apart from highlighting the difference between them, it gives a directionality to one's strategy and makes a topic too often evaluated in static terms into a dynamic one.

The commonest mistake, I think, among weaker players who handle thickness is that they try to use atsumi as atsusa and end up with problems such as their eyeless walls being counter-attacked.

And as I think even this brief comment shows, yes it is perfectly adequate to talk about this simply with Japanese or Japanese-based terms.

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:51 am

John Fairbairn wrote:Tami said:

For now, I`d like to confine discussion to Japanese terms.

厚み　(atsumi) - thickness - according to Mr Ito, atsumi means a strong area (the area near a thick group)

厚さ (atsusa) - thickness - this means strong stones themselves, and it can be graded - a powerful, living group (for an example, a wall with two complete eyes) is top-grade thickness; a powerful group with no weakness (for example, a ponnuki), but which might yet die, is medium-grade thickness; a powerful group with a defect is low-grade thickness.

I think it may be misleading to say a strong area near a thick group. The point is, there is no real thickness there yet. The stones that create atsumi rather have outward influence and have strong potential to become thickness, but they are just a stage on the way towards atsusa.

In fact, I think the single most enlightening comment I have seen on the topic is that the goal of the tick player must be to turn atsumi into atsusa. Apart from highlighting the difference between them, it gives a directionality to one's strategy and makes a topic too often evaluated in static terms into a dynamic one.

The commonest mistake, I think, among weaker players who handle thickness is that they try to use atsumi as atsusa and end up with problems such as their eyeless walls being counter-attacked.

And as I think even this brief comment shows, yes it is perfectly adequate to talk about this simply with Japanese or Japanese-based terms.

Thank you, John. Your comment clarifies your earlier one very well for me, and along with Mr Ito`s help, I feel that I`m moving forward in my understanding.

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:12 am

As you improve, it is quite normal to experience gains and lapses. You learn something new, and lose focus on other things while you consolidate your new learning. Just before I had my hiatus this year I gained a better appreciation of the power of light play and sabaki, but I think that I need to refresh this, because recently I have concentrated more on improving my opening play.

Sabaki is one of those strange things that appear almost magical when you see it done well. One thing to clarify is that it refers to an outcome, rather than a technique. You make sabaki through the application of technique; sabaki is not a special method in itself.

Sabaki can be achieved by playing lightly and sacrificially in the opponent`s strong area. This sounds easy, but in practice it can feel counter-intuitive.

Let`s take a sequence that I like very much:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c The First Position $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this picture, we see that Black has a corner enclosure. It surrounds about 12 points of territory.

Everybody knows the "heel probe" underneath the 3-4 point. Let`s see what happens when Black plays resolutely to keep hold of his corner territory.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Heel Probe and the Verdun Spirit $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . 9 . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , X O . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 1 . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

For a long time, I struggled to see how this could be satisfactory for White. Black has not only held the corner, but increased his profit. I count the corner at about 16 points.

However! Let`s look at this in a different way. The corner was Black`s to begin with. After all, he had invested 2 stones to White`s 0. What has happened here is that White has gained a strong group on the outside, but Black has only gained a tiny 4 more points. The stone that White sacrificed is very small, but the increase in strength on the outside is large. Depending on the rest of the board, that gain of influence could be of much greater value.

Let's consider another case, taken from the Kobayashi Fuseki.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Meeting Mr Kobayashi $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I suspect that quite a few people would feel the urge to attempt to reduce or destroy Black`s bottom side as much as possible. However, it isn't easy to do this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c What Black wants $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . 5 . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . 4 O 2 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Locally, White`s moves are joseki, but Black is delighted to play 5, which works harmoniously with the star point. White`s position looks heavy and not very pleasant to play.

White could also try the Large Avalanche:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Still no fun $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O 3 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . 4 5 . . | $$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . 6 X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This is also heavy for White, because Black`s stone at the bottom severely cramps her style.

So, how do you handle it? The suggestion given by Ko Iso (in his MyCom book「手抜き」の基本戦略 - Basic Tenuki Strategy) is to treat the situation lightly, and to play away.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Go lightly $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . 2 . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O 3 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

White`s tenuki at 2 is a hard move to play at amateur levels. It is difficult for us to allow Black to consolidate territory at 3, but as this example shows, White is able to keep pace - the discarded approach stone is no great loss, but it could still prove very useful.

Another example I like is the following joseki:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Where does White continue? $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . , . . . 3 . 1 . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a 2 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The obvious answer is to play at a, but it is possible for Black play tsume at b and put pressure on the group. The right move is to discard something:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Where does White continue? $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . , . . . 3 . 1 . 7 . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6 . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9 . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

After White plays a, Black can go through with the capture, but it is slow and small early in the game. Meanwhile, White is developing quickly along the side. Black is hardly any better off than he was at the start, although perhaps there is less aji in the corner, but White has achieved a pleasant position.

So, this is one point: making sabaki can involve a certain sleight of hand. It only looks like you are taking a loss, but really you are giving the opponent what was already theirs to start with. In return, you build a position where you had nothing before. It is like giving the opponent a few coins and then grabbing a bagful while they are happily gazing at their good fortune.

The sacrifice does not even have to be material. Here is a cheeky little number that I looked at this afternoon:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Where does White continue? $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O 3 . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . , . 1 . 2 . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . b . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black 3 looks quite tough - it says "actually, I think I will keep the corner and not allow you to make a base". But there is a way for White to make sabaki.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Where does White continue? $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O 1 5 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . , . 1 . O . 4 X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

White comes away with good shape and sente. I think many players would not think of 2 and 4 because they seem to give up the chance to play in the corner later, but this is better than lamely hopping away with the a for b exchange in the previous diagram.

It seems to me that the step forward comes with understanding and controlling basic human feelings. It is known that people fear loss, and so advertisers and others play on this with great effect ("Buy now! Only 3 pairs of our special trousers left!"). Sometimes they cannot see what they have gained because they are focussed on their loss, and sometimes they cannot see their losses because they think they have kept hold of something that was under threat. Many examples of sabaki are based on this principle. You let your partner feel that they have not only defended their corner (or group or whatever else), and you even give them a little sacrifice to sweeten the deal, but you take something bigger and better in the meanwhile. It`s misdirection - the classic technique of the magician.

But it`s hard to play like this, because you have to overcome your own fear of loss. You might need to sacrifice stones or give up aji. It can be difficult to enter a line of play that greatly solidifies the opponent`s territory, because it means that you can no longer dream about invading or destroying it later.

Still, I have had a glimpse of the satisfaction that light play and sabaki can bring, and I intend to work again on that aspect of my game.

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:44 am

Oh, happy day! I buy a nice new computer and desk to make playing go more comfortable. I log on to KGS for the first time, and my old friend breakfast invites me to a 3-stone game in his simul. I go on to win by 13.5!

Admittedly, I got the benefit of a rare serious oversight on the pro`s part, but hey! I`m not complaining.

I`ll publish the game if Alex does not mind.

Dokuganryu · Post by **Dokuganryu** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:08 am

Congrats Tami:)

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:45 pm

I am having a hard time.

First, I have decided to play as much as possible, because I think I study too much and don`t get enough practice.

In my last eight games on KGS and Kaya I have won only one. It is not as though I am on tilt. In each game I have been playing as well as I can, but it seems my opponents just keep raising the bar slightly too high for me. I`m depressed and I have annoying demands on my time, and I have been plagued by splitting headaches. I tend to get emotional when I lose too often, and I feel ashamed of that.

I don`t mind losing, but when it happens too often, it becomes painful. The worst thing right now is not having time to play another game today, because normally I could take a break and come back with a better attitude, but now the irritation cannot be scratched.

Perhaps I should buy a punch bag. It is strange, but sometimes when I get really mad, I feel deliciously peaceful and rational afterwards. What would help would be something I could take out my anger on without doing any damage, so that I can get to that peaceful feeling in a controlled fashion. Perhaps I`ll buy a ball and print David Cameron`s or Ishihara Shittaro`s face on it...

Bonobo · Post by **Bonobo** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:51 pm

For you, Tami :-)

If you visit the YouTube page you can also read the lyrics.

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 12:43 am

Thanks Bonobo. That was a helpful song.

It seems all my emotional circuits are being overloaded today. I saw something unutterably beautiful and ten minutes later something unspeakably sad. I`ve had a really deep and constructive conversation and I`ve seen some heartening progress in one of my guitar students.

Speaking of go, I feel extreme frustration with my lack of wins, but I also feel some progress. It seems the game I`m playing now is "go" and not merely "capture/surround territory".

I`d like to get some answers on the subject of "reading". It is impossible to believe that truly strong players laboriously go through the steps of each variation, either verbally or visually. They must be seeing the whole at once somehow. This is how I read English or read a musical score, and I expect the mental process in go will turn out to be similar. It seems a burden to think through a position in words. Rather I expect that with practice, the principles and guidelines and shapes and terms of reference will just give way to a silent understanding. It may be a "leap of faith" scenario. When you play music, at some point you have to hush the mental voice that says "g, b, d, c, crotchet, quaver etc." and just do it; when you speak a second language, you must stop thinking in your native language and just think in the second language, strange as it may feel; and, when you play go, you must let go of all the verbiage and just understand the position. No wonder Alex Dinerchtein said it was too difficult to explain when I asked him. I can barely communicate the idea in English myself. The bulk of the work has to be done ahead of time, through practice.

But that`s the really troubling part. You have to practice consciously before things become truly internalised, and once you have internalised something, you often have to disinter the concept and practice it all over again to reach a better level of internalisation.

So, I`m going to have to practice new learning consciously, and practice letting it become automatic. In a sense, byo yomi might help with that - because once you`re in zeitnot, you have no choice but to "fly by wire".

It`s unfortunate to have to say this, but from now on I intend to ignore any needlessly argumentative comments. I had a little vision, you see, of finding myself sitting at a computer ten years from now, suddenly realising that I had grown old while trying to get the last word in an endless and pointless squabble. Therefore, I won`t play that game any more.

Cassandra · Post by **Cassandra** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:10 am

Tami wrote:I`d like to get some answers on the subject of "reading". It is impossible to believe that truly strong players laboriously go through the steps of each variation, either verbally or visually. They must be seeing the whole at once somehow.

I found the following in the short description of a series of books on Go tactics (囲碁の戦術) on amazon.co.jp:

部分的な戦いは、読みの力で解決できるが、高度の作戦を必要とする戦術は読みだけでは解決できない。局面の全体的な動きを把握してこそ、その場に応じた戦術が可能になる。

You will understand the Japanese much better than mine, but I suppose that it says something like:

It is possible to solve partial fights by reading abilities.
But if a high degree of strategy is necessary it is impossible to solve by reading alone.
Only if you really understand the overall situation, you will be able to find the suitable measure.

RobertJasiek · Post by **RobertJasiek** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:24 am

Tami wrote:They must be seeing the whole at once somehow.

Strong players can see the basics at once and perform reading, explicit principle application etc. for what they don't see at once. Usually, one does not see everything at once because there are almost always also non-basic things.

Alex Dinerchtein said it was too difficult to explain

IMO, it is easy enough to explain: above a certain beginner level, you do not read any longer "reduce to 5-points nakade, then fill its vital point" but you see the effect of the reading sequence at once. (It is still possible to verify whether one's seeing at once is right or only an illusion.) Higher level players have also more advanced such seeing at once knowledge, for which they have done the reading / thinking "before the game".

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:40 am

RobertJasiek wrote:
Tami wrote:They must be seeing the whole at once somehow.

Strong players can see the basics at once and perform reading, explicit principle application etc. for what they don't see at once. Usually, one does not see everything at once because there are almost always also non-basic things.

Alex Dinerchtein said it was too difficult to explain

IMO, it is easy enough to explain: above a certain beginner level, you do not read any longer "reduce to 5-points nakade, then fill its vital point" but you see the effect of the reading sequence at once. (It is still possible to verify whether one's seeing at once is right or only an illusion.) Higher level players have also more advanced such seeing at once knowledge, for which they have done the reading / thinking "before the game".

This sounds exactly like what I`m trying to achieve. Thank you, Robert, and I mean that sincerely.

Tami · Post by **Tami** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:08 pm

Go is very difficult for me right now. Ever since I took the decision to change the balance of my go life from mainly studying to mainly playing I have been really struggling. Still, I`m sure it will turn around sooner or later.

To cheer myself up, I`ve made a commentary on my win against Alexandre Dinerchtein.

Life In 19x19

Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way

Re: Tami's Way