Life In 19x19

So, it seems that these common roadblocks really exist. Then the question is whether the reason why people get stuck at these specific levels are also common. If yes, what are they for each of these roadblocks? I guess this would be a valuable piece of information not only for anybody interested in doing some go study for improvement, but also for teachers.

I have a suspicion: The roadblocks are there because the next rank is somehow "important".
- 11k is "not quite 10k".
- 5k seems to be a very common rank, you could say when you're better than 5k, you're above average.
- 1k is "not quite 1d".

I think that alone can be a reason why someone has a block at these ranks, because one tends to think "I'm nearly there, just a little bit", and that makes the rest harder. Compare it with endurance sports: At least for me, the last part where I can already see the finish line always seems to be the hardest

As far as I can see the OP didn't mean EGF ranks, and KGS ranks are not equal to EGF ranks, so the exact values seem to be arbitrary. Apart from that we see some nice bumps in the nice graphs, but are they statistically relevant at all? To me it rather seems to be an illusion.

You can find "statistically significant" or not using a chi squared test.

Here's on online version.

It's been years since I really understood how it works, but it's pretty easy to use on the front end. Give it your actual data (say, number of people at X rank), expected data (say, a bell curve fit of the data maybe?) and it'll tell you whether the difference is significant (if the p value is less than .05, I think).

Anyone else notice that this is still the OP's only post?

judicata wrote:Anyone else notice that this is still the OP's only post?

Also, that was the last time he visited the forums. I'm not sure any of our advice was that great anyway, but if it was, he probably didn't see it

@judicata, dfan: I did read all the posts. I have been moving, and was unable to post for a while.

So it looks like the general consensus is that experiencing rank plateaus is perfectly normal. I have still been studying, but haven't been able to get in many KGS games. Now that I am settled, I think I will be able to fit in more serious games.

Hopefully, with enough study, I will be able to break this 11-12kyu rut that I seem to be stuck in. *crosses fingers*

Wickwire wrote:@judicata, dfan: I did read all the posts. I have been moving, and was unable to post for a while.

So it looks like the general consensus is that experiencing rank plateaus is perfectly normal. I have still been studying, but haven't been able to get in many KGS games. Now that I am settled, I think I will be able to fit in more serious games.

Hopefully, with enough study, I will be able to break this 11-12kyu rut that I seem to be stuck in. *crosses fingers*

As normal as breathing. And it will probably last until the moment where you say "who cares about rank, let's try strange mvoes and enjoy playing". Then you start improving again, until the next plateau

Wickwire wrote:@judicata, dfan: I did read all the posts. I have been moving, and was unable to post for a while.

Great! I forgot that you don't have to log in to read posts.

Wickwire wrote:@judicata, dfan: I did read all the posts. I have been moving, and was unable to post for a while.

To be clear, my comment was not meant to disparage you at all. I just find it amusing when a forum goes crazy on a thread, and the OP just has a single post. I hope you stick with it and ask more questions.

I played for awhile 2-3 years ago and got stuck at 11-12K. I stopped and came back. Now stuck around 13K. Basically, it's hopeless. And I don't have the time to study more intensively. So I've become fatalistic about this game and will play a bit till I give up again. Then the cycle will repeat again in a few years.

scara wrote:I played for awhile 2-3 years ago and got stuck at 11-12K. I stopped and came back. Now stuck around 13K. Basically, it's hopeless. And I don't have the time to study more intensively. So I've become fatalistic about this game and will play a bit till I give up again. Then the cycle will repeat again in a few years.

1. Go is fun no matter the level you play at. If you don't have time to study, then you'll have to be satisfied with your current play.

2. You can improve without study. Of course you will improve faster if you do some problems, at 12k I did graded go problems for beginners vol III and shot up 4 stones pretty quickly. If you get it and leave it by the toilet you can do one problem a day without much effort.

I don't study enough, it took me like 7 or 8 years to get to 1d. There's no rush, though.

It may well be that you are in a consolidation phase, and will start moving ahead in ratings soon.

However, it is also possible that there are problems with your game that your regimen is not addressing, and that you do not see yourself. (Or you would already be stronger). My suggestion: Find a teacher, not just a stronger player, but someone who can analyze your game and correct your thinking.

Good luck!

do LOTS of tsumego daily , it may not help you improve right away but the more you do and the higher the lvl then when you play a serious game it could possibly look like a tsumego you did just yesterday

Hey I started playing go two month ago and i am 9 kyu. I also studied a lot like you played as many games as possible, read beginner books solve a lot problems at go problem.com. I think your problem is that you spend to many time on playing and thinking about go. Make a break of two days or more and you will increase your strength. You will get a better feeling of the flow of the game. Thats the same like to train muscles you also need sometimes a break for regeneration. Well thats my experience when i study to hard i lose against weak oppents but when i take a short break i sometimes lose by less moku against higher rank players or win !!!

Sorry for my bad English !