The Curse of "Solving" Go Problems

[Kirby]

Perceived likelihood of success can be guessed from the moves' functions or initial purposes.

Moves selected using 1-2-3 reading have a purpose: the move provided a defense for the opponent, and by playing there, that defense is no longer possible for the opponent to play.

[Kirby]

However, there is no guarantee that this kind of hint will always lead to the "real" vital spot of the problem. Just because there are problems of a more complex kind.

Of course. Otherwise, go would be a much simpler game.

However, 1-2-3 reading can be applied repeatedly:
* Try first move. Didn't work. Opponent's refutation was 'A'.
* Try playing 'A' first. Didn't work. Opponent's refutation was 'B'.
* Try playing 'B' first. Didn't work. Opponent's refutation was 'C'.
...

The fact that this is a 'hint' is all I'm trying to say. And this 'hint' seems useful to me in directing my search.

[RobertJasiek]

You are overstating the usefulness of 1-2-3. When applicable it is useful, but even then can be replaced by the simpler move function to prevent something the opponent wants to do. There can be many move functions, among them various of a "prevent" kind, and some of these prevent two or several things while possibly achieving one or several things. 1-2-3 is nothing but a special case.

[Kirby]

You are overstating the usefulness of 1-2-3.

I don't think so - all I've said is that it's a useful hint. I've also said that it doesn't always work.

But I don't mind disagreeing on this point.

[Cassandra]

Dôsetsu writes in his postscript to Igo Hatsuyôron that it will become extremely difficult to reach perfection without harmony between "shapes" / "positions", and "sequences".

Uh, is he saying anything else than that sequences consist of alternating moves and positions? I.e., both are equally important so to say.

As you surely know, YIN and YANG are of equal importance in East-Asian philosophy.

Dôsetsu understands the position of stones (ishidate; patterns) to be the YIN in the game of Go, i.e. as the "passive" part of the game.

He thinks of combinations (shudan; move sequences) as the "active" part in the game, i.e. to be the YANG, which shines a light through the sceletons of the patterns, so that we can understand how all the elements interlink.

This implies that moves / move sequences / tesuji etc. change the relationships between the elements of the shape (= groups), so the positions themselves cannot be a part / subset of a sequence.

[RobertJasiek]

Does such philosophy provide anything applicable for reading?

[Cassandra]

Does such philosophy provide anything applicable for reading?

Just interpreting one of Dôsetsu's final conclusions ...

If you cannot find the solution to a problem, only three things will help:
-- work hard,
-- work hard,
-- work hard
in understanding the relationship between "shape" and "sequences".

[RobertJasiek]

Dosetsu's problems are much better than his advice in the conclusion. Working hard needs to be guided. Dosetsu's means of providing a guide was to show especially difficult problems, but just a reference to some mythical relation between shapes and sequences is unhelpful. Instead, I suggest to use well worked out theory for guiding hard work.

[Cassandra]

Dosetsu's problems are much better than his advice in the conclusion. Working hard needs to be guided. Dosetsu's means of providing a guide was to show especially difficult problems, but just a reference to some mythical relation between shapes and sequences is unhelpful. Instead, I suggest to use well worked out theory for guiding hard work.

Presumably, by choosing only 1/10 of his problems for the book, Dôsetsu thought that the other 9/10 could be easily done ofter having solved the 1/10.

So, every single clue will be there ...