Filling in the gaps
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 3:41 pm
I've been a long-time lurker on this forum, but finally decided to sign up so I could create a study journal here. I'm hoping to have a New Year's resolution to be more diligent in my go studies, and this seemed the best way to keep myself honest about that goal, regardless of whether the resolution happens or sticks. (I thought about doing this as a blog, but it seemed that this way I'd have a better chance at feedback.)
Who am I?
Since I'm new to the forum, an introduction is probably in order. I started playing go in high school, and since then have mostly played online. In the past year, however, I've been fortunate enough to find a good local go club where I've enjoyed playing, as time permits.
I've developed a very territorial style of play, and have to resist the temptation to always take a few extra points when it means giving my opponent too much thickness.
Right now, my strength is generally as follows:
The problem
I've made it to my current level mostly by playing lots of games and watching stronger players play. Only recently have I started paying attention to more lectures and purchased a few books. The result is that I play mostly by intuition, and I feel that I make a lot of mistakes that are more characteristic of weaker ranked players. My hope is that by filling in the gaps in my knowledge, I can reduce the number/severity of those mistakes, and improve my play.
The goal
My goal is to pick up 1.5-2 stones in strength in the course of 2015. In other words, I'd like to make it to a solid AGA 5d / KGS 4d / Tygem 6d during next year.
The plan
I'm going to try to resist the temptation to always just play games, and instead use some of the time I devote to this hobby to studying instead. Whether it's doing tsumego, analyzing pro games, watching lectures, or reading go books, I'm hoping this will help fill in the gaps that I probably don't even know are there. I realize I should probably be more concrete, but I expect my free time during the year will vary considerably, so I would either significantly over- or under-promise with anything more specific. In any case, I'm hoping to record what I study here, both for feedback and in case it's useful to anyone else.
Thanks for following along. Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated.
Who am I?
Since I'm new to the forum, an introduction is probably in order. I started playing go in high school, and since then have mostly played online. In the past year, however, I've been fortunate enough to find a good local go club where I've enjoyed playing, as time permits.
I've developed a very territorial style of play, and have to resist the temptation to always take a few extra points when it means giving my opponent too much thickness.
Right now, my strength is generally as follows:
- AGA - weak 4d / strong 3d - In casual games, I usually play as a 4d, but my official AGA rating is still 3d
- KGS - weak 3d / strong 2d - My various accounts are either 2d or 3d, but even then I find myself losing to kyus sometimes.
- Tygem - weak 5d / strong 4d - My account tends to move back and forth between the two.
The problem
I've made it to my current level mostly by playing lots of games and watching stronger players play. Only recently have I started paying attention to more lectures and purchased a few books. The result is that I play mostly by intuition, and I feel that I make a lot of mistakes that are more characteristic of weaker ranked players. My hope is that by filling in the gaps in my knowledge, I can reduce the number/severity of those mistakes, and improve my play.
The goal
My goal is to pick up 1.5-2 stones in strength in the course of 2015. In other words, I'd like to make it to a solid AGA 5d / KGS 4d / Tygem 6d during next year.
The plan
I'm going to try to resist the temptation to always just play games, and instead use some of the time I devote to this hobby to studying instead. Whether it's doing tsumego, analyzing pro games, watching lectures, or reading go books, I'm hoping this will help fill in the gaps that I probably don't even know are there. I realize I should probably be more concrete, but I expect my free time during the year will vary considerably, so I would either significantly over- or under-promise with anything more specific. In any case, I'm hoping to record what I study here, both for feedback and in case it's useful to anyone else.
Thanks for following along. Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated.
.