Life In 19x19

Hey there! Happened to find this forum, and am glad I did. Been looking for somewhere just like this for a little while now!

Welp, a little -me- stuff:
I started playing arounnd April, and aside from about a month or no playing due to illness over June, I've played quite consistantly both online (KGS: VannLucas) and offline at my club in Birmingham (the England variety.)

I'm somewhere between 11-14kyu. I took a test (The play.baduk.org one) which stated me around 12kyu European. Though my KGS wavers between 13kyu and 14kyu at the moment.

My aim is to be around 4kyu by the end of the year, at least, and strive towards 1dan by next Summer. I'm a fast learner, and as long as I don't slack off because of that fact I think that those goals are possible.

Long term? I'd love to attempt to go pro, but I'll take that as it comes. Concentrate on my fuseki before jumping into endgame.

Hope I'll be able to get involved in the forums as fast as I can, and get to know you all!


よろしく！

Howdy, and welcome! You've certainly come to the right place. If you have questions or anything, don't be shy. =D

Thanks! I'll definitely do that!

Actually, and sections/topics you recommend for my current rank bracket?

Look for us on KGS. You'll find a ton of people willing to help you learn.

You'll want to look for the godiscussions.com room on KGS (godiscussions.com was the former home of this forum). Also, check out the beginner's tourney/league. Also, post your serious games here; reviewing your games is one of the best ways to improve.

Play a lot of games, occasionally have a game or two reviewed (I don't mind reviewing on or two if you post the SGF file here or PM it to me), read 'In the Beginning' and 'Attack and Defense,' and start doing go problems, perhaps with 'Graded Go Problems for Beginners Volume 2'. But most of all, at your rank, you will improve by playing games and reviewing your own afterwards.

Thanks for the info, guys. I just joined the GoDiscussions room, and will be sure to check out the book you mentioned.

Would you reccomend any minimum (or maximum) games one should play a day to improve? (or not burn out, etc.)

Play however many is fun for you. The key to improvement is to have fun.

Yeah, my biggest suggestion is, if you lose a bad game or otherwise get frustrated, take a break for a while. Playing while frustrated tends to turn into a slippery slope.

Roger!

Do you have any strong players in your local club, i think they would be happy to play handi games with you.