Life In 19x19

Hi.
I played tsumegos a few times a week with my phone and I liked it until I tried out 9x9 games instead. In my opinion tsumegos are not so realistic game situations like the L&D's situations in 9x9 games and with 9x9 games I train my gameplay in tight spaces which is very important for me.

Yes, i had a few game situations which i knew from my tsumegos but when i look at the amount of tsumegos which I played and these few game situations were normal and easy tsumegos.
Therefore I change my “training” and play 9x9 games instead of tsumegos.


What do you think about it?

Tim

Hi Dragonstone,
It all depends on what you call "tsumego". Practicing problems is indeed an important part of the training.
But playing games is an important part too...
As well as studying the fundamentals (haengma, strategy, sente, jôseki...)
...and from time to time, having one of your games reviewed.
So you are right to play games. A lot of games ! It is as important as practicing tsumego, if not more.

Exercises should include the practice of capturing techniques (nets, ladders, snapbacks, throw-ins, pins, jachung...), the practice of life and death (vital points, false eyes, capturing races...). All these subjects should be included in "tsumego".
But exercices should also include tesuji for connecting, for escaping, for enclosing the opponent, and also the study of haengma (cross-cut, horse move for attack, one-point jump to escape, how to deal with races on the 2nd line, on the 3rd line...), the endgame (double sente moves, reverse sente moves, monkey jump, endgame tesuji...).

And these are only the tactical side of the fundamentals principles of go. The strategy is the other part : assessing a global position, spotting weak groups, extending from corners, how to use a moyo, choosing between reduction and invasion... There are very few exercices about these very important subjects.

Doing just tsumego with "Black to play and kill" is very restrictive.

Pio2001 wrote:spotting weak groups, extending from corners, how to use a moyo, choosing between reduction and invasion... There are very few exercices about these very important subjects.

Isn't this what the "Get strong at X" problem books are? I think there are others like them too.

[edit: There are apparently quite a lot of problems in the Mastering the Basics series.]

Oh yes ! You are right. I forgot about these series... But they are not especially on the beginner side.

Everybody is different. If you find 9x9 games good for your own training right now, go for it.

Dragonstone wrote:
What do you think about it?

Tsumegos also arise frequently in 19x19 games - but you will spend a greater percentage of your time thinking about then in 9x9 games. Likewise, compared with 9x9 games, you will spend more time thinking about life and death if you are just doing L&D problems instead. My feeling is that the quantity of exposure to problems improves your instinct and your ability to solve real game problems, so while the problems that arise 9x9 games may be a bit more real in the existential meaning, they don't occur in the same frequency or variety, so they aren't a real substitute for doing lots of problems. On the other hand, 9x9 games are fun and quick and provide a lot of practice thinking tactically, so it is certainly not a waste of time.