Life In 19x19

The Go community is amazing. I've been playing for little over a week now and I've already come across many interesting people, new ideas and good suggestions, all of which I'm very thankful for. Now I have books to read and videos to watch, and I'm about to sit down and start going through them, but I would like to ask one more thing of you beforehand.

After my latest match, I feel that there's something missing. I realize that at this point I must take care of the basics, focus on tactics, solve a lot of tsumego, and so on; and yet... I sense a void that really bothers me.

I believe I'm approaching Go with a wrong mindset, and if I'm right, I would like to unearth it before it takes root. I suppose the insight I'm looking for is philosophical—and I'm well aware of how presumptuous (or ridiculous) it is for a beginner to ask for such a thing, but I'm only looking for someone to point me to a certain direction.

Maybe this post won't make any sense, even because I don't quite comprehend myself what the issue is, and I'm sure most people would advise me to stop worrying about what I can't understand and just keep playing, or tell me that I'm making something of nothing, but I hope someone will see this as more than an empty raving and help me find... I don't know what.

Right now I feel like the zen student in that parable about a parable. I want to unstick my mind so I go back to studying and not bother you again until I've made a considerable effort to learn from the resources I have at my disposal.

Again, here's the match that got me ruminating:



Thank you for reading.

P.S.: While I'm an amateur, I figured the subject matter would classify as high-level, hence my posting in this particular subforum.

P.P.S.: I make no claims that I would presently understand (surely not deeply enough) what you might tell me, but if you show me the entrance to the rabbit hole, time and effort should get me through it—eventually.

Hi Lucas,

What if you B3 instead of the game move ?

What if you H6 instead of the game move ?

Why ? ( What does it do ? Do you need it ? )

Same questions as .

Same questions as .

Same questions as .

I think that you are on to something. But that does not mean that you should worry about whatever it is.

One thing that will help you is to play around with positions. For this game, instead of taking the ko for try playing where White played and see what happens.

P. S. There are other interesting plays for , as well.

lucasfelix wrote: P.S.: While I'm an amateur, I figured the subject matter would classify as high-level, hence my posting in this particular subforum.

<admin>
It's not about professionals, so I moved it to the beginners subforum. You might also like to make a Study Journal.
</admin>

Hello lucasfelix,
On this forum, you can find several discussions which are more or less philosophical and/or suits your needs.
Also, reddit.com/r/baduk offers such discussions.

While I am not a philosopher, I think an important aspect of the game is about balance/equilibrium. Every move is a step and a trade-off, and you to take balanced steps and a fair (but favourable ) trade-off. You will note this when you play 19x19 games.
People also comment on the virtues and vices during the game: agressiveness, greed, anxiety, etc. There's a famous anecdote somewehere that a pro could see when the maid interrupted the pro game going on to bring some tea.
Perhaps your post is about such matters?

lucasfelix: Go is like literature. You have to learn to read (tsumego) and learn some vocabulary (basic concepts) before you really start to appreciate it, so be patient.

Bill Spight wrote:...instead of taking the ko for try playing where White played and see what happens.

P. S. There are other interesting plays for , as well.

Bill's first suggestion is the most elegant, but for a beginner, playing one point to the left of may be more accessible.

When you can tell us why the first move is more elegant, enlightenment is close.

Set up a board at move 58, and experiment with it.