Life In 19x19

So, I've been busy a lot lately, and haven't often found time to really sit around on the computer and play Go as much as I would like to. The past 4-5 days were spent out of town, without internet connection, so I was forced to take yet another prolonged break.

It seems that's all I am nowadays: Busy. I haven't even had enough time to really game or write.

Although, on this visit to Tazewell, I finally got a true taste of a game I should be really familiar with: Chess. My girlfriend recently got a laptop with a chess simulator on it, and I thought I'd give it a whirl. I know the basic rules, so I figured I'd start with the easiest level 1 robot. And I got CREAMED!

So, I played that a lot over the visit and actually won a few times. It was a fun distraction when I had the time and wasn't able to play Go (I forgot my Go board...). Surprisingly, I found chess to be quite fun, but I still prefer Go. Very much so. Go, in my honest opinion, is easier to play. Is that strange?

Anyway, now that I'm at home again (my new home, that is) I'm hoping I'll be free more often. Hopefully the road to Dan level will be less disjointed from here on.

(P.S.- Anyone watching the Fifa Women's World Cup? I think the home team, the USA of course, is gonna win the cup! Can't let Germany get it again after all! I still find it odd that our Women's team is so good, and yet our men's team is abysmal.)

Chess is kind of interesting to me, but I've never stuck to it for long.

I got bored with it once I could beat my dad. My dad has only played go once, and it was against me, so of course I could beat him then... Maybe I just needed to find a game that he didn't play to stick with it...?

hailthorn011 wrote: (P.S.- Anyone watching the Fifa Women's World Cup? I think the home team, the USA of course, is gonna win the cup! Can't let Germany get it again after all! I still find it odd that our Women's team is so good, and yet our men's team is abysmal.)

Real men play Football. You can take that anyway you want it, really, but it explains a lot about the state of male 'soccer' in the US of A. In highschool and college, almost every sport is better funded, and better coached, than male soccer. Female soccer is often better funded than male, because there is not a female american football team competing for funding. And don't you find that a wee bit odd? Women have their own baseball (and softball) teams, they have their own basketball league, their own tennis and soccer teams..

But I've never seen a team of females strap on pads and run into each other like goats. Wiki says that semipro leagues do exist, but that they lack popularity, and that the availability in college and highschool is near to nonexistant.

Regardless, back on the point, in the US, Soccer is broadly viewed as a 'womens game' in highschool and college, leading to lower male athlete participation. A male athlete who runs a lot is more likely to participate in track and field, or become a wide reciever, rather than join a soccer team.

Also, chess. In middle school, I played with my father every night for months. For years, not a day went by that I didn't play at least one game of chess. Then in highschool, I discovered, I was at my limit. More, I was at the limit of how the game could be played without formal study. I either won easily, or lost spectacularly, and I couldn't figure out why, until someone said, "Well, obviously, I played this gambit in response to your opening.." ...

Wait, what?

Turns out, to get better than I was, I had to study a long list of call and response common openings, basically reducing the game from something I was playing, to a selection of lines that someone else had played. The thought that there was very little under the sun which had not been played already at some point, well, it depressed me, and I gave up chess within a few months.

One of the things that keeps me interested in go is that it's always possible to play your own moves. Even when playing out a joseki, choosing a joseki for the whole board, and modifying it to fit other areas of the board are a large part of the fuseki, so I never feel like I'm 'trapped' on a certain line.

But, chess is a fairly interesting game, and I still ocacasionally pull out a chess board and play people.

Well, as a general rule of thumb, I enjoy pretty much every sport in existence. Expect baseball and hockey. Never have caught my interest. But American football (well, just football here), soccer, basketball, even tennis all appeal to me.

But you're right. Every other sport is more widely viewed than soccer here, at least from what I've seen. I have yet to even come across another soccer fan. I just started watching on my own accord last year. I got interested in the game during the 2010 Men's FIFA World Cup.

I wish it were more popular here. But like you say, it's viewed as a kid's and women's sport here for some odd reason. Or better yet, I've heard so many people say it's "un-American" to watch soccer. I just shake my head at the idiots who say that.

As a matter of fact, I'd be interested in playing Soccer because it looks a lot more fun than other sports (even though I still prefer American football). Only problem is, I'm 21 and poorly conditioned. I'm definitely too old to start now.

I guess all I'm doing is yapping now. Oh yeah, Japan's upset victory over Germany was EPIC. That's all I can say.

Always sad to see the USA not being part of football (soccer). The last world cup had over 140 countries taking part - it is truly a world sport.

You mustn't forget that South America boasts some of the best football in the world so a part of your island does ok at it..

hailthorn011 wrote:... Only problem is, I'm 21 and poorly conditioned. I'm definitely too old to start now...

You're never too old to get in shape. You want to play soccer? Go for it!

BobC wrote:Always sad to see the USA not being part of football (soccer). The last world cup had over 140 countries taking part - it is truly a world sport.

You mustn't forget that South America boasts some of the best football in the world so a part of your island does ok at it..

The USA was in the World Cup. We lost to Ghana, I think. Landon Donovan really had some heroic performances. Although, we've run into a bit of a rut lately. We gave up a two goal lead to Mexico and lost 2-4 in the Gold Cup! Ridiculous!

Joaz Banbeck wrote:

hailthorn011 wrote:... Only problem is, I'm 21 and poorly conditioned. I'm definitely too old to start now...

You're never too old to get in shape. You want to play soccer? Go for it!

Well, it's not like I'm overweight, per se. I just need to condition my body for sports and build muscle. I'm hoping maybe I can get into a college that has a soccer team, but they might not be willing to train me things most players learn as kids.

hailthorn011 wrote:As a matter of fact, I'd be interested in playing Soccer because it looks a lot more fun than other sports (even though I still prefer American football). Only problem is, I'm 21 and poorly conditioned. I'm definitely too old to start now.

I hate to hear that ! Age, especially at 21, is not an excuse to not start a sport. You are unlucky to live in the US, because here in france, you just have to put your sport shoes on, go out run in any direction for about 400m and you can find people playing football you can join.
In the south of France, we don't even call it football, we say "play the ball game (jouer au ballon)". It is that obvious that you are speaking about football.
It is the beauty of this sport, you just need a round ball, everyone can play no matter how poor they are.

But I hate the "pro" football that is played in europe. Especially in France and Italy. Now, it is all about pretending to fall at the right time when the referee is not really paying attention and trying to get a flag. I hate it. In France, there is littelaly millions of young people who look up to the football "stars". The same person that pretend to be hurt on the football field to get an advantage despite the fact that no body touched them. This is not sport anymore.
I love the sport in itself none the less, but I can't wait for the video to enter the referee process.

What I also love is "American Football" : Since I was a kid, I was the "big" dude. Not because I am fat, but because I have large shoulder and was always stronger than the other kids. You might think that it is cool to be naturaly strong, and it is in most cases. But in every sports you play, you are the "brutal" dude. You can't go 100% because people will make fun of you. And then I started playing american football for a few month (at age 28, between jobs) and it was a relief : I was of normal shape, being explosive was good, there was a ton of guys 2 times bigger than me.
What I love most about this game is that it is a true "team" game : without the linemen, the QB get crushed. Without the blockers, the running back is stoped right away. I used to play Linebacker and what a thrill when the DLine opened the offense and I could run for the QB or the running back !
I didn't play long, because I found a job (wich is good) and had to move.


Don't make fun of me !! I think of it as the math nerd who finds the math after school club and can finaly speak of what he loves with people like him.

Tortue wrote:

hailthorn011 wrote:As a matter of fact, I'd be interested in playing Soccer because it looks a lot more fun than other sports (even though I still prefer American football). Only problem is, I'm 21 and poorly conditioned. I'm definitely too old to start now.

I hate to hear that ! Age, especially at 21, is not an excuse to not start a sport. You are unlucky to live in the US, because here in france, you just have to put your sport shoes on, go out run in any direction for about 400m and you can find people playing football you can join.
In the south of France, we don't even call it football, we say "play the ball game (jouer au ballon)". It is that obvious that you are speaking about football.
It is the beauty of this sport, you just need a round ball, everyone can play no matter how poor they are.

But I hate the "pro" football that is played in europe. Especially in France and Italy. Now, it is all about pretending to fall at the right time when the referee is not really paying attention and trying to get a flag. I hate it. In France, there is littelaly millions of young people who look up to the football "stars". The same person that pretend to be hurt on the football field to get an advantage despite the fact that no body touched them. This is not sport anymore.
I love the sport in itself none the less, but I can't wait for the video to enter the referee process.

What I also love is "American Football" : Since I was a kid, I was the "big" dude. Not because I am fat, but because I have large shoulder and was always stronger than the other kids. You might think that it is cool to be naturaly strong, and it is in most cases. But in every sports you play, you are the "brutal" dude. You can't go 100% because people will make fun of you. And then I started playing american football for a few month (at age 28, between jobs) and it was a relief : I was of normal shape, being explosive was good, there was a ton of guys 2 times bigger than me.
What I love most about this game is that it is a true "team" game : without the linemen, the QB get crushed. Without the blockers, the running back is stoped right away. I used to play Linebacker and what a thrill when the DLine opened the offense and I could run for the QB or the running back !
I didn't play long, because I found a job (wich is good) and had to move.


Don't make fun of me !! I think of it as the math nerd who finds the math after school club and can finaly speak of what he loves with people like him.

Interesting, I've never met someone from France who likes American football before. As for Soccer (traditional football, I guess) I want to try and play when I get back into college. I've been spending the better part of the last two weeks getting exercise and whatnot.

But I have to agree, it isn't that easy finding people to play with. Hopefully Juergen Klinsmann can bring USA soccer success so it gets more media coverage than it does.

yep Juergen Klinsmann was one of the best divers ever........

BobC wrote:yep Juergen Klinsmann was one of the best divers ever........

Well, he's coaching, not playing. And as far as I've heard, his credentials are pretty spot on.