Life In 19x19

Hi,

We beginners are advised to play and lose 100 games (of course we secretly hope to win).

Given that we keep repeating the same mistakes, perhaps we fit the definition of 'insane' -- "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" (commonly attributed to Einstein).

Cheers
tezza

tezza wrote:Hi,

We beginners are advised to play and lose 100 games (of course we secretly hope to win).

Given that we keep repeating the same mistakes, perhaps we fit the definition of 'insane' -- "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" (commonly attributed to Einstein).

Cheers
tezza

It's only insane if you keep losing the same way. As I tell the people I teach, "you've got to learn to lose with style"

Don't worry, you will discover new ways to lose, improving!

Try again, fail again. Fail better!

Best wishes.

the idea is (i think) that you have a bit of pride and losing makes you want to not do that mistake EVER again. If you had won you don't worry as much and don't improve faster. Since the game is pretty big, you need a large number of losses to improve enough to start understanding the game a bit.

Oh how i remember slapping my head for missing a 15 stone snapback:)

I expected this thread would be one half of the people saying "Yes" and the other half saying "Why do you think it's only the beginner's who are insane?"

So far I haven't been disappointed (=

FWIW, I lost well over my first 100 games. When I won my first game, I was an SDK.

If you repeat the same mistakes 100 times, then, yes, you are insane. The point behind playing 100 games is that you might learn not to do the dozen or two most common mistakes.

Then you can join the rest of us in making more complex mistakes.

At that point, when you make the same complex mistake 100 times, the proper term is not "insane" but "reached a plateau".

Didn't you know? Everyone is insane. That's what Einstein was getting it when he said that! Fortunately for me, through the used of books and those more knowledgeable than myself, I didn't have to lose my first 100 games. I might have to now, that I'm at a plateau so to speak.

But even those who don't lose first 100 games or really strong players will lose their brains for a minute and play something they already know doesn't work. And feel rather clumsy right after playing it too.

Being a beginner at anything is difficult. A lot of times the seasoned veterans don't want anything to do with you, or they're very haughty about it. So, they'll definitely try to label you as "insane" for not grasping a concept that they understand quite well due to experience.

Fortunately, I can honestly say this mentality seems to be pretty rare in the Go community. People won't label you "insane" just for asking what sente means or what tenuki means, ect. So, in my own opinion, I wouldn't label beginners insane.

Unfortunately, tezza, you were insane BEFORE you had even heard about Go. Fortunately, however, for you, you found Go. Your insanity will still get worse over time, but at a much, much slower pace.

All joking aside, it depends on the person. You are probably not insane.

Hi all,

Thanks, I'm desperately telling myself that I've just...

Joaz Banbeck wrote:"reached a plateau".