Life In 19x19

Hello, I couldn't exactly figure out how to attach the game to this message, but I did attach it as a file. Could anyone help my game any? I was playing black.

Open the sgf in a text file, and copy paste that into the message. Put [sgf] at the front of the pasted text and [/*sgf] at the end, but without the *.

Like this.

Alright, I get it now. Thanks for helping me figure out how to post the games. So, any suggestions?

At my strength, I'm a little cautious about offering advice, but here's what I think I can say :

First, don't be afraid to play some real people on KGS or IGS. There will always be someone your strength around. Those games are also more fun to review .

The diagonal approaches you played at 5 and 17 are odd and lead to a better position for white in these circumstances, with black a little over-concentrated. White's stones at D17 and D4 have influence over the upper and lower parts of the board, while your stones on the second line aren't doing much.

Peeps like move 35 are often "aji keshi" in that they just make white stronger without doing much for you. If you want to play there, cut.

Extend at 73 (to N13). What is that stone at 73 doing? It isn't protecting against the atari.

Hm, thanks for the advice. I'll have to consider. As for playing real people, I get a little disconcerted about the idea because I'm still at the basics of the basics, so I'd hate to play people I'm outmatched against. Then again, the comp creams me every time it seems anyway <<

As far as fear of starting playing people goes, you have two options. The Beginners room on KGS is a good place to find someone around your rank. As an alternative, asking (in the Godiscussions room or teaching ladder room) for a teaching game can help you get your feet wet. While you can win or lose teaching games, they tend to be closer than serious games, as well as more casual, relaxed, and friendly.

I'll have to look into that. That sounds good to me. I have considered asking for teaching games, but I guess I always felt too weird asking for it. lol

First, gnugo, depending on the version and settings, will be stronger than you for quite some time, and if you use only gnugo to get stronger you might pick up some bad habits. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing gnugo from time to time.

I have to admit that I didn't want to play a game on KGS for similar reasons that you state. But, in all honesty, just get in there and lose 5 games quickly and you'll feel better about it. There is a go proverb "Lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible." Play to learn and don't think about winning.

You may also be surprised at how many people you can actually beat.

Well, thanks. I guess the only way to get better is to lose and learn from it anyway. Hey, maybe I can play you at some point.

I will not comment on your moves because it might be beyond your level of reading.
but i suggest you to learn josekies. i mean memorize them.
and play against stronger players.
you dont have to know why they are played.
by playing josekies you will eventually feel that it is a series of moves that is flawless.
by that time you are a dan level strong player.

hailthorn011 wrote:Well, thanks. I guess the only way to get better is to lose and learn from it anyway. Hey, maybe I can play you at some point.

Anytime. Same name on KGS.

Awesome. Alright, I look forward to a game! And I'll take your advice magicwand. I've actually been studying games of strong amateurs quite frequently and reviewing some of my own games to maybe go along with what you said.

Magicwand wrote:I will not comment on your moves because it might be beyond your level of reading.
but i suggest you to learn josekies. i mean memorize them.
and play against stronger players.
you dont have to know why they are played.
by playing josekies you will eventually feel that it is a series of moves that is flawless.
by that time you are a dan level strong player.

I don't like to publicly contradict another board member, but this is bad advice.

Yes, you should learn joseki. But you should learn why they are played.

Take them apart, looking at them move by move. Try to figure out why each move is necessary. Then you will really understand the joseki.

Furthermore, you will be developing the skills to analyze joseki over the board, so if your opponent springs a surprise on you, you'll be able to handle it. If you just memorize, when you encounter a joseki that you haven't memorized, you are screwed.

I think I have to agree with Magicwand; with all due respect for the OP, for a 28k, there's very little hope of figuring out why a particular move is joseki, but playing it anyway will almost certainly be better than what they would have played otherwise.

I'm 1k and I can't figure out why most of the time

If I want to figure out why a move isn't joseki, sometimes I'll play it in my games until someone punishes it effectively... (but at 28k level that's not a good idea, as opponents will have no idea what they are doing, either...)

Of course, striving to figure it out won't hurt you and might be rewarding. Also, it's important not to get stuck in a rut of always playing the same moves. Experiment some. If you played joseki and got a bad result, always ask yourself what went wrong, and learn from it. When you're 5d you won't care how many games you lost as a 28k.