[admin] The poster originally asked a seemingly innocent question about ranks, the came back and edited it to be an ad. I'm leaving this thread in place only because some of the responses are useful. [admin]
Yes, there are many ranks in go. Too many to count, although we do.
But during your first year or so of go, you will be advancing so rapidly that rank will not mean much. As a beginner, I advanced at least 20 ranks before I even knew there were ranks in go. Thinking of yourself as being such-and-such rank can hold you back, particularly at the start. I once advanced four ranks in one week, by one simple trick, as they say on the internet.
Re: Ranking
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:02 am
by Abyssinica
Bill Spight wrote:Yes, there are many ranks in go. Too many to count, although we do.
But during your first year or so of go, you will be advancing so rapidly that rank will not mean much. As a beginner, I advanced at least 20 ranks before I even knew there were ranks in go. Thinking of yourself as being such-and-such rank can hold you back, particularly at the start. I once advanced four ranks in one week, by one simple trick, as they say on the internet.
Gain four stones in one week with this one werid trick.
Care to share?
Re: Ranking
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:26 am
by DrStraw
Bill Spight wrote:Yes, there are many ranks in go. Too many to count, although we do.
But during your first year or so of go, you will be advancing so rapidly that rank will not mean much. As a beginner, I advanced at least 20 ranks before I even knew there were ranks in go. Thinking of yourself as being such-and-such rank can hold you back, particularly at the start. I once advanced four ranks in one week, by one simple trick, as they say on the internet.
This is very true. In these days of instant gratification everyone wants to be assigned a number. People get excited to go up from 23k to 22k! When I started to play I was not assigned a rank at all until I entered by first tournament, nine months after I played my first game. I had merely been adjusting my handicap against players in the club. They tentatively suggested I enter as a 10k and it turned out to be a decent approximation, but it really was no more than an approximation. I was told at the time that the oriental nations did not even recognize ranks below 10k. They probably still don't.
As Bill says, just play and don't worry about rank. I would say it is not important until you start to beat a dan player on nine stones.
Re: Ranking
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:55 am
by Bill Spight
Abyssinica wrote:
Bill Spight wrote:Yes, there are many ranks in go. Too many to count, although we do.
But during your first year or so of go, you will be advancing so rapidly that rank will not mean much. As a beginner, I advanced at least 20 ranks before I even knew there were ranks in go. Thinking of yourself as being such-and-such rank can hold you back, particularly at the start. I once advanced four ranks in one week, by one simple trick, as they say on the internet.
Gain four stones in one week with this one werid trick.
Care to share?
Once, after doing my best to read out a local fight, I reached in my bowl for a stone to play. As I did so, I relaxed from my intense effort, and happened to glance over the whole board instead of focusing on the local area of the fight. With that glance I realized that the local fight was not the most important thing at that time. Not that I went into deep thought about another area, but I saw a better play. My reading effort for the local fight did not go to waste. I made use of it later on.
I started taking a second or two before making a play to relax and look at the whole board. The next game I played was against a 2 dan who gave me 4 stones. I only lost by 40 points. I played regularly with a 5 kyu who used to give me 4 stones, but whom I had finally persuaded to give me 6 stones. I was able to play him at 2 stones. A few weeks later I started to win some games at 7 stones against a different 2 dan.
My weird trick:
Relax and look at the whole board.
Re: Ranking
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:30 pm
by TheBigH
Abyssinica wrote:Gain four stones in one week with this one werid trick.
Local housewife discovered this one weird trick to make shodan in a week! Find out why the Nihon Ki-in hates her! Click on this totally legit pop up ad.
