The tournament was awesome. 3 games won 2 of 3.
Played against 1-3dan with 2 stone handicap.

I Played at my best.

I didn't respond softly to anything. I challenged them for every point they wanted. But at the same time I missed out on a lot of important gote moves searching for strong sente moves.

I remembered most the moves right after the game but it's been a long night so I doubt I'll remember them in the morning.

The first game I was ahead about 20 points and he had no potential So all i had to do was make sure he didn't give me a weak group and stop him from trying to make something.

The second game I was able to seal off the center in sente in two areas.
I feel I got pretty lucky with some aji.

The third game was very hard.
My opponent wasn't responding to a lot of my moves making a lot of them look slow although they were thick.

I couldn't really create a great attack and ended up falling behind by about 10 or 15 points. Then my opponent made a seki and was hopelessly ahead by about 30.

After not playing for a week and only watching videos this felt GREAT.

(Of course I did my silly math and rated my loss as down 10 points against a 3 dan with 1 handicap making me about a 1 dan.)

But in reality I just played far above what I normally play.

I don't know what triggered it but I hope I can play like that more often. Not being timid but also not being greedy.
I played some light groups. Forced my opponents to capture useless stones Played a few light groups (honestly I may have gone over board with the light moves. since there was a point where I should have started playing thick moves)

Played a lot of tesuji (And fake tesuji haha)

Overall I really enjoyed the tournament scene and encourage others to take the experience.

I strongly recommend that when you review your games. You play the moves from memory.
It will get you in the same mindset as when you were playing but you'll be able to see moves you didn't see during the game. (Since you know how it ends)
And you'll figure out why you got tunnel vision.
Or why you played on the smaller side.

Black Ops is the biggest hinderence to my Go.
On a stuff note.

Looking at some lower kyu games they don't seem to really pay attention to attacking groups. It's all very local.

I can't see in their mind that they are thinking hmmm this could be attacked or split later let me prepare first.

They just move on to another spot and help their opponent indirectly create a solid position in the same spot they could have indirectly hurt a thin position.

So I can see how I feel like nothing in particular improved but the way you think about the game just changes.

still alive

Haven't really played much.
Pretty proud of how strong I am. I also still feel like I have plenty of potential to grow.
I will be worried when I play a game and lose but am unable to find anything I did wrong. The longer it takes me to get to that point the better.

I also wish I had a real go set. My plastic stones are so tiny and horrible to play with. And I would love to play through professional games on a real board.


Some things I've decided I want to look at.

Why is it when i have all the time in the world, I don't want to play Go.

I think it's been almost a month since my last kgs game.

Thank goodness for these corresponence games with skydyr or I'd think I'd forgotten how to play.

Speaking of that game. I have a feeling like I've blundered magnificently. And at the same time feel like I'm doing pretty well.

So I'm not sure which feeling to believe.

Hopefully I either get more correspondence games going or I play a few games on kgs.

First game on kgs after almost a month.
It's not good.
I make a lot of mistakes. But i guess made opponent made more :]

You and me both. I think that it's an unusual board because of the frequent tenukis early on.

Hahaha that's my favorite part about our games.

It's fascinating to see how much we disagree about what is and isn't important.

Well, sometimes you may think something is important but it's more important to respond in kind than to take a loss and then let your opponent fix their corresponding weakness.

yeah.
It's just you have to be very careful that you don't give them a strong double purpose move by mistake.
Responding to your move AND defending their weakness.

I think this was a mistake I used to make a lot.

actually i think I still do...

Lee Sedol plays broken ladders and so do I!



I don't know what to say about this game.
I give myself 3 weak groups and then start cutting everywhere.

A few comments on the middle game fighting:

is a do-or-die move which can easily decide the game (either way). Make sure it works before you play it! The game result up to is terrible for W.

If your reading shows that does not quite work, consider some extra preparation first. For example, pushing at L7 might be enough to make it work and looks like sente against the lower group. In addition, you might well be able to force a few times around Q13 to strengthen the other side. After that preparation, you can bang down N10 with satisfaction, knowing it is a game winner.

must be the block at O11, no matter what. Even if B can break through and capture three stones, that would be better than the game result, where W is completely broken.

What is ? L12 appears to cut off and capture a large B group, ending the game. If you are not sure of the capture, then prepare with M16 or N16 and L7 first. You have B on the ropes here; do not let him off so easily.

Ah, thank you for mentioning this. I didn't even consider letting black eat the 3 white stones. But this does look way better for W. And black's group ends up getting very small points. And limited influence.




you are right I didn't realize how forcing of a move L7 was. I was very afraid of playing away from the Q11 group.

With I meant to disconnect the three N14 stones while taking territory. If black connects with P17 I can cut at M16. If black connects at N15 I can cut at P17 and black has trouble making a base.

But I suppose all this misses the point because it neglects the middle group.

Thank you for your comments.
Especially about I know edlee says not to get broken shape but I didn't trust it at that point and I should have. haha

I never said that. Some broken shapes are bad, some are OK, and some are only moves.
We have to decide case by case, just like most things in Go.

Bad Shape. Not even once.

I lost two games by 40 points but I feel they were very close...
If that makes sense.
Well I don't know if it counts as close but winning was one idea away.



I don't realize I can cut off a giant black group.



I aim for a big center too early.
Also I miss closing it off by playing a small move.

I should have read more.
I should do more life and death practice.

As far as 40 point losses go I didn't feel entirely mismatched. Or should I have?

I've been pretty critical of Bat's videos learning value preferring them for entertainment. And I've seen other users complain.

But his 3-dan series is awesome.

also fortune street is a dream come true.

Haven't played on kgs as much as I used to.
Figure I should post something.

A game in which I feel I have a massive lead and then bungle it up.

A few comments : )

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My "guide" to become stronger in Go