Ask Go players about Go (come play Go with us)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask Go players about Go (come play Go with us)

Quad: Dec 31, 2007; I've seen pogs you people wouldn't believe

Blendy posted:

Hey Chicagoon checking in. I haven't played in a while. Quad didn't we used to play back in the day. Which club do you go to? The lakeview one?

The Streets of Woodfield one. There are mahjonng people here too, vying for board game supremacy.

# ? Sep 3, 2011 21:33

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 6, 2024 10:13

Blendy: Jun 18, 2007; She thinks I'm a haughty!

I didn't know there was a club there. We should meet up and play sometime.

# ? Sep 4, 2011 04:00

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

Blendy posted:

I didn't know there was a club there. We should meet up and play sometime.

We have a club where you can meet up and play online!

# ? Sep 8, 2011 12:15

Blendy: Jun 18, 2007; She thinks I'm a haughty!

I do not understand your alien technology future man! I have been meaning to drop in though. Today and tomorrow are my last days at my job so maybe next week I can start playing again.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 14:45

Funkysauce: Sep 18, 2005; ...and what about the kick in the groin?

Is reading Go for Beginners a good starting point before delving in to more online play? I feel like I'm playing randomly and looking at Sensei's Library is a little overwhelming.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 20:08

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

Funkysauce posted:

Is reading Go for Beginners a good starting point before delving in to more online play? I feel like I'm playing randomly and looking at Sensei's Library is a little overwhelming.

The first book in the Graded Go Problems for Beginners series is pretty good but in general it's hard to profit much from books when you are a new player. Books for beginners are okay, but at that level the best way to progress is just to play games, get them reviewed, and watch other people play games so you can get some sort of idea what you should be doing. After fifteen or twenty games your play won't be so random and you can start on the long, long road to making sense of things.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 21:02

Nettle Soup: Jan 30, 2010; Oh, and Jones was there too.

I never knew there was a Go thread! I get into this every now and again, my friends agree to play a couple of games with me, then I've got nobody to play with until I get bored again...

Anyone else who's terrible and wants to play on KGS some time?

# ? Sep 8, 2011 23:01

Prince Reggie K: Feb 12, 2007; I've been denied all the best Ultra-Sex.

I'm pretty terrible. I'm dandemus on kgs

# ? Sep 9, 2011 01:44

Nettle Soup: Jan 30, 2010; Oh, and Jones was there too.

I'll be around as Visi, 3 games down, 97 more to lose

# ? Sep 10, 2011 16:41

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

Nettle Soup posted:

I'll be around as Visi, 3 games down, 97 more to lose

I looked up to see what rank I was when I'd lost my hundredth ranked game and it turns out I was 9k. That's a lot higher than I expected

# ? Sep 10, 2011 22:29

impulse 7 effect: Jun 2, 2011

Funkysauce posted:

Is reading Go for Beginners a good starting point before delving in to more online play? I feel like I'm playing randomly and looking at Sensei's Library is a little overwhelming.

Big fan here of 'in the beginning'. For the graded go problems books, it's usually more beneficial to do lots of easier problems relatively quickly than spend ages on one problem. By ages, like every problem takes more than a minute.

If you can flick through a book and sort of say 'there', 'there', 'erm, hang on. Oh right, there', 'there', 'there, no wait, gently caress I don't know' that's pretty good going.

So, 'In the beginning' for a nice intro theory book, and some basic life and death books to get a feeling for the shapes. And lots of games!

edit: cool thing to do with the problem books, turn them upside down and go through again. There's a tendency to present certain openings/shapes/problems in a similar context across the spectrum in go literature so it always helps to nail the shapes from every angle. Then turn book 90' each way, etc. Money-saving!

[playing as impulse7 on kgs]

impulse 7 effect fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Sep 16, 2011

# ? Sep 16, 2011 22:48

o.m. 94: Nov 23, 2009

I'm gonna post this in here for archival purposes since the old thread is gonna die.

Go

Two players exchanging handshakes after a friendly game.

WHAT??

Welcome to a thread about the most venerable and ancient art of igo or just go, also known as weiqi in Chinese, and baduk in Korean. Go is an ancient (~2000 years) Chinese two-player board game which has simple, elegant rules but a vast, unfathomable complexity. It is also about crushing your opponents whilst retaining the calm demeanour of a placid lake in springtime. Go enjoys great status in Japan, Korea and China but lives in the shadow of Chess in the west, which is a shame. It's a deeply aesthetically pleasing game.

A nice thick goban (playing board) makes a great clacking noise when you slam the stones down to let your opponent know who's boss.

Wow, this game sounds cool. Tell me more!

I will not give the rules here in any detail; as you follow through this thread you will see links that explain it far better than I could. But here is a rough summary: A typical game of go consists of a board with a 19x19 grid drawn on it (a goban). The players take turns to place stones at the intersections of the gridlines, with the aim to surround more empty space (territory) than their opponent. Once a stone has been placed, it does not move- unless it is captured. Stones are captured when you totally surround your opponent's stones. Essentially, players gain territory by capturing their opponents stones and stopping their stones from being captured.

Black must play a stone at A or he will be totally surrounded if he lets white put a stone there. Not cool.

But go is more than just trying to capture stones. It's essentially a game about balance; trading positions on the board in a struggle to get ahead, like an elaborate swordfight. When we play, we talk about concepts like "beautiful shape" and the "flow of the stones" on the board. The players trade, fight and defend for their standing on the board until there are no more moves to play. When both players cannot find another move, they will both decide to pass, which signals the end of the game. They then count the number of points on the grid that their stones surround; the person with the most points wins. This is the essence of go. This explanation is a little vague, but the game is incredibly simple- just see the following link:

--> Players unfamiliar with the rules of the game should start here <--

The above link is an essential interactive tutorial on the fundamentals. Try going through it a couple of times. If you're happy with that, try also following lovely's amazing guide here, which will guide you further along the path to becoming a solid, merciless Go player.

A typical scene from the end-game of go. Note the opponent trampled underfoot won, but fell victim to the nuclear tesuji.

TRY WARMING UP WITH SOME AI

If you're feeling brave at this point, skip to the next section about playing online as it's the best way to learn. However, if you're feeling timid you may want to study the rules and familiarise yourself with certain basic concepts in the link above, you'll probably want to have a go at a real game. My suggestion then would be to try a computer player so you can experiment with undo moves and generally taking your time, etc. There are many different clients for playing computer go, but probably the quickest way to get set up is to do the following:

1) Download the glGo client.
2) Download the GNUGo engine on the same page and put it in a folder somewhere (glGo install directory is fine).
3) Select "Play GNU Go" from the PANDA-glGo main menu; at some point the client will ask you to point to the GNUGo engine you downloaded in step 2.
4) Tweak your game settings. You might want to try a game on a smaller board, like 9x9. The komi setting is explained below.
5) Play and get a feel for the game! Remember to use the link above if you're still unsure of the rules.

Go is, from a computational standpoint, a complete nightmare and unlike Chess, where computer AI has managed to beat some of the greatest players in the history of the game, the most advanced Go AI could probably not beat a dan-level amateur, let alone a professional. Advances are always being made, but the point here is that Go AI is no substitute for a real player. It is, however, quite useful for a total beginner.

Playing go can be a very peaceful, spiritual experience. Respect for your opponent is a must at all times.

PLAYING ONLINE and JOINING A CLUB

Just to re-iterate the point that once you're fairly happy about the rules, you can stop playing bots. They are no substitute for the real thing. You'll want to play actual people who can give you advice and make delightful chat with you in the process. The best way to do this is join your fellow SomethingAwful go players on KGS (Kisedo Go Server). Note that there are other servers, but KGS is generally considered the best for English-speaking players, as well as the client being the most user-friendly.

How to get online:

1) Visit the KGS website. Here you can launch the KGS client in your web browser, or download it to your computer.
2) Register an account.
3) Log in, choose the following menu option: Rooms -> Room List
4) Under the "Social" tab, find the room "SA" and double click. This is our public room, but it's not where we usually hang out.
5) Ask for permission to join "ITGO", our private room.
6) Once permission has been granted, you can join by going Rooms -> Room List, and double clicking ITGO under the "Social" tab.

Don't worry if you don't get an immediate response, someone should notice your request eventually. Try again at another time (evenings is best) if there's still nothing happening, or ask in the Ask/Tell Go thread.

DragQueenOfAngmar posted:

I saw this thread and got inspired to pick up Go again. I had started to learn about 2 years ago when I read Hikaru no Go (nerd, right) but got discouraged when no one wanted to play with me. When I found out there was an SA community that played, I went ahead and re-registered my KGS account and last night I stayed up until almost 5 am playing 9x9 games with other beginners and getting critiques from older hands. It was seriously the most fun I've had in ages, I'm hooked and will definitely be back on tonight. My name on KGS is tschimp, I'll be in the ITGO room if any other beginners want to play me! Seriously excited now

There are also real-life Go clubs in a lot of places; most cities will have at least one but again it's dependent on geography. One of the best resources for finding local players is IGOLocal, which is a map-based directory. Also, a Google search will help, and most national association websites may also have a club directory. Playing go in real life is a very different experience to playing online and I encourage anyone with an interest in the game to seek out their local club.

Go clubs are the cool places to hang out. You can find most of the cool people there. At Go club you can just chill and do whatever and totally relax. "Take it easy" is the Go motto, for example, that's how laid back it is there. Show up if you want to have a good time. Another good reason to show up is if you want to hang out with friends.

ITGO LEAGUES and TOURNAMENTS

http://itgoleague.wikia.com/

We currently have a league running for all levels of ability, so now more than ever is the best time to get online and get playing. Each game played comes with a complimentary review, so even if you're a player who feels out of their depth compared to others, there is much to be learned from participating.

RANKINGS AND HOW TO LEVEL UP

Player ranks are split into two groups: kyu and dan. Kyu-level players are considered beginners and intermediates, whereas dan-level players are considered masters. The ranks are split up as so:

code:

Double-digit kyu: 30 to 20 kyu                       Beginner
Double-digit kyu: 19 to 10 kyu                       Casual player
Single-digit kyu: 9 to 1 kyu                         Intermediate amateur
Amateur dan:      1�7d (where 8d is special title)   Advanced amateur
Professional dan: 1�9p (where 10p is special title)  Professional Player

Go is pretty merciless at first. You will start around 30k. There is a well known proverb: "Lose 100 games quickly". This means that the best way to improve is just to play, and accept defeat. Get playing games, lose them, and study your losses until you achieve your first victory. The members of ITGO are always on hand to review games and offer suggestions on how to improve.

When I first started, I consistently struggled to win games or even understand what the hell I was doing. I think on the third day I played, I did something insane like 20 games, of which I won 2. I started at 28 kyu in March 2010. By next March I had a ranking of 8 kyu. That's not even that fast! My secret is just to play, play, play. Some people like to study books and play a few select, thoughtful games; others like to just play lots and lots of games and develop an instinct through losing and winning. Either way, Go accomodates all kinds of approaches, it's just a matter of finding one that suits you.

GO BOOKS AND PROBLEMS

Books are an excellent way to improve. My reccomendation would be to start with "The Second Book of Go" by Richard Bozulich, which is designed for people who know the rules but still have no idea what to do next. That book will take you quite far if you study all of it, but after that you might want to start dipping into the Elementary Go Series, which should take you all the way to 1k and maybe beyond. Another book you will see mentioned a lot is Kageyama's "Lessons In The Fundamentals of Go" which is a book that can begun to be read at 15k, and one you will find yourself re-reading on your road to 1-dan.

Doing problems are another great way to improve your skills, and you can find a set of beginner, intermediate and advanced puzzles and problems here.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

The Ask/Tell Go thread. This is where most Go discussion happens, as this thread is really just a recruitment thread. Get in there and get chatting.
A really, really good introduction on how to improve at Go, written by lovely on KGS
A solid overview on what this game is all about, from Wikipedia.
Sensei's Library. The de-facto Go wiki, full of loads of information about getting started and improving your game.
KGS, the best English-speaking Go server.
KGS Analytics, will give you statistics on your KGS games!
Life in 19x19, a popular Go forum.
IGOLocal club directory for real life games 'n poo poo.
SmartGo, an excellent app for mobiles.

Go.... (gently caress yourself??)

MISC GO TRIVIA AND PERSON(S)

Read lovely's Guide to Professional Go to learn more about the professional world of Go.

seamus_android posted:

Celebrity go players:

Nolan Bushnell (he named the company Atari after the state in go when a group has a single liberty left). Here he is discussing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR9yJNf6R7Y.

John Horton Conway - mathematician active in just about every field of discrete mathematics, and inventor of the 'game of life' cellular automata.

The Nobel-prize winning economist John Nash plays, and he is shown playing in the film of A Beautiful Mind. Here's the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TApyjEGf7E.

Alan Turing played go, and wrote about it in New Scientist (anyone have a reference for this? I am curious.)

The actor Michael Culver, who played Captain Needa in Empire Strikes Back is a BGA 1-dan. Here he is shortly after beating Vader in an even game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3f46NrNU8.

Books that feature go prominently, but are not textbooks:

The Master of Go, by Yasunari Kawabata, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1968. An edited collection of columns he wrote for the Mainichi Shinbun covering a game between Honinbo Shusai and Minoru Kitani in 1938. It is excellent, although it's not so much about go as about how the defeat of a traditional-style player by a modern professional reflects the modernisation of Japan. The diagrams of the game in the English translation are broken, though.

Shibumi, by Trevanian (the pen name of Rodney Whitaker). A thriller about a conspiracy of energy companies set in the seventies, which features go throughout. I haven't read this yet, but I've heard good things about it.

Here's a piece on the 'Hikaru boom' from the BBC in 2001: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyllVL9fpe0, although I have heard that in Japan many of the players who began playing at the time have stopped, and go is back to its much-reduced state in Japan.

Finally, here's 9-dan professional Nakano Yasuhiro putting a group into atari by mistake. This was quite an embarrasing blunder, although he went on to win: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt1FvPxmmfE

GO GLOSSARY

A lot of terms for this game are in Japanese and if you don't speak the language it can be hard to remember what they are. Here are some commonly used terms, but note that a quick Google search will give you more in depth results if there's nothing mentioned here:

aji - where dead stones come to life to haunt the opponent
atari - a situation where one or more stones are a move away from capture
fuseki - the opening moves of a game
hane - a cut (through your opponents stones to break them up)
joseki - a well-known series of moves that benefit both players
goban - a board on which go is played
komi - points given to white at the end of the game to make up for the fact that black goes first
sente - a move that forces your opponent to respond (players who "keep sente", that is, continue to play sente moves, are usually dominating play)
gote - a move that does not require your opponent to respond (i.e. they have the chance of playing a sente move)
tesuji - local play, usually where stones are fighting to capture each other
tenuki - playing elsewhere on the board

FINAL NOTES

Feel free to ask any questions in this thread or the Ask/Tell thread. If any existing Go players have anything they'd like to add or correct in the OP just say so.

secret bonus link~

# ? Sep 23, 2011 11:12

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

Next time someone sees wossman we should have him edit that into the OP.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 03:55

Lyon: Apr 17, 2003

Meh. Go is the devil. I have been losing to 1ks recently and it is making me very sad.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 15:22

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

Lyon posted:

Meh. Go is the devil. I have been losing to 1ks recently and it is making me very sad.

lose to me, tia

# ? Oct 11, 2011 20:37

Blendy: Jun 18, 2007; She thinks I'm a haughty!

I spoke with woss he said he'll try to update the OP, and also he might make it onto KGS sometime this week.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 22:45

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

Well good, that saves me the trouble of emailing him.

# ? Oct 12, 2011 04:19

sensual donkey punching: Mar 13, 2004; =); Nap Ghost

Hello folks

# ? Oct 12, 2011 04:56

Nettle Soup: Jan 30, 2010; Oh, and Jones was there too.

College is kicking my rear end so I probably won't be around for a few days. Hope I don't fall too far back, although 17k is further than I ever thought I'd get.

What happened to Yumi anyway?

# ? Oct 18, 2011 01:38

Athanos: Sep 19, 2006

Nettle Soup posted:

College is kicking my rear end so I probably won't be around for a few days. Hope I don't fall too far back, although 17k is further than I ever thought I'd get.

What happened to Yumi anyway?

People disappear and reappear all the time. He'll be back, maybe...

# ? Oct 22, 2011 07:18

Whistling Asshole: Nov 18, 2005

I can't seem to get the applet to work on KGS and I hate the downloadable client

Does anyone know if this is a known issue with Firefox or something?

edit:

code:

load: class com/gokgs/client/swing/KApplet.class not found.
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.gokgs.client.swing.KApplet.class
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Applet2ClassLoader.findClass(Unknown Source)
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Plugin2ClassLoader.loadClass0(Unknown Source)
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Plugin2ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Plugin2ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
	at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Plugin2ClassLoader.loadCode(Unknown Source)
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Plugin2Manager.createApplet(Unknown Source)
	at sun.plugin2.applet.Plugin2Manager$AppletExecutionRunnable.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Exception: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.gokgs.client.swing.KApplet.class

Whistling Asshole fucked around with this message at 07:59 on Oct 30, 2011

# ? Oct 30, 2011 07:55

o.m. 94: Nov 23, 2009

I would say try reinstalling the Java Runtime, or Firefox, or both. Have you tried in other browsers?

# ? Oct 30, 2011 10:48

Safety Biscuits: Oct 21, 2010

Whistling rear end in a top hat posted:

I can't seem to get the applet to work on KGS and I hate the downloadable client

Does anyone know if this is a known issue with Firefox or something?

I've never had any trouble using the applet in Firefox.

# ? Oct 30, 2011 10:53

Whistling Asshole: Nov 18, 2005

Think they might have just been doing maintenance or something, it works now.

# ? Oct 30, 2011 18:37

Haoma: Aug 14, 2003

I've been more or less gone for a few months, but I will be back to playing shortly.. look out for a suspicious new name in ITGO

# ? Oct 31, 2011 13:49

ThePineapple: Oct 19, 2009

Alright, some of you guys may know me; I used to play under "patrickyu" on KGS and have recently started going by "Sent". I have not seriously played go for a long long time, but I am trying to change this! Back at my peak (maybe the better part of a year ago) I was maybe 1k or 2k, and now my Sent account is sitting around 2k/3k because I've had quite a bit of luck in the few games I've played. I've been considering finally making the push to 1d+ on kgs.

Coming back from a hiatus feels pretty weird. A lot of times I will end up using my intuition while playing moves (opening moves especially), and sometimes my intuition has the right idea, but it is more often just wrong or bad in some way. Since I can't expect someone to always be in ITGO to help review games, I was wondering what the best way of learning and fixing bad habits is? If I try to review my own game, I might be able to pick out a bad move, but not be able to say what I should have played instead. I know the usual regimen prescribed to improve in general is doing tsumego and going over pro games (hopefully with commentary), but is there anything else I can do that would have more of an immediate effect on my own games?

# ? Nov 2, 2011 07:02

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

When I started up again after stopping for a bit, I was lazy as hell when I played. Just try to make yourself read even when you think it isn't necessary or it looks ~too complex~ to bother, don't just go with a feeling that a position is better for you. You'll get struck down constantly by people who actually did the legwork and saw the result.

# ? Nov 2, 2011 13:36

capsule03: Apr 29, 2010

If you identify what a bad move is, very often the solution lies in flaws in your shape. Try to look at how your move affects the shape of your stones, or how it leads to poor shape in the following moves.

If you have decent fuseki and an above-average (for your level) knowledge of shape, you can probably fight your way to 2kyu on KGS without any sort of study.

Once you reach that level, concepts like efficiency and balance between influence/territory become more important, and it's harder to learn these without help from stronger players. What helped me was identifying the styles of playing that I had the most trouble playing against and mimicking them. You lose a ton of games at first but slowly you'll gain insight into how those styles work, which will improve your game overall. Coupled with a strong understanding of shape, you can probably make it up to the low dans (2-3d) with only a little study.

capsule03 fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Nov 4, 2011

# ? Nov 4, 2011 15:33

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

http://www.kiseido.com/go_books.htm

Kiseido is offering 10% off and free shipping until the end of the month. Everything on this list except for the new Takao joseki dictionaries is old and pretty widely pirated, but lovely pdf scans don't compare to having a real book that you can read on the can. Giving Kiseido money is probably a better idea than giving to the AGA or ordering pizzas for each other online or whatever it is you kids are doing these days.

# ? Nov 10, 2011 22:41

Athanos: Sep 19, 2006

Under 15 posted:

http://www.kiseido.com/go_books.htm

Kiseido is offering 10% off and free shipping until the end of the month. Everything on this list except for the new Takao joseki dictionaries is old and pretty widely pirated, but lovely pdf scans don't compare to having a real book that you can read on the can. Giving Kiseido money is probably a better idea than giving to the AGA or ordering pizzas for each other online or whatever it is you kids are doing these days.

Time to buy some more books and not read them! The endgame book and maybe opening theory made easy will be on order when I get my new credit card in the mail.

# ? Nov 15, 2011 00:18

impulse 7 effect: Jun 2, 2011

Currently playing at 2d on kgs. Recommend playing faster games; after every game, go back over it and find either the move you know was the most horrendous mistake, or look to see if you can identify a 'turning point' in the game where it seemed like everything went belly up.

The first fix is usually easier with the help of joseki dictionaries and other tools (eidogo has a limited free database of pro games). The second will help you more with direction of play, tempo and how either to pursue an attack (not a kill) or lay off the investment.

Time spent reviewing your own games and fixing one key problem is usually much more beneficial than playing longer, masturbatory games of 'reading'. Fix the instinct, shape will come as you learn traditional overplays and how to punish.

edit: capsule's post is good. For example, a lot of people have trouble with players who have a peaceful opening and middle game. These are just solid players who will efficiently punish overplays and reasonably pursue exchanges of territory for influence without over-extending attacks, in other words, good Go. You might want to find one pro player whose games you particularly feel an affinity for and spend time reviewing them. When you identify something interesting/confusing in your own game or a pro game you have an attachment to, make sure to save the position to ask a stronger player about. Then apply these plays at the first opportunity in order to internalise/accommodate them.

impulse 7 effect fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Nov 15, 2011

# ? Nov 15, 2011 04:56

Symbolic Butt: Mar 22, 2009; (_!_); Buglord

Under 15 posted:

http://www.kiseido.com/go_books.htm

Kiseido is offering 10% off and free shipping until the end of the month. Everything on this list except for the new Takao joseki dictionaries is old and pretty widely pirated, but lovely pdf scans don't compare to having a real book that you can read on the can. Giving Kiseido money is probably a better idea than giving to the AGA or ordering pizzas for each other online or whatever it is you kids are doing these days.

I ordered the tesuji book (remember you recommended it ages ago?) but I'm not sure if the order was processed or something hmm.

# ? Nov 15, 2011 13:39

Under 15: Jan 6, 2005; Mr. Helsbecter will you please stop shooting I am on the phone

impulse 7 effect posted:

Currently playing at 2d on kgs. Recommend playing faster games; after every game, go back over it and find either the move you know was the most horrendous mistake, or look to see if you can identify a 'turning point' in the game where it seemed like everything went belly up.

Where do you hang out if not itgo?

# ? Nov 15, 2011 21:56

DragQueenofAngmar: Dec 29, 2009; You shall not pass!

Hey guys, just wanted to say that if anybody here lives around the Memphis TN area that there is a Go club that meets weekly, if anyone wants to play some in person games. Sometimes a player who is AGA ranked as a 7 dan amateur comes to play and there's a pretty good spread of new players to more experienced. Just wanted to put the word out.

http://www.meetup.com/MemphisGoPlayers/

# ? Nov 18, 2011 01:14

Athanos: Sep 19, 2006

Still waiting for my go books. How come it takes less time for books to reach me in Australia from Japan then it does for them to travel to BC from Cali?

# ? Dec 5, 2011 08:34

doug fuckey: Jun 7, 2007; hella greenbacks

Actually "won" my first game the other day, probably the 20th or so I've played. The guy just resigned after a small bloodbath, but it felt cool anyhow.

# ? Dec 6, 2011 02:11

surc: Aug 17, 2004

big business sloth posted:

Actually "won" my first game the other day, probably the 20th or so I've played. The guy just resigned after a small bloodbath, but it felt cool anyhow.

Earlier tonight I won the first two games I ever played. :clint:

(The first one the other guy ran out of time on his turns, and the second was another goon that had never played. I then got absolutely destroyed in my next game.)

# ? Dec 6, 2011 06:43

o.m. 94: Nov 23, 2009

Congrats both! There are many more losses to come for the time being (well, it took me about 30 odd games before I started getting a balanced win/loss rate, results may vary) - but trust me, if you're losing, you're improving.

# ? Dec 6, 2011 15:02

doug fuckey: Jun 7, 2007; hella greenbacks

Thanks, and yeah I feel that balance coming. Had a really heated game a while later that one of the guys in ITGO was telling me I only missed by a few squandered moves.

I watched a bit of a 4d v 5d game as well yesterday, it's funny how even at that level a lot of the core logic/shapes/moves etc. are pretty much the same. I knew usually where their moves were gonna go, but only about 1 or 2 moves ahead. I'm sure their plans went a little further.

# ? Dec 6, 2011 16:31

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 6, 2024 10:13

o.m. 94: Nov 23, 2009

Yeah, the main thing I notice about dan games is that they won't play the most obvious move because they're always trading and trying to get ahead in different places. But the most obvious thing is the way you see the shapes come together out of the "fog"; they place stones, and you go "huh", and then 3-5 moves later the whole shape comes together and it's beautiful.

# ? Dec 6, 2011 18:33

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask Go players about Go (come play Go with us)

«‹›159 »