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Basic Strategy Of Go Discussion
  Difficulty: Beginner   Keywords: Strategy

Newer opinions are at the top.


Robert Jasiek Charles, successful promotion is much more important than voidness of at least some prescription.

Charles I'd like to see a number of 'upgrades' in the introductory material myself. But it's a waste of text to tell others what to write on a wiki such as this.


Robert Jasiek Probably the confusion has arisen because Beginner Study Section and similar pages have misleading titles: They are not for real beginners but for weak or advanced kyu players, i.e. players strong enough to have already a rank.

Efficiency is a concept I learned as a 3 kyu. Probably that was a mistake of my teachers. However, a beginner should only be told the most fundamental aspect of efficiency; so much could be explained even on the first strategy page for a beginner.

The other points you mention can also be introduced VERY shortly or as additional hints to strategic group, life, death, but these 3 concepts must be explained at all.

Charles Hey, Robert - too prescriptive! This is a pluralist place.


Grauniad I'm sorry I didn't notice the link to Beginner Study Section.

I accept that my list is too advanced for beginners and is available elsewhere. But I still think the page could be improved to better emphasize and explain the most basic strategies, for example:

  • Using your stones efficiently.
  • (Lightly) surrounding first corners then sides.
  • Keeping your stones (loosely) connected and your opponent's stones disconnected.
  • Giving your groups life by forming two eyes and killing your opponent's groups by depriving them of two eyes.

I believe that even beginners can understand these concepts if they are illustrated by the usual kinds of diagrams.

Robert Jasiek Grauniad, did you even notice that the first line does link to Beginner Study Section?!

Unlike Beginner Study Section that provides also a lot of knowledge useful for advanced kyu players, BasicStrategyOfGo is meant to be the beginners of the beginners, for the first time rules readers, for the novices just becoming aware that go is a game at all, for those wanting only the most essential basics of fundamental strategy, for those not wanting to be lost in too much strategic details. OTOH, what you propose also includes too much advanced strategy, i.e. by far too advanced for the beginner just having learned the rules. Such advanced information is fine for Beginner Study Section but not for this basic page of strategy information.

Grauniad: I'm only a weak player, and perhaps the following will explain why I'm a weak player, but the structure and contents of this page seems wrong. I would have thought a page on basic strategy would say something like the following:

  • Use your own stones efficiently.
  • Use your own stones to develop frameworks first in the corners, then along the edges, then in the centre.
  • Try to keep your own stones connected.
  • Try to keep your opponent's stones disconnected.
  • Try to keep your own groups alive by ensuring they have space for two eyes, by connecting them to other live groups, or by using them to kill your opponent's groups.
  • That is, try to avoid forming weak groups.
  • Try to kill your opponent's groups by surrounding them and preventing them from forming two eyes.
  • Try to reduce or invade your opponent's frameworks.
  • Make your own groups strong before attacking your opponent's groups.
  • Use your own stones to build either territory or influence.
  • Place your own stones to form good shape.
  • Try to prevent your opponent's stones from forming good shape.
  • Try to maintain the initiative.
  • Try to make moves that serve several independent purposes.
  • Be independent: don't just respond to your opponent's threats; make your own threats instead.
  • Accept local losses if you gain some compensation.
  • Regularly estimate the score.
  • Play aggressively when behind, safely when ahead.
  • Play moves in the "right" order (whatever that is, someone please tell me). I expect this means prioritising the above goals.

How to achieve these various strategic goals could be described in Basic Tactics of Go?.

This page should somehow cross reference the Beginner Study Section.

Strong players should feel free to rewrite all the above.



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