Imagist/Proverbs by Level

Imagist:I'm starting this page to give players a general guideline on what kinds of ideas they should be focusing on at each level. These are mainly my (4-5kyu) opinion, so they shouldn't be taken too seriously, but nevertheless I hope beginners will find them useful.

I have not included any sections higher than 10k to 5k, because of my own rank, but if any higher level players would like to add to this, I would appreciate it.

30 kyu to 20 kyu

Imagist: At this level I think that players should just work on learning basic opening principles and then playing a very violent game so that they can gain reading ability. A proverb for this approach might be that the best play is not always the best way to learn. As such, learning shapes is probably more important than learning proverbs, but I've included a few here anyway.

• Lose Your First 50 Games As Quickly As Possible
• Only after the 10th punch will you see the fist
• Corners, then sides, then center
• Invade a moyo one move before it becomes territory
• When in doubt, tenuki

20 kyu to 15 kyu

Imagist: This is where I think players can really start to benefit from learning a wide variety of concepts, even if they don't have the slightest idea how to apply them. However, there are a few proverbs which are simple enough for players of this level to understand and should be focused on.

• Corners, then sides, then center
• If it has a name, know it
• Nets are better than ladders
• Your opponent's good move is your good move

15 kyu to 10 kyu

10 kyu to 5 kyu