Dieter: Moved discussion from main page after WME (2006-05-09 18:41) [#1528]

DieterVerhofstadt's personal comments:

In a discussion on rec.games.go (November 2001) on "studying games of Go Seigen" someone noted that his teacher (a pro) encouraged him (and every amateur) to study games of professional players who play natural moves, such as Takemiya Masaki and Otake Hideo. He considered Go Seigen much too complex for us amateurs to understand and appreciate.

I followed the advice and quit studying Wu's games. I started to go through the Otake collection instead. I replay them through my sgf-viewer with the goban next to the computer. It seems to be important to feel the physical effect of a pro move. Before each move, I try to guess where it will be and put the stone on the goban. Then I adjust. When I don't have to adjust, a great feeling of satisfaction betakes me. It is certainly true that the "success rate" with Otake is much higher than with Wu. I don't read any comments, but write down a couple of moves per game that I really didn't expect.

HolIgor: I noticed an interesting aspect of the reviewing professional games. If you play after it you subconciously try to follow the pattern. After viewing Takemiya's game I played for a moyo in the center, then exchanged it for the territory and after viewing the last Oza game I got all four corners. If Cho does it then why can't I do it?

I think that if you have time, which does not happen often, the best thing is a live broadcast. You can sit at the computer and think with them. You have some ideas, other kibitzers that are stronger than you show you things that you don't see. I watched some game recently and I have to say that the moves they make are simple and natural mostly. Of course, in the last Oza match Cho Chikun went for a big adventure in the end and won a magnificent semeai. I don't know if all that was read out or he just risked in a hope that he'd get enough liberties to kill the opponent's stones. He needed nine. It was fascinating that he got them.

Gomic55's pro game study method

It's quite hard to memorize an entire professional game unless you have some special talent for the game. Still, with some practice and the proper tools I've managed to find a way to memorize a game every week. Here is how I go about it.

Tools :

• KGS client : Very useful because it allows you to play a game automatically without clicking. Open the SFG file, then click on the 'play' button while holding SHIFT. You'll be able to set the speed you want using a slider. You can then just sit back and watch the game.
• Gobase.org : The web site has a nifty feature. It allows you to study a game by clicking on the board where you think the next move will be played. If you miss, an indicator tells you how close you were from the correct move. Also, Gobase gives access to every possible pro game in history.

Method :

1. Watch the game. Allow maybe 10 seconds to pass between each move and try to guess what the professional will play next.
2. Divide the game into parts : one for the opening, a few for the middle game, and one for yose. Then divide the middle game into one part for every major battle. Include moves that are outside a main battle at the end of a part.
3. Starting with the first part, watch it again, then try to play it out by yourself. Every time you make a mistake, go back a few moves then start again from there. Once you reach the end, start from the beginning again. Repeat until the part is memorized.
4. When this is done, memorize the other parts in the same fashion, until you've reached the end.
5. Finally, try to play out the game from beginning to end. When you make a mistake, go back a few moves then continue to advance.

Comments :

• It's good to divide a game into its logical parts instead of studying the first 50 moves, then the 50 next moves, and so on.
• Don't always try to memorize by starting at the beginning. You'll ending up knowing the first moves very well but the last moves very poorly because you'll be spending all your time on the first moves. Instead, study each parts in order, and come back to the whole game only when each part is memorized.
• I'm pretty sure that for a talented player, simply reading a game is enough to memorize it. This method is for those who will succeed with effort rather than genius :)

Which games to study :

I see this question alot. I think you should study famous games first. They will be easier to learn because of their special meaning.

xela: How do you go about choosing exactly which games to study? For example, suppose I decide to take the advice above and look at some Otake Hideo games. The gobase site gives 1000 games to choose from. Are they all equally worth studying?

Velobici: What is considered correct or best play changes over time (hopefully for the better). For this reason, looking at his most recent games may be best. That said, looking at his games from title wins may be better yet, as those games show lines of play that won in the contest with other professionals of the highest ability.

Bob McGuigan: I agree that title match games are more likely to be important than others. However, even games where a big mistake was made, resulting in an early resignation, can be instructive. There are commented games available, too, in Go World magazine and Tournament Go 1992. One approach to studying pro games is to identify a style you like, for example Takemiya's "Cosmic Style", or Otake's use of thickness, find opponents with identifiable styles (like Cho Chikun's territory-oriented style) and see how your favorite player handles that kind of style.