Tamsin
ジョーンズ・多美
Hihi, I'm Tamsin Jones. My musical compositions are published by Chichester Music Press ( http://www.chichestermusicpress.co.uk).
29 June 2008
I had another extended period without internet access, and I was busy taking up a new job and new apartment (apparently very near to the site of game of 2 of the 1945 Honinbo match, but I digress). There is a big go salon in Rakurakuen, but it`s a bit expensive (monthly membership 10000 yen, compared with 3000 yen in my last club).
So my game got rusty.
Anyway, I still think the best way to attack any project is `choose, plan, do`. So, I plan to get stronger by studying tsumego and reading as much as I can about go strategy, and by researching what I think are my own specific weaknesses. As I write, I`ve begun winning a lot of games again, and I got back to 1k on KGS. For sure, I was 1 dan last year, but I`m certain it was easier back then.
When you `choose, plan, do`, beware that you don`t run with a bad idea for too long. I have wasted a lot of time running with bad ideas. So for myself and others, I`m adding the caveat `abandon your losses`. An example, I thought that I could get stronger simply by applying the `ten golden rules` religiously - but I didn`t. While principles and checklist certainly have their good uses, I think you have to learn something more concrete. I suppose trying to improve by memorising principles only is a bit like a composer learning the rules of counterpoint, but not studying any specific examples. You can`t write a good counterpoint without looking at Josquin, Bach and other masters.
To put it another way, checklists are probably good for recalling what you already know, but you don`t get to know more without serious study. It is, I have to face it, a bit sobering to realise that, as far as my go is concerned, I`ve not really done very much serious study since 2003! Still, better late than never. In the same way, I actually first took up Japanese in 2001, but it was only in 2006 that I really got stuck into some determined and sustained work on it - and it`s only now that I`m reaping the fruits of it. I think that, compared with some people, I`m a slow learner but, at least I have this going for me, once I get on track I make a lot of progress over a long time. I am in no way denigrating myself - only recognising that this is the way I am: a bit slow, but I do get there in the end.
I have maybe fallen prey to book buying disease a little bit, but I have found some very good ones on the way. One of my current favourites is a little book of life and death fundamentals and problems by Rin Kaiho. It is called すぎに役立つ実戦死活の急所 or Immediately Helpful Vital Points of Life and Death. It goes through many shapes, with good, clear explanation, and then gives you lots of problems to practice with. I like it not only because of the easy writing style, but also the very transparent way the chapters are arranged. I also have the nihon kiin small dictionary of tesuji, and that has some excellent problems as well as a very handy `at a glance` chapter giving one example of every possible kind of tesuji.
Inspired by FredK`s reviews, I have just bought books by Sonoda? and Ishikura?. They are quite engrossing, too. Much easier to read than O Meien`s book on attacking from the wider side, which I have, but which sends me to sleep every time I attempt to read it (that may be as much due to reading it late at night as to O`s writing style). I can`t say much for now, but I am enjoying the way Sonoda talks one through different lines of play, relating the results to whatever principle he is teaching (e.g., `playing near live stones is small`). Clearly delineated principles, lots of examples, and easy Japanese - three big reasons to like it.
Talking of proverbs, etc., being better for recalling what you know rather than substituting for serious study: it was only after I began reading Sonoda`s go strategy that I got any benefit from the maxim `playing near live stones is small`. If you read the book and study the examples, you will see that it`s mainly an issue of direction of play. You don`t, for instance, want to direct an attack towards a live group of your own because the fighting might unsettle it (that is, the maxim is not quite the same as the proverb about driving toward thickness). But, if you can make the opponent play where they have already got live stones, then you`re doing well. Another application: I see now that playing a pincer from a live position is not necessarily the right idea. It may be quite big in itself, but at least one of Sonoda`s examples illustrates how it is better simply to play in an open part of the board as far as possible from your live stones - when the opponent settles his approach stone, he is inevitably playing near your live stones, which is not very big. Ah, you really have to look at the examples to understand why the fundamentals are the fundamentals, and why the proverbs are what they are. Reading a review or digest is in no way an adequate substitute for reading the book!
Also, I have recently bought Cho U`s tsumego book. I`ve only had a quick glance, but it seems to have something for everyone in terms of difficulty, and I like to aim high...
Somebody dumped a kitten at school. Nobody else was able to take him in, so once again I`ve become a `mummy cat`. The tiger-looking creature in my user photo on KGS is Takeshi.
17 March 2008
First up, although I've had many setbacks in life, I've succeeded in some very difficult things over the years, and I realise now that whenever I achieved something I did three things. One, I set my heart on a target. Two, I asked for information wherever I could get it, and worked out how I would achieve the goal, Three, I just got on with it. In short, choose, plan, do.
I suspect that many players worry about whether they can improve. I know I have done that. But what's the point? Who knows how far they can go when they try? And who honestly thinks that they're as good at what they're doing as they could be? When I study Japanese, I don't think 'can I become fluent and literate' - I simply keep on going. Whether I'll achieve my goal or not I don't know yet, but at least I'm a lot better at Japanese than I was 6 months ago.
Also, I think many people look for a 'silver bullet' or guaranteed way to get better. Many people, too, probably despair of improving because they've stayed the same for several years. But, probably the main reason for staying at a plateau is that you play all the time and don't study anymore. The thing is that this is a bit like reaching a survival level of a language, and then relying on it forever to get by, instead of actively seeking to make further steps. Playing at the same level all the time is not going to teach you anything new - it's just going around in circles.
But I'm starting to think that the only thing that really counts is to increase your knowledge, because knowledge is power, and to improve your practical skills. By knowledge I mean things like joseki, fuseki, shapes, tesuji, sabaki techniques and so on. By practical skills I mean everything from reading to learning to stay calm during a game. I'm certain that whatever you make a sincere effort to improve on will help you with your game.
At this point, I'd like to qualify my earlier statements about force feeding. Since that time I've earned a teacher's degree, and I've worked in several educational roles. I think sheer repetition is probably useful for burning the absolutely vital, must-not-forget-at-all-costs stuff into your brain, but now I think it's both inefficient and perilously unenjoyable as a technique for learning other things. From my experience with languages, I find it much more effective to study something and then try to use it, and to revise things from time to time, because, at least for me, it's the act of revising that seems to get things to stick in my long-term memory. So, I think with go the best thing is to read books carefully, taking notes and making mnemonics as you go, and then to revise from time to time to make sure that as much as possible enters the long-term memory. Reading in Japanese helps me because it forces me to read slowly and thoughtfully, and I find that thinking about what I see helps me to remember it.
Finally, reading Segoe Kensaku's book 囲碁の力を強くする本 has brought me to a realisation. Seeing tesuji is different from reading. I can usually spot the key move, the tesuji quite easily, because using force-feeding in the past has burned them into my brain BUT I've lost many games through not going beyond that. Reading is a practical skill, and is, I think, a lot like learning to read the alphabet or Greek or Japanese or music - the more you stretch yourself, the more you can cope with. Reading helps you to spot the tesuji beyond the tesuji, and to compare outcomes, and to make informed choices about your moves. I can be very slow, at times, to realise these things that are probably ovious to stronger players, but at least I've got there now.
Anyway, for myself and for others: don't worry about getting better, just study, play, enjoy and get on with it.
10 March 2008
My Japanese is good enough now that I can read go books. It's killing two birds with one stone because it increases my vocabulary and comprehension skills while helping me improve my go game. There are some very good go books on the market here, too, although you have to choose carefully. I have the The Book to Increase Your Fighting Strength at Go, which is just what I've been looking for, in terms of taking my go reading abilityto the next level, but I've also found a book called The Invasions that Amateurs Don't Know (アマの知らない打ち込み), which explains all the common invading and reducing techniques applicable to many common corner and side formations. It's like the relevant chapter in Attack and Defense, but with much more material and more systematic organisation. I don't know why, but I find it more rewarding reading go books in Japanese. Maybe it's because I have to think carefully to understand the meaning: with English, it's very easy to skim without really thinking about it. Perhaps even I could be onto something with greater educational implications: to study in an acquired language may be beneficial because it forces you to pay attention and think. Also, it is a big thrill to be able to comprehend the author's 'voice' - I'm sure it's possible to get a lot out of 囲碁の力を強くする本 only knowing the kanji for 'black to move' etc., but it makes my studies feel all the more worthwhile now that I can begin to appreciate Segoe's dry, occasionally tart writing style.
Also, I think there's an interesting effect when you learn large quantities of data: the more you learn, the easier it gets to remember! For example, the more kanji you learn, the easier it becomes to remember new ones because you recognise 'spellings' based on different combinations of radicals, and because even individually obscure kanji can crop up in common compounds, so that its simple partner helps to draw the difficult one out of the recesses of your memory. Adding meaning to the study of kanji is very beneficial, too: I recommend Kenneth Henshall's book on this because he explains the historical processes that led to each of the present-day common-use kanji, and this gives you something to hang your memories on. In the same way, if you read a Japanese (or Korean or Chinese) go book without knowing the language, you can get a lot of out it, but if you have learned the language then you can read the author's explanations, and this helps it to stick strongly in the memory. E.g., 'this shape does not work because ...', and it's the 'because' that makes you remember the shape.
29 February 2008
もっと強くなる計画。全部の必要なカワリを一緒に同じ時間に出来ない。だから確かの狙いを選んで、あの事だけに気をつけたほうがいいだと思う。私にとって、狙いは
1)小目の定石を勉強する 2)力を強くする 3)気合を上げる。これは、相手の一手に従いのカワリに、できるだけ攻める。
23 February 2008
最近囲碁を稀に打った。しかし、日本語にほとんどペラペラに成った。よく効く道理は日本語でできるだけ思うのである。時々発音が問題だけど、もっとよくなる為に懸命れんしゅうしている。 自分のなまりが強く英国くさい、じゃっけん時々日本人にとって分かりにくい。
I've not played much go recently. But, my Japanese is getting almost fluent. The thing that works well is to practice thinking in Japanese, as far as possible. Sometimes, though, my pronunciation is a problem, but I'm working very hard to get better. My accent is very strongly 'English', which sometimes makes it hard for Japanese people to understand me.
今遂に運転免許を取ったので、もう一度囲碁を学びたい。でも、「rust」という事がほんまに問題だろう。定石ほとんどぜんぜん覚えられない。健康もが悪い、だから仕事から帰るとき度々しんどいだ。囲碁の代わりに普通にねたい!けど、春着くとき頑張るだろう。
Now that I've gained a driver's license at long last, I'd like to study go once again. But, rust could be a real problem. I can hardly remember any joseki. My health has been poor too, so when I get home I often like to sleep instead of play go. Still, when the Spring comes I shall probably try my best.
One thing that drives me mad when speaking Japanese is register. In other words, I often use the polite form at inappropriate times. 'How can it be inappropriate to be polite?' I hear you ask. The problem comes from learning polite forms of verbs as a beginner - they become engraved on your mind. Japanese children, on the other hand, start off with plain forms. This makes sense, because the various inflexions that express tense, mood and politeness level are all built on top of the plain form. But for me, I sometimes think automatically of the polite verb, and when talking to a friend it can seem a bit cold. It's a bit like replying to 'Hey, Tammy, how about coming for a coffee?' with 'I would be most delighted to accompany you, Miss Okada', but without irony. Also, when you get into the habit, at last, of using plain forms, you then have to remember to switch to polite forms when talking to the Koucho-sensei.
When I play go my opponents are generally old guys. They use the plain form, and they chew their words a bit too. I could be girlie and use polite language, but to be honest slightly rough Japanese is much more fun. Anyway, to get to some kind of 趣意 (point), if you want to make friends you need to learn to talk a bit casual like, 'cos textbook Japanese is way too stiff.
By the way, if you liked Hikaru no Go, why not have a look at Shion no Ou, which is the story of a young girl who becomes a Shogi pro.
1 Dec 2007
Well, another year is nearly over already. I was quite unwell in November (adventures with new germs), and I've been busy with other things, and when I got my internet connection set up I found that I couldn't make full use of my strength on KGS. But, I'm sure that I'll get back up to speed and beyond.
I learned to play shogi a few weeks ago, from a lovely but very shouty professional player. It looks like a very exciting game indeed, and I hope I can find somebody to play with. I've not yet looked into the situation with local clubs.
My Japanese is getting there, too. I can have quite a reasonable conversation now, and follow what's going on in many situations. Little by little, you pick up the words people actually use, rather than simply the first entry in the dictionary. For example, in my dictionary the word 'each' is translated as 'mei mei no', but the other day I found out that the word that most people use, at least around here, is 'sore zore no'. Again, while I can inflect verbs into base 4 to make a potential form (e.g., 'tsukaemasu' means 'I can use'), I've noticed that in speech it's much easier just to say plain verb plus 'koto ga dekimasu', e.g., 'keitai o tsukau koto ga dekimasu' means 'I can use a cell phone'. Oh yes, and in Hiroshima Ben (the local lingo), the answer to everything seems to be 'nai n' (short for 'nai no desu', or 'the thing is, we don't have any *whatever you asked about*'. Also, a difficult one for us loquacious English-speakers, in Japanese brief is beautiful. Thanks to the magic of context and 'harugei' (non-verbal understanding (misunderstanding?!)), you only need to use a word or two when in English a whole sentence would suffice.
I like watching NHK go and shogi programmes when I'm in on a Sunday. NHK is sometimes described as the 'Japanese BBC', and I suppose it really is like BBC2 before the BBC got all trendy and image-conscious sometime in the mid-80s. The format has obviously not been changed since the 1960s, but the old-school look and feel of these programmes is strangely comforting. There's a solidity about the magnetic go displays, and a elemental directness about the presentation (one man and one woman), and a simple charm about the playing set (a shogiban or goban and a few flowers), that takes things right back to the essentials. Classic things don't need to be dressed up with the latest technological gimmickry - they speak for themselves.
By the way, back in August I went to pay my respects to Honinbo Shusaku at his shrine in Innoshima. I prayed for his help in my go, but maybe I've not opened myself fully to it yet! Still, the museum on Innoshima is quite fascinating, and it is very moving to see the go board and stones that Shusaku played with as a youngster, and to see other personal effects such as his letters and fans. Also, Innoshima and the Inland Sea really are staggeringly beautiful and worth visiting just for the ride.
I would counsel against coming to Japan only for the sake of go. This is not a go player's paradise, although it is naturally much easier to find go clubs and materials here than in the West. Unless you are coming to be an insei, then you'll probably not find enough stimulation to justify the journey. Although it is true go ignited my fascination with Japan, I'm here for many reasons, and I feel that I could get by quite happily without go. I suppose what I mean is, if you're young and single and love go, think twice about coming here to teach English or take up some other job, if you think that your real goal is to hang out in go clubs every night and be like Hikaru. I guarantee that you won't find it satisfying. Go is great, but it's not the only thing in life, and it's certainly not the only thing in Japan!
A picture of me
Fun things
I like cats very much and my hobbies include reading and wine. Back in England, I have two beautiful puss cats called Dusty the Donut (girl) and Zhin Zha (pronounced 'ginger', boy).
Go thoughts
I have realised that over the last five years my progress has been fairly slow: I am about 2 stones better than I was in 2002. I got this mainly through doing a lot of tsumego. But I've done very little else, although I've started taking lessons with Alexandre Dinerchtein recently.
And you know what? Is there anybody who cannot benefit from studying? Have you met many good players who have not studied much? If many people are honest with themselves, the reason they get stuck at a particular level is because they stop working at it. Flipping through the latest book casually is not studying. Memorising pro games and joseki from time to time is worse than not studying, in my opinion. If there are still crucial areas such as joseki and haengma and yose, and even non-game-specific issues such as attitude, that you don't know very much about, then the odds are that there is rich potential for you to improve...by studying them.
Tammy's Thoughts on Improvement
I have nothing much to do for the next six months, until I begin my new job. Therefore, I have set myself two goals:
1) Become conversational/fluent in Japanese. 2) Improve my go by 3 or 4 stones.
To accomplish goal 1 I am using many methods, including grammar books, vocabulary lists, songs and movies and books in Japanese, and best of all socialising with my Japanese friends.
To accomplish goal 2 I am now studying a lot. I managed to improve by 2 stones in the last five years even though I did no study apart from drilling tsumego (the forcefeeding technique) and flipping through go books (usually in the bath). Through taking lessons with Alexandre Dinerchtein it has become searingly obvious that to become a strong player the key is to study: knowledge and understanding are power, and anybody can get them...IF THEY WORK AT IT. In contrast, trying to improve by playing daily and casually skimming books is like trying to learn Japanese by watching anime and buying textbooks and flipping through them without doing the exercises or making notes.
Even in the short time I've been at goal 2 I've noticed changes: seven consecutive wins at time of writing (something like 10 out of 12 games overall), usually by getting crushing positions from the opening (who said studying joseki makes you weaker??). I know I can improve: what I need to do now is put in the work to deserve it. I want to come up to world of the high dans (to use slightly Hikaruvian language).
In addition, I don't think I'm being entirely selfish devoting so much effort to go. As, all being well, my new job involves emigrating to a certain land in the Far East, I would think that obtaining high-level go skill would prove handy for making friends and integrating better into society.
Now I have found a fantastic study resource: www.361points.com by Sorin Gherman. His lessons are full of 'nuggets', such as a little-known and VERY LARGE endgame tesuji. Easy improvement!
12 March 2007
Perseverance pays off: if you keep on trying, things start to come together. Last night as I was studying, I noticed that what were novel ideas to me a month ago were now a "matter of course".
I'm adding many patterns and techniques to my repertoire, but I would like to comment on principles for now. By studying joseki, pro games and other resources I feel I have attained a greater appreciation of several fundamentals:
- Multipurpose moves. Even from a beginner I knew that playing multipurpose moves was important. However, it seems that understanding this is more difficult. It's all very well saying "right, I'm going to play multipurpose moves from now on", but it's actually easier said than done. You have to get into the habit of finding them! This is where study helps: it trains you to find moves that threaten one thing while threatening another. For instance, you extend in one direction, while threatening to revive a dead stone in another. Or you can lean on the opponent to gather strength, so that you either get two moves in a row in that area or you can use your gathered strength to attack strongly in another direction.
Many pincer josekis teach you how to do this: there's a technique I like to call the "rap 'n' trap". Instead of responding directly to a threat, you rap an enemy stone on the head. If the opponent answers, you now have enough strength to fight back against the original threat. If the opponent executes the initial threat, then you proceed to play again against the "rapped" stone (this part is the "trap").
- Active defence is the hallmark of the strong player. Passive play is the mark of a kyu player. At or around the dan levels, you simply cannot afford to play one-dimensional moves. If your move is only defending or only attacking, then it's almost certainly not good enough.
However, there are many times when it is urgent to defend a weakness. Leaving the weakness alone to take a big point is like taking out a loan: you're going to have to pay it back, and probably with a lot of interest. The key is to defend actively: don't just patch up the weakness, but look for a move that adds to your territory or increases your influence, or supports a later adventure behind enemy lines.
- Getting a base is urgent. It is not good enough to say to yourself "it's okay to leave that stone alone because it can still run away". Running away means playing on dame points, and that's unbearable. Making a base earns some territory. Of course, you have to judge whether the stone is light enough to sacrifice before you build a base.
- Possibly controversial but... The purpose of a probe is not to make aji but to reduce it. If you think about it, everytime you play in an area you are reducing the possibilities there. Therefore a probe cannot increase aji. What it does do is force the opponent to simply the position a little bit. This helps you to choose a suitable plan to follow with. Therefore, the way I see it, playing a probe is not about making more chances, but rather about reducing them to readable proportions, so that you can make an intelligent decision.
- If there's nothing urgent to be done, play a big point. You don't have to be "busy" all the time: strong players love to take easy points when they can get them.
- Keep an eagle eye on weak points. Don't think only in terms of capturing something; sometimes it's possible to make a lot of profit by exploiting an opponent's weaknesses. In particular, I'm thinking of an example of Takao?'s new book, which occurs in one of the sample pages. I've seen the same idea elsewhere recently, too - i.e., you get a big profit by striking at a weak point. This is related to the thinking test mentioned below: sometimes the "ordinary move" is simply not enough: more can be had by taking advantage of the individual features of the position.
Other things that I am starting to pay attention to:
1) Positional Judgement. I'm guilty of playing too much by intuition. From now on I need to get into the habit of estimating the score when it's time to make a strategic decision. Taiji provided a useful bit of advice here: the easy way to count is to count in twos, but not "2, 4, 6, 8" etc., but rather to count the pairs. It's simple and fast, and all you have to do is double the count once you've finished (19 pairs equals 38 points). Add 3 to White's score to account roughly for komi.
2) Apply the "thinking test". This is an idea from Sorin Gherman's site. Always read through a line of play before you play it, and see if the result is what you want. Don't simply play out a joseki or other easy sequence because you know it or because it's forcing the opponent! Always play with a plan.
30 July 2007
Hah! I reach 1 dan on KGS by using my compass technique, and how do I 'celebrate'? By going on 'tilt' and having a nine-game losing streak - that's how! So, back to 1 kyu...for the time being.
A bad habit of mine is making a declaration of victory. I need to seek ways of maintaining interest in a winning position, instead of trying to induce resignation by this means.
KarlKnechtel: If there are still crucial areas such as joseki and haengma and yose, and even non-game-specific issues such as attitude, that you don't know very much about, then the odds are that there is rich potential for you to improve...by studying them.
This is interesting. How might one "study attitude"? (This is a serious question; if there indeed is a good way then I would expect to find it helpful.)
Tamsin: Hi Karl, thanks for your comment. By attitude, I mean the way you play, your at-game demeanour. Are you calm? Do you concentrate? Do you walk around? Think about every move? Do you find yourself thinking disrespectful thoughts about the opponent?
I have been guilty of many sins. From now on, I intend to play the game with a good attitude. For me, this means concentrating hard, not getting up every three minutes to make cups of delicious Earl Grey tea, not hoping for my opponent to make silly mistakes. It means consciously taking the time to think about every move, instead of merely responding. It means getting a grip of myself so that I can give the opponent the hard and exciting contest that he or she deserves.
I find it can do wonders for my concentration if I spend a few minutes choosing my first few moves, even if they are obvious or forced. It gets me into "the zone" for making good decisions later. In contrast, when I have played speed go or rushed my moves, I have played shockingly badly, even for a UK 1st kyu.
So, by studying attitude, I mean indentifying all the bad habits of thinking and correcting them, and I mean taking positive steps to play the game with a better frame of mind.
As Isumi from Hikaru no Go realised while in China, controlling your emotions "is a skill you can master". For him, it was the breakthrough he needed.
WillerZ: I find that I play better if I think of the game as a contest between Black and White, and find the move which Black should play. If I ask myself "What is the best move for Black?" rather than "What is the best move for me?" it is easier to stay emotionally detached.
TeeSushi: I think playing daily games is still the most important part of improving. even if you learn all the josekis that are existing you never would know how to use them if you use them often in games.
Flower: Hiya, remember me talking about the Laphroaig bottle pn KGS? What do you think of this crop of the pic. It is slightly sharpened and resized so that it it is not as obvious that you are out of focus as well as that the pic is easier to digest (not as huuuge) when one visits this page. Oh btw, if you like this edit it might be best if you host it yourself as I abused a friends serverspace for this. Tamsin: thanks! have changed it.
Bill: Hi, Tamsin. If you do not mind a comment, you are right that a probe reduces the possibilities of a position, but when people talk about a probe creating aji that's not really what they are talking about (or what they should be talking about). First, very often after a probe sequence the play moves elsewhere, leaving aji behind. In such a case it is this specific aji that is created. Second, there is the question of timing. The possibilities of a position may be reduced otherwise, making a later probe ineffective. The probe, then, may create aji that might otherwise not be there. For instance, a player may respond to a corner probe on the outside, leaving the aji of life or ko in the corner, and later play elsewhere may leave that aji unaffected, whereas if the probe were made after that play, the player would protect the corner.
ilan: Well, if the idea of a probe is to gain information, then by definition, it reduces the possibilities of a position. I am referring to the formal definition in Information Theory invented by Shannon, that information is a reduction of entropy and entropy is essentially the number of possibilities, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory
(I hope that article doesn't mess it up). From that point of view, you are correct Tamsin.
Tamsin: I don't mind at all. From now on, I'm on a mission to get stronger, and if you want to share your wisdom with me, I'm more than happy to listen! I suppose it's a similar situation to kikashi: there are times when you need to "strike while the iron is hot" and play the probe, play the forcing move, etc., before the opponent has the chance to prevent it.
This chimes with something else I've been thinking about: aji. In the past, I've trained myself to resist the temptation to use up aji too soon...but, I think I overcompensated. It's quite possible to be so reluctant to waste aji that you end up not using it at all! Therefore, the right time to use aji is when it's the right time. If you keep an eagle eye on weaknesses, then you can spot opportunities to use them for big gains when they come.
Yesterday, I found myself in a position where I had to deal with a large framework quickly. If I had stuck to simple reducing moves it would have meant allowing 60 points of secure territory. I would have had a larger framework myself, but it was too loose to count on. So, the only option was to destroy the enemy framework. Remembering a pro game I looked at earlier in the day, I saw the one weakness (a cutting point). I peeped at it (normally I hate doing this, because I fear making a raw peep). The opponent resisted, but that peep gave me a foothold to go in deeper. The invasion worked out very well.
This is what studying does for you: it sharpens your mind. It's not enough to say "oh, that's just aji for later". If you keep studying it, you may just find that it's aji for NOW!
Bill: Good point about the time to use aji. :-) BTW, two of the best players of the last century, Sakata and Takagawa, were poles apart on the question of when to play kikashi. Takagawa waited, while Sakata played it early. One nice thing for studying this is the fact that they played several games against each other.
Not to make too much of it, but your phrase, simple reducing moves, tickles my antenna. Recently I have begun to appreciate the power and depth of reducing moves. (And I was already more likely to play them than most amateurs.) Remember, the most famous move in go history, the ear-reddening play, was in part a reducing move. --- I now live in Japan, in a town called Hiro, near Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture. I'm working as a language teacher in local elementary and junior high schools. My goal is to make my Japanese fluent, and to be literate in the language. I want to improve my go, too. So, I'll do my best.
So far, I can say that Japan is a fantastic place and everything that you`d expect it to be, but it`s also completely different from everything you`d expect! I haven`t found anywhere to play go yet in my neighbourhood, but if all else fails then I can join a school club. At least the other players won`t be smokers in that case. By the way, I bought a big thick traditional floor-standing go board in one of the local recycle shops, complete with slate and shell (!) stones, for just 1.8 万円, which is about the same as $180 or 85 pounds. I`m having to clean it up a bit, but I think I`ve got a bargain. Also, go books here are extra-cheap -- about 700 yen a piece.
I have joined the local go club. There are some very strong players, but they`re quite elderly men who speak rough Japanese in a way that sounds like chewing marbles. I have been invited to take part in a team tournament in central Kure, though, so I`m looking forward to that! The go club is also non-smoking, which I`m very pleased about. An interesting thing about Japanese go clubs is that people will comment quite freely on your game, and discuss various possibilities with your opponent while things are still in progress - it`s a trifle unsettling! I did say that I`m being to understand Japanese (nobody actually talks in the polite way shown in textbooks), so hopefully they`ll be careful what they say!
I`m also reading Hikaru no Go in the Japanese. Since most kanji words have furigana, I`m finding it a useful way to learn how to pronounce many common kanji. It was a children`s comic, so it`s fairly easy for me to understand. Manga is very cheap - if you go to a second-hand book store, of which there are plenty, you`ll pay something like 200 yen for one volume - the whole set would set you back 4500 yen, which is about 22 pounds UK.
27 October 2007 update
If I can, I`m only ever going to return to the UK occasionally to see my family. While Japan can be frustrating from time to time, e.g., I`m STILL waiting for my internet connection (though at last I have found a place with free access I can go to), I love this country too much to want to leave. The people are lovely, the living is inexpensive, and I never have to watch Coronation Street again.
I go to Hiro Go Club about 2 or 3 times a week. I`m ranked about 3 dan there, and take 2 stones from the 4 or 5 players at the top of the tree. I`m making an effort to apply the Ten Golden Rules? of go, and I think it`s paying off. Certainly, the idea about being sure to `respond to the opponent`s move` is a good one -- it means rejecting passive replies, and choosing instead to match blow with blow. The thing is, of course, my opponents know this principle too, so sometimes I get into wild, never-give-an-inch struggles that get the juices flowing. That said, I`m also learning the value of `making thick shape` and `playing safely near the opponent`s strength` - these players have got a good grasp of the basics, and they`ll punish you if you omit a necessary move.
Slight advert time: if you want me to get hard-to-find-outside-of-Japan books and don`t mind covering postage and a small reward for my time, then please drop me a line at therealtamsinjones@hotmail.com It`ll still work out cheaper than buying it on Amazon, and I can hunt for anything you think you might need - e.g., you want good books on sabaki, handicap techniques, opening dictionaries? Well, I`m your girl.
By the way, I`m going to learn Shogi tomorrow. A pro is visiting Kure and giving a special workshop for international residents, and I`ve been invited along, so I`m looking forward to that.
Bob McGuigan: How did you come to move to Japan, and for how long will you be staying? Enjoy the go culture there!
Bill: Medetai, medetai! :-)
Bob McGuigan: The Nihon Ki-in yearbook lists 32 branches of the Nihon Ki-in (=official clubs) in Hiroshima Prefecture, but most of them are in Hiroshima City and I can't tell which might be close to your location. The telephone number of the Hiroshima Prefecture main branch is 082-241-5377. Someone there might know of a club near you.
Tamsin: Thanks Bob! I`ll give them a ring.
Sorin Gherman: It's nice to hear that you are living in Japan now, Tamsin! I'm enjoying a lot reading about your Japanese language experiences - it reminds a lot of my own stay in Japan as an insei. It's also interesting that you are in Hiroshima: that's were I went for my first visit to Japan (the WAGC in 1990). It's a small world :-) Genki de!
Tamsin: Hi Sorin! Thanks for your comment. Hiroshima's a lovely place, isn't it? I played a fair bit of go when I first arrived here, but in November I entered driving school and have been really busy with that. Now that I've got my driving license, I have time to play go again, but I'm feeling very clueless. Have you anything to say about rust and what to do about it? Yoroshiku ne!
Sorin Gherman: I know I enjoyed Hiroshima a lot when I was there, but I don't remember a lot (it was 17 years ago) except for the tram, the A-bomb museum and the building that survived the impact. As for "Go rust": I don't think there is anything special, if you enjoy playing it'll come back to you. I think that during such breaks a lot of knowledge gets "internalized" so that you end up knowing more than you think you do. Gambatte kudasai! :-)
Tamsin: Hi again. I think you're right about internalisation - I've only played a handful of games, and lost most of them, but I feel clearer on strategy and joseki-selection. In fact, I'm swinging back to the opinion that learning too many joseki is bad for an amateur, because most strategic mistakes seem to come from trying to be too clever. I'm trying to keep things within my limited understanding, and I'm sure it's a good thing - my losses are coming from tactical errors rather than poor planning. If I can get a bit better at reading, then I think I'll become two or three stones stronger. Sometimes, as you suggest, a lay off can have positive effects - like the stomach, the mind needs time to digest what you put into it.
I hope you'll come back to Hiroshima - I'd be glad to treat you to some okonomiyaki or oysters. I can assure you, too, that the local go crowd is very welcoming and kind.
Museki Hi Tamsin. I have been using your compass-concept for the last months, and it has been working out for me. I have left my examples on the compass page. I have read your profile-page... it reads wonderfully; your perseverance and attitude are grand! -all the best & take care.
NN: Hi Tamsin, would you be so kind and make a new page for the book you mentioned 'The Invasions that Amateurs Don't Know?' and include ISBN and picture (and, if possible) link to amazon.co.jp page?
I did search based on Japanese tittle, and found several different books, so I am not sure which one is the one you mentioned.
Is that this one
http://books.yahoo.co.jp/book_detail/31970980
Many thanks.
Tamsin: Yes it is!
isshoni Nice to hear that you can start reading go books in Japanese :-) You'll find bargains on Yahoo! Auction Japan. The old Takagawa, Fujisawa etc. are often bundled along less interesting volumes/magazines at a low price. Small homes have some advantages! (Or you might find them in a cardboard box somewhere at your local go club!)