Andy Pierce

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KGS 2k. Trying to improve. Slowly making progress. Hard to play any games with the two boys at home going crazy, but trying to get back in the saddle now.

Favourite go quote: "If Black wants to eat a chicken, he must first make the chicken big."[1]

other web presence: [ext] http://www.paralog.com/wiki/?AndyPierce

currently emphasizing: reading, tesuji, shape

I have come to realize that a 1 minute + 10 minutes per 25 additional moves on IGS is just a crazy-fast game. I don't get to do nearly the reading I'd like to do. I need to master the pro skill of reading moves once only instead of reading the same variations over and over again. Unfortunately non-go demands on my time make slower games not doable.

First rule of clock management: It is more effective to spend your time planning and reading, than it is to spend it trying to figure out how to extract yourself from the mess you made.


Studying:

  • All About Joseki. Amazing. This book corrects all kinds of stuff I'm doing wrong. Perfect for a 4k.
  • Fujisawa Tesuji Dictionary volumes I, II and now III. I think volume II (defense) is easier to digest. Shuko does a nice job with these books. Be sure to read Davies's Tesuji before tackling these ones. Even though Shuko explictly gives you the goal of the problem (seal white in) and tells you exactly what kind of move is the tesuji (hane, solid extension, placement etc.) I still get the correct solution less than 1/4 of the time. I sense my awareness of these shapes and issues getting better however, so I'm convinced my game is being helped.
  • The Endgame Very interesting and useful. This book confirms that I need a lot of work in this area. I don't know how I ever won any games before reading this.

I have put these aside for now to let them digest a bit, but will go back to them later:

Done for now but still looking at:


I am trying to apply miai strategy in my games. I am also trying very hard to use inducing moves (choshi) but am pretty bad at it so far. I am getting good at playing without fear and not falling in love with your stones so that I can make an exchange when advantageous. I have trouble forcing myself to look at the whole board all the time, and my endgame is terrible.


tactical example of miai strategy (from Shuko's Dictionary of Basic Tesuji, Volume II:

[Diagram]

white to play:

White to develop into the center and keep options open for an eventual attack on black either on the top or the right.

[Diagram]

wrong: black strong

Wrong. White makes black strong on the right without compensation.

[Diagram]

wrong: black good shape

Wrong. Black's shape on the top is too nice. Side note: W5 is interesting. This seems to be a play to induce black into letting white make good shape in sente at W7.

[Diagram]

correct answer: miai strategy

Best: W1 makes miai of the points circle. Whichever black takes, white gets the other. Since either of the miai circle points give white good shape when combined with W1, the jump to W1, which looks strange in isolation, inevitably turns out well. White easily develops into the center with good shape and timing, without strengthening black on either side.


Recently, just for grins, I have started playing much faster games, either 1/3 or 1/5, whereas before I exclusively played 1 min + 10 min per 25 stones. If you budget your time appropriately 1/5 is doable.

Do Not Create Two Weak Groups Corollary: You only get to make one reduction.


some pages I like: 10x10CornerGame1 Painful


This is a copy of the living page "Andy Pierce" at Sensei's Library.
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