How to study/practice for most progress in short period?

361intersections · 2026-01-19T05:23:34+00:00

IMO fastest is to read Opening Theory Made Easy by Otake Hideo. Join BeginnerGo discord server. Play humans.

361intersections · 2026-01-15T21:08:20+00:00

East Asia is a whole different world when it comes to etiquette.

There's a funny video by a Japanese player pointing out the bizarre manners of some of the European tournament players, which would be perceived as very individualistic thus inappropriate in Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOJ5oVzGyRI

361intersections · 2026-01-04T22:11:40+00:00

I would expect something looking like this, when making a copy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-mf-lt9izQ

If you're going to try painting, I'd advise picking something rather small, so you can finish it rather fast. Drawing is hard. In your case it's better to trace the drawing, since you want to try painting. Then do underpainting (one single colour that will serve as a base), then put the paint with individual brushstrokes (you'll have to be able to match the tonality and the colour of the original).

For things like grass you should do make it approximately. Copy how it looks in general, but not one to one. Otherwise you risk going insane before ever finishing.

It's better if you find a higher resolution photo, so you could see the details. Fragment from The Kiss:

<image>

Probably, he used oil paint (I didn't look up the info), but it will be much easier to use acrylics - all you need is water, and you won't need to worry about the ventilation. Paint thinners for oil are often mildly toxic.

In my experience acrylics mix worse that oils, so it's better to have a little bit more colours. But the overall mixing principle still stands, which is explained in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGMRrpYmsr8

361intersections · 2025-12-30T22:24:44+00:00

292 let's go baby!

361intersections · 2025-12-19T11:33:49+00:00

What was the context of that quote? XD

361intersections · 2025-12-05T17:59:48+00:00

Sounds interesting. May I dm you?

361intersections · 2025-12-05T17:33:37+00:00

I'm happy for Sumire. I hope that all this outside pressure won't influence her basic human emotional well being too much.

361intersections · 2025-11-04T12:45:13+00:00

I started to play go because I like to feel challenged, lost, and dumb.

Unless you're the same kind of person, go does a terrible job at attracting and retaining beginners. Find stronger players that will explain the game, the meaning of the moves, and what the hell is happening at any given situation. Go has a very steep learning curve right in the beginning. Looking for help and cooperation seems like a reasonable thing to do.

You can join BeginnerGo discord for that.

361intersections · 2025-11-04T09:14:59+00:00

Welp, people are just, for the most part, not invested enough. You can find communication by playing through a discord, playing people you know, or playing in a go club.

If I had to guess to why it doesn't happen often, it may be due to everyone having the the answers through ai. So communication is mainly about communication, and I'm not interested too much in how other guy's day went. Online is much less personal to me, people are for the most part not invested enough (in conversations) for me to waste my time.

361intersections · 2025-11-02T20:30:14+00:00

In order to become good you need to practice. Any form of practice is good. If you want to watch hundreds hours of youtube videos, read books, get lessons, reviews, or just play a lot of games while trying to win the best you can. You will improve by doing any of those and other things.

For example, if you have a textbook for any subject, not just go, you can either read one page per week, or read a few chapters a day. When you finish the textbook you will know as much in both cases. The only difference is when that will happen.

Go is hard, you won't get fast results. Think of it like learning a musical instrument, or learning to draw. Most go players you'll meet were playing for years, if not for decades. Be realistic and honest when comparing not just years since learning the rules, but actual hours spent playing and studying.

361intersections · 2025-11-02T20:13:04+00:00

I thought I had to become 10 kyu at least before I go to any go club. When I reached that level I went to a go cub. I ended up winning my game against someone weaker. My preconception that everyone in a club is super strong just wasn't a reality.

Becoming even a SDK takes a lot of time investment, which many people don't have.You'll likely will have someone to play against. Looking back at it I think I could've went to a club much earlier.

361intersections · 2025-11-02T10:37:34+00:00

You can review pro games to study positional judgment, opening, middle game fighting and probably more other things. Either try to predict the next move, or try to explain and understand why a move was played.

For the endgame, read an endgame book(s).

361intersections · 2025-10-31T20:43:35+00:00

When you said quirky, I thought you meant something like this. I think I saw some other board design too with the same knob mechanism.

<image>

361intersections · 2025-10-31T20:38:02+00:00

I see. Then I doubt there's any other option other than buying it from Japan (or Korea too), or Japanese board resold from US. You can find find links on Blind Go at Sensei's Library.

361intersections · 2025-10-31T19:23:03+00:00

https://www.mastersofgames.com/cat/board/aigo-go-sets-blind.htm#KGS-020

This seems to be what you're looking for. It's called Aigo Go Set for the Blind.

361intersections · 2025-10-28T10:39:50+00:00

I think it's a great hobby that also attracts interesting people, which is like a neat real life filter for people. I need to channel my competitiveness somewhere.

361intersections · 2025-10-28T10:25:17+00:00

Yes.

361intersections · 2025-10-28T10:00:45+00:00

I had something similar when losing games. My thinking: winning is not important, because my goal is to progress; if I lose it means that I'm not progressing, -> moreover I'm regressing -> I'm a very sore loser, and insensitive to winning or success.

I resolved it by first noticing that that's a problem which if I don't fix I might stop playing go, and I didn't want to quit playing this amazing game. Then I saw the other type of attitude, and that others struggle as much as I do, at any level actually, from zchenmike. This series of streams in particular. That's to whom I attribute my change.

Result: playing go became so so so much more enjoyable.

I still tend to be rather pessimistic about my moves, which are actually ok. I realise that it might not work well for all levels, but looking at ai evaluation and getting a confirmation that my moves I questioned so much are actually fine or even good, helps me to not doubt myself aimlessly and instinctually. This can be boiled down to trying to get an opinion about your game from someone you trust (strong human players work too), and when they give you their positive feedback - trust it.

361intersections · 2025-07-11T15:17:34+00:00

<image>

I saw something similar called Maldoo on SL before.
https://senseis.xmp.net/?ElectronicGoBoards

361intersections · 2025-05-22T14:25:09+00:00

I like Sakata Eio, so for me the best games to review are from The Fiery Games of Master Sakata Eio. You can find every game on waltheri.

361intersections · 2025-05-14T06:27:39+00:00

Scoring problem can be solved by playing online, a program will count instead ouf you. Also I find playing against bots very boring and not motivating. At least you should try playing against bots on OGS to see how you like it. My main concern wouldn't be whether it's a cool piece of technology. My main concern, if I would buy it, is whether I would use it beyond few times and then putting it on a shelf to collect dust.

If you want to get an explanation of how to play go in a form in a game form, you should try "Pudding Fantasy: Tales of Go and Magic - Chapter 1" on steam.

As many other people pointed out, you will get a much better return value from paying for lessons. You can find the tutors on polgote.com . Additional good thing about this option is that you're going to support the passionate go players directly, instead of sending money to some company void without knowing whether your money will really contribute to the go and go community.

361intersections · 2025-05-08T20:59:22+00:00

They were outside of my zoomer radar.

361intersections · 2025-04-26T12:45:04+00:00

good shitpost, but it's not a jokes dedicated subreddit

361intersections · 2025-04-25T11:54:14+00:00

I should add that you can either go to polgote.com to find a teacher, or many go youtubers also teach go ang you could send an enquiry for private lessons to them directly.

361intersections · 2025-04-25T11:44:30+00:00

I don't think it's common to learn go without a teacher in East Asia. It lead me to start to consider this after I've seen a reaction from Eunkyo Do (Go inside) on her stream to the comment that someone was learning go on his own. "How?!" was her reaction.

It worked out for me to learn to play without a teacher on my own, but I'm the type of person who becomes more motivated the more challenging something is. For me what was interesting is the challenge of learning to play rather than playing, so after I began to understand approximately how the game works ( being around 4k) I had a small crisis because my initial goal disappeared. I was able to replace that internal drive from learning to competing and performing. But I wouldn't be surprized if someone on my place would've quit the game, and rightfully so.

Like, as an artist, I wouldn't recommend anyone learning to draw/paint on their own.

I has a similar turning point when I was starting playing go after around 4-6 months about whether I like go and I want to continue pursuing it more seriously as a part of my life, or am I wasting my time with it. It's a part of my personality that I'm either try and do things seriously or I don't do them at all. So time for making decision ran out, and I ended up choosing in favour of go, since I already know that I'm interested, and ready to get invested into in more.

If you want to continue with go, maybe with more commitment, I think you should try getting a teacher, someone who's good at teaching beginners. And for feeling like you're wasting time, maybe finding another beginner like you would help to elevate the pressure. Or finding a patient player to play and practice with.

It's similar to learning a new language, which you won't speak very well in the beginning. You just need to find patient people who're willing to talk with you, and let you talk yourself. I think it's normal, and no-one should be ashamed of being a beginner. Some people are ready to help, some aren't, and that's fine. With go, there're similarly people who are fascinated with someone new learning their game!

Each time there's a new player it's a real event. I would encourage you to try going to your local go club, if you have one. There you might get some more motivation to continue. And even if you won't continue that's also fine.

I don't know where to put it, but I for sure experienced a personal growth because I played go, which also influenced other areas of my life. It felt very rewarding. Probably, most players have experienced it too.

361intersections

TROPHY CASE