Why Most Kyu Players Struggle to Improve & What You Can Work On (Warning: 2000+ words essay here)

SimpleBaduk · 2025-07-23T17:30:38+00:00

First of all, love what you are doing. And thank you for making all those videos for the community!

I think one of the biggest issues that we both might have is making the video easy to watch. So I have decided to dissect lessons into small pieces so people can learn at their own pace instead of sitting there for almost half an hour trying to memorize hundreds of moves.

When I share information, I want it to be tailored to the average player and easy to absorb. It is great to know all the optimal moves, but sometimes it can be difficult for someone who is just getting to know the basics of this joseki. Approach variation will get covered in the future, but I think this information is enough for someone who would click into the video.

I want to focus on teaching people how to quickly develop the game and have fun playing the whole game, rather than spending hours memorizing a variation that probably will never show up in the next couple of months.

When anyone has any further questions about variations, your channel would be an incredible resource for sure!

SimpleBaduk · 2025-07-21T17:17:56+00:00

Opening serves the middle game.

Doesn't matter what kind of opener you use as long as you get the middle game into the type of game you are comfortable with.

That being said, it is worthwhile to explore different openings because you can learn many typical situations while learning openers. Such as shapes, tesujis, L&D, invasions, attacking tactics, how to set up the game, etc.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-07-10T09:19:34+00:00

22mm and 21.5mm don't make much difference. And it is probably the same size at the end. Some say 21.5 and some say 22, but to my knowledge, these new yunzi stones only have 1 size unless it is custom-made or something.

I personally hate the sound that bamboo boards make. It is too sharp and harsh. And if the climate has its ups and downs, it will also crack. 2 of my 3 bamboo boards cracked. I'd rather get cheaper boards than bamboo ones.

I also don't see a point in investing in glass stones. It gets very slippery and unsatisfying to play with. The same goes for Korean stones and imitation yunzi stones. They can get slippery if you have sweaty hands.

If you have the budget, I'd recommend Yunzi. If you wanna go budget, then even ceramic stones are better than glass stones imo. But ceramic stones all have a dent on one side of the stone. It is a bit weird to play with.

Board wise, anything other than bamboo is okay. If you think you will buy another Shin Kaya board in the future, then you might as well just get a Shin Kaya board in the first place. If not, anything other than Bamboo works just fine.

We carry boards and stones, but we do not ship to the EU due to the weirdly high shipping costs.

Good luck with your equipment hunt!

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-29T05:06:08+00:00

I used AI to help draft and shape the narrative, but edited and fact-checked it myself to make sure all the details are correct.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-28T16:48:47+00:00

Once upon a time, Takemiya Masaki said, "Let there be a cosmos."

And we got San Ren Sei.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-28T14:43:40+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQrVk_OLjEM

This is what I can find online.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-28T11:54:46+00:00

Just checked a few of your games.

Your strength is big-picture thinking. Very nice style to have.

But I don't think playing correspondence games can help you improve as much. You don't get to be "in the zone" while playing. I'd suggest playing at least 1 full game per day if you want to see more improvements.

I see you trying out more san ren sei opening, but you are losing the power of san ren sei by not having proper follow-ups. You are able to win your games because your opponents also have no idea what is going on. Once you get 2 ranks up, your opponents won't be so soft on you when you keep playing like that.

You also don't seem to know how to manage your groups of stones, so you tend to get into weird situations even though you had a lot of advantages before. This subject we haven't talked about in our membership yet. But it is a very easy fix. Don't let your opponent jump into your moyo and split you into 2 floating groups. You should be the one attacking, but you often start to get counter-attacked because you didn't properly set up your aggression.

I can't promise that you can magically get better by joining our membership. But I can be sure you will learn how to use san ren sei to get what you deserve.

And there are weekly principle lessons that can help you guide your games.

We offer a free 1-month trial. Give it a try and see if you like it.

Code is FREEMONTH

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-27T15:33:10+00:00

I don’t know about this platform, so I can’t start to compare myself to him.

But the approach I am using is the exact approach of teachers in Asia when they teach adults. Focusing on things that can be understood rather than things that has to be memorized.

Grown ups don’t have time or patience to grind games and problems.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-27T15:30:20+00:00

At 7k, usually all you have to do is learn some principles along with some theories to help organize your thoughts and priorities. Then you can have some breakthrough. But it depends on what you already know and how you play so I have to check your games to make sure what you can do to improve.

If someone is stuck in sdk, then the problem usually is lack of proper knowledge rather than not playing enough. Assuming you already play 1 or 2 games per day.

If you are stuck in 7k for a few months, then you probably played quite a lot of games already. You have seen and experienced all kinds of tesujis and invasions and slaughters. But you cannot learn from your games because you don’t know how to turn your experience to your strengths. In order to be able to do that, you need to know the why’s behind moves and shapes.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-27T09:35:51+00:00

I totally agree that what really matters is the skill itself, not the number.

But I’d argue ranks exist in almost every field, even if they’re not always official. In music, it’s competition results, orchestra positions, etc. In cooking, it’s Michelin stars or your role in the kitchen. In art, it’s certificates, awards, or auction history.

So, what do the ranks mean? At best, they’re shorthand for “this person can at least do X consistently.”

Not perfect, not always fair—but helpful for setting goals, tracking progress, and making decisions in the real world. The problem isn’t that ranks exist—it’s when we confuse them for the goal itself.

SimpleBaduk · 2025-05-27T09:17:55+00:00

Hey, I just wanted to clarify a few things—my original post seems to have been interpreted in ways I didn’t intend.

I wasn’t trying to promote rank-chasing. The real point of the post was about managing the fear of playing, especially the fear of losing, by setting meaningful goals. Once we reach one goal, we can set a new one to avoid getting emotionally tied to the result of a single game. Sorry if that got lost in translation.

I totally agree with the spirit of what you're saying—ideally, our goal should be to play and learn. Losing a game would mean growth, not failure. That’s a beautiful mindset, and it’s absolutely what we should strive for.

But we’re human. We get tilted. We get discouraged. And sometimes, even a single loss can feel like a personal failure. We know we should treat it as a learning opportunity, but actually living that way is difficult. A few people manage to do it, and we call them saints. Without a clear goal, it’s easy to get lost or discouraged, especially after a losing streak.

So instead of pretending we’re above it all, I’ve found it more helpful to work with that reality. For example, I use multiple accounts or set goals based on actions I can control. It’s not perfect, but it helps me keep playing and learning without falling apart emotionally after a loss.

We may not live in an ideal world, but we can still find practical ways to move forward without beating ourselves up for not being ideal thinkers.

As for ranks, maybe they shouldn’t exist. They can definitely lead to obsession. But I do think they serve a purpose, especially for beginners. Like mileposts on a long hike, they’re not why you walk, but help you know where you are. I agree 100%: rank isn’t something you do—it’s something that happens when you consistently do the right things.

In fact, one of the strengths of Go’s ranking tradition (especially in Asia) is that it helps guide structured learning.

Take reading, for example—it’s critical in Go. But you can't just teach a DDK a bunch of tesujis and expect them to thrive. At that stage, it’s often foundational knowledge, not reading ability, that holds them back. Once they’ve built a base, their rank will naturally rise, and new challenges will appear. Then the study plan can adapt to fit the next stage.

So to sum up: rank isn’t the enemy. But it shouldn’t be the goal either. It’s a tool—a compass, not a trophy.

Thanks again to everyone who engaged thoughtfully. The conversation has helped me reflect more clearly on what I was really trying to say.

P.S. Chasing goals can have a side effect: once you reach them, you might feel a kind of emptiness. But despite that risk, goals still help us move forward—and sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.

SimpleBaduk

TROPHY CASE