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Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

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21–30 of 90 posts

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#21

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

Sounds like the hard part was the whole game ;)

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#22
post #13

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

This is the single biggest issue with introducing go to newcomers. In chess, the goal is crystal clear - capture the king. In go, the goal of having more points than your opponent is somehow very challenging to grasp in an intuitive way. There's a common advice to lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible ( http://senseis.xmp.net/?LoseYourFirst50GamesAsQuicklyAsPossi... ). This will give you some basic intuitio…

Thanks for the advice. Though I'm planning to be really good, so I'm going to lose my first 500 games.

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#23
post #13

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

This is the single biggest issue with introducing go to newcomers. In chess, the goal is crystal clear - capture the king. In go, the goal of having more points than your opponent is somehow very challenging to grasp in an intuitive way. There's a common advice to lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible ( http://senseis.xmp.net/?LoseYourFirst50GamesAsQuicklyAsPossi... ). This will give you some basic intuitio…

Thanks for the advice. Though I'm planning to be really good, so I'm going to lose my first 500 games.

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#24

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

There are a few (free) teaching ladders out there. The basic idea is that you have your games reviewed by players a few stones stronger than you, e.g. you are ranked around 10k and the reviewer 4k. Reviewers are strong enough to spot the biggest weaknesses in your play, so that you can improve quickly.

When I used the ladder, 15 years ago, their problem was that they had too many reviewers and too few students, so it was nice as a student :) You should give it a try.

http://gtl.xmp.net/ http://senseis.xmp.net/?TeachingLadder

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#25
post #8

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

I took up Go about six months ago, after many false starts over the years. The secret for me was to stop playing computers and start playing humans online (I like online-go.com). Computers at lower difficulty settings make a combination of very strong moves and very weird moves, which are difficult for beginners to interpret. And the game is just a lot more fun when playing against people of similar skill level or a…

I like this one:

https://www.flyordie.com/go/

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#26
post #14
post #2

Slightly off topic perhaps, but I've been looking to buy a Go game. Dutch sites don't seem to have it for a reasonable price; this site sells it for $9.99 but with $18 shipping. Any Europeans here who can tell me how to get it to either a German, Belgian or Dutch address for about €20 or less?

There are many go clubs in the Netherlands. Find one, go and play with people! While you are at it, you can ask them about buying a go board and will probably be able to buy one without having to pay for shipping at all.

If I remember correctly, my girlfriend looked for one near south Limburg but the closest one was Utrecht.. I know there is an index for chess clubs, do you know of one for go clubs?

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#28

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

See if you can find someone to play a simple Capture Game with you on the 9x9. That is, the goal of each player is to capture say 3 of the other person's stones, then the game ends. This will help with some basic things like making sure you're keeping track of liberties, seeing how you can form two eyes (a stepping stone to forming territory) and be uncapturable, seeing which moves require a response to save a stone/group of stones, and seeing when an attempt to save a stone would be pointless (e.g. you're in a ladder).

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#29

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

As others have said, there's no substitute for playing against human beings.

When you've played a few proper games, I recommend joining a teaching ladder. Your games will be reviewed by stronger players. In exchange, you are expected to review the games of weaker players. Teaching can be just as valuable as learning, as it forces you to clarify concepts in your mind in order to explain them. Even if you're a high-kyu player, you can teach a beginner the basics.

https://gtl.xmp.net/ http://senseis.xmp.net/?KGSTeachingLadder

Re: Go Game Guru – Learn all about the board game Go

#30

I've started playing Go against a computer (SmartGo iOS on a 9x9 board) but I find the hard part is determining where you're making mistakes, what is a better move, why the computer did what it did etc. For instance the computer may ignore a capture to play elsewhere and it can be hard to work out why. I learnt to play Chess when I was young so I can't make a fair comparison but it feels like Chess is much easier to…

I've had the same issue. It would be helpful to have some kind of 'ranking' for a move after it's been played so you know if you've immediately made a mistake. Often after playing a losing game I'll undo moves and try some variations, but I don't know how far to go back. Was it my 50th move that was weak, or the 10th one... I know a moves strength isn't immediately obvious (as was apparent in the alphago games) so it's strength could be adjusted as the game progresses.
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