For a while, I’ve noticed that after watching professional player matches (go seigen, gu li, or other masters) I get to have more energy in my games. (I’m 15k btw)
It might be the brain doing its magic, or the knowledge of tactics from the reviews, or a combination. Whatever it is, it does improve the self confidence and the joy of the games very much.
Just wondering if there are any other thoughts on this. (As you may guess, today I watched some reviews and then played one of my best performances, although it was a loss at the end).
Enjoy!
Ps: I searched the forum for a similar topic, but couldn’t find one. Sorry if I repeated a well discussed topic.
In my experience professionals read deeper and see much, much further than I am capable of. But even if I cannot figure out their plans, I have found that I get a better sense of good efficient shape from observing them.
I would say watching professional games is more of a sensation than technique…The pro moves are backed up by their strong reading abilities, which can be hardly replicated by amateurs, but sometimes the sensation is very important: when I play games with a strong heart, I do win.
odo: I think, if the pro match is reviewed by a strong player, they give several new ideas at each move, together with the reasons and purposes of the move.
One of my favorite videos is from Nick Sibicky (lesson #67).
I agree Xhu, that we cannot read as good as the pros. But, especially the starting strategies and tips like ways of avoiding being trapped prove to be very inspiring.
It’s very much true that when you play with a strong heart, the game gets much more exciting, even if I do not win at the end
The Japanese call it kiai - ‘fighting spirit’ as the link says. The idea is to try to aggressively push the pace of the game rather than passively responding to your opponent all the time.
There’s only one professional that I know of who succeeded at the highest level with a passive playing style (the Stone Buddha, Lee Chang-ho : http://senseis.xmp.net/?YiChangHo) and even he has changed his playing style in response to a new crop of go professionals who play with more aggressive styles of play.
Hi Jamada, the fighting spirit is actually a fair naming for the feeling I get after watching pro matches.
I don’t mean an aggressive fighting spirit, but a good view of the battle field, feeling the warmth of the fight, and trying (and managing) to change the flow of the game. It’s a great feeling to put ideas and strategies into play.
