Are you a beginner struggling to understand Go? Do you often finish games wondering “What the heck just happened?” Are you feeling stuck on the learning curve like you’re at basecamp on the Matterhorn, and you’re wondering if you have what it takes to make the climb?
I was in the same predicament once - and I remember feeling frustrated at the lack of good resources for beginners. I read articles and watched many YouTube videos - but it felt like each one was explaining a tiny piece of a larger puzzle, but without ever tying it together into a coherent whole.
I’ve been working on a 19x19 for beginners manual for a few years now, and I believe that I’ve come up with some useful metaphors that help new players tie the various themes and strategies of Go into common life experiences that make sense. I also have a very clear memory of what it felt like to know almost nothing about Go - so it’s important to introduce these ideas one at a time and improve one’s understanding of the game gradually, rather than trying to cram it all in at once.
My goal is to help beginners learn the language and structure of the game so that they no longer feel lost and confused, and can begin trying new things on their own once they understand what things are possible.
I am offering these teaching games for free because I am play-testing metaphors to see which ones work best for beginners at various skill levels. I often find that the best way to understand a topic is to try and explain it to another person, so I am hoping the things I learn from these games will eventually be incorporated into a more helpful version of the manual down the road.
These games will be done online via Google Meet or Jitsi. My schedule is pretty flexible. Please contact me here via OGF messenger (click on my username in this thread, and hit the MESSAGE button), and we can discuss what type of teaching you are looking for.
If you would like to read the current v1.0 version of the beginners manual, please feel free to check out these articles. I will be using many of these concepts in my sessions:
Introduction: Making Sense of Go
Part 3: Playing a Balanced Opening