Gamers Database of Pro Gamers

General Go Discussion
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Hello, I’ve been thinking about professional Go games and how we access them. It seems to me that OGS has the potential to become a database and a platform for viewing pro games, similar to Eidogo.com or Waltheri’s Go Pattern Search.

The advantage of those websites is that they allow users to pick and select games based on opening moves and different patterns, and they have a large number of games listed.

I believe OGS could offer a similar service, albeit adjusted to better fit what OGS already provides. While implementing a pattern recognition system might be challenging, OGS could create a list of professional player names. When a name is clicked, a list of the games they’ve played could be displayed, and selecting a game would bring up an OGS board.

Although I’m unsure of the technical aspects, I think it could be an interesting addition to OGS, transforming it into a place not only for playing Go but also for in-depth Go study.

Considering the availability of SGFs, this project might not be overly difficult, albeit time-consuming. An introduction of a new pro player could be done periodically, showcasing their top games. For instance, each month or quarter, a new player could be introduced into the OGS database, generating interest. This could include famous players like Lee Sedol or historic players like Honinbo Shusaku.

I believe this initiative could attract more interest and, with players coming to OGS to study Go, have positive effects for the community. OGS caters to both new and experienced players, and many might not be aware of external resources for learning Go. Therefore, turning OGS into a hub for various resources, alongside its existing features like the Puzzle section and learn-to-play feature, could distinguish it as a leading platform in online Go playing and communities.

Thanks for reading, and I apologize for being verbose.

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Wait until Jeth responds. :smiley:

Sorry, totally off topic. I tried very hard to resist, really, but just couldn’t do it.

OK, to be at least slightly constructive: It’s not a feature I would use a lot, but I can easily believe many would like it. It might need an editorial team though, I’m not sure how realistic that is. Would we find volunteers? (I’m working on the assumption the clearly non-zero implemantation efforts for setting the structure up wouldn’t be too high. (Still, someone would need to do it of course.)

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We’ve had thoughts of using OJE for this - so you can find positions, like Waltheri

It’s “on the list”, though well down the list.

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:sweat_smile:
I do not have much to add other that support the idea, since I like it a lot. I remember using waltheri quite a bit when I was learning the game and if such a thing could be provided by OGS, I think it would be a good addition to the service.
It might be a bit of an issue with people complaining about “set moves” and generating openings and responses that seem too formulaic - if people just blindly follow along the “best pro choice for the local position”, but other than that, it would be nice to have such a learning tool.

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The main problem with this proposal is that such a feature would need constant updating, which would add a great deal of permanent work for the developers and/or volunteers.

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Unless there could be some automated way to scrape the data from the sgfs. In that case you could just add more data/sgf to the relative folder and hit update/re-compile data.

Usually the more user-friendly you need to make the result, the more complex you need to make the code. :thinking:

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