Good defense against early invasions?

I’m still learning the game, and I’ve been hosting 13x13 practice games with my super competitive 25 kyu self. That’s when all of the merciless 10+ kyu players join and demolish me. I’m learning and getting better, but one strategy that is driving me insane is early invasions. I’m sure there’s a strategy for countering this, but it just drives me crazy that these experienced players are beating me so easily from their 2nd or 3rd move. I’ll start on the upper left star-point. They’ll play the other side of the board. I’ll play near an adjacent star-point. Then they play between my pieces on the inside. I try to invade their side but they ignore it. I try to defend and they destroy me. How do I beat this?

I suggest you play other beginners. And play a lot. Try to learn the basics first.

1 Like

I second this. There is a reason for the rank - that you have a realistic estimation who you can have a fair and fun game against. You wouldn’t play a competitive tennis match against a professional player without training either.
If you compare beginner games to games of better players one of the most striking differences to me is always how careful better players are to touch each others stones. While beginners often attach right to your stones and get tangled in confusing fights, more experienced players will often just play stones in a direction but without touching enemy stones.
Try to play some games against players your rank, watch some videos on twitch/youtube/etc. That helped me a lot (look up dwyrin or Nick Sibicky for example, they have great beginner strategy videos about shape, direction of game, etc)

2 Likes

What your describing is not an invasion, It would be correct to call it a 'reduction’ since it’s only your frame work. During the first few opening moves, nothing is yours, and nothing is theirs.

Some good things to keep in mind when an opponent breaks your frame work is to play near enough to the stone so it feels pressured, but not too close so that your own stone can be pincered.
Never attach as a first response, especially if your still learning the basics.

As for the stronger players beating you, It’s not a bad thing, but there’s always the option to restrict the rank of players allowed to accept.(Lower-right dialog box in the create game window). I recommend setting it within 25-20 kyu.

Should you gain more confidence in play, you can check ‘auto-handicap’ for games against higher ranked players.

By definition, an “early” invasion would be one played too early; invasions tend to give away a lot of influence relative to the points that they earn. They are middle-game moves, and to play them in the opening is a problem. It’s also important to keep in mind that a framework is not “your” points; a framework merely indicates that you’ll get compensation if your opponent plays inside of it.

This is probably a little abstract for you, but start thinking about ways you can profit in terms of having a nice position rather than always profiting from having points where you originally wanted them. Think about how those early moves are just negotiating what type of game you’ll be having.

3 Likes