Honestly? I think it would be awesome to be able to beat the top players, whether that be the top of the world or the top of my city, or at least be able to challenge them on even game, but in the same time i kinda feel like my current 2-4k is “good enough” for me. At this level, i can still find players within my entire ±9 stone handicap range, and i’m still able to enjoy this confusing game ^^
But if i had to choose, i think i’m gonna go with “improve just a little bit” so i could understand go better ^___^
Honestly my mind is not on beating someone. Of course it’s like playing better, like a proof but I am more worried about the quality of my games, like to play proper moves as anything more “combative”.
Hard to disregard whether it’s possible or not since my goal is to reach my maximum potential, which I estimate about 1 stone above my current level. But I could be satisfied with my current level since there are a lot of players around that level in my area. Dreaming to beat pros (≥ EGF 7d), the strongest player in my area (EGF 8d) or Shin Jinseo is nonsense, but even if it was possible, I don’t think it would make me happier.
On the other hand I would like to improve enough in order to understand pro games (not beat pros, just understand almost every move after they are played).
My current level is fine (having fun is more important than rating or winning), but I’d like to improve by a decent amount one day, since I have a long way to go and a lot of material and books in my library which I’ve been planning to study. However, this will be a process where I will probably be improving just a little bit each time.
So, my choice is a combination of choice 4 and the first half of choice 3. I do not really care about becoming the best player in the country (the “area” in my case).
What should I consider as “my area”? I live in a rural region, as far as I’m aware I’m already the strongest and there aren’t even many weaker players around.
Thinking as far as the next go club, beating the strongest player there is already above my goal.
“To the enlightened, all is misery, because of your desires.” (Patanjali) quoted in Yoga by Ernest Wood, if I remember everything correctly.
I do not altogether agree, but perhaps it is appropriate to desires to reach a specific level, even more so to desires to beat particular people. But I do wish to improve, to feel more satisfied with my play, and even to win more against better players. All the same, I do not want to vote for any one of those options.
I can’t answer the poll because I don’t want to improve to beat someone specifically but just because I love to learn new things and see the actual improvement gradually stacking over time
Go is a hobby for me. A wonderful hobby, in my opinion, but nothing more. To imagine beating players who have literally dedicated their lives to this game would be like ignoring all the sacrifices they have made to reach this point. In contrast, it seems appropriate to me to dream of competing with players who, like me, consider Go a hobby.
