How should I review my game with the forum and how to gain the most from it

Hi, I’ve heard from a lot of people that as a beginner, it’s really beneficial to play with other people and review the game with someone stronger. Many of them suggest this forum to review. My question is, how should I utilize such opportunity properly? I’ve reviewed with with a stronger friend of mine before. The tips and analysis made sense and was very helpful during the conversation, but I often don’t remember them for long. It’s either because the next few games don’t have a place to apply the lesson or I just lost memory of the details. If I were to do it here, what are some questions I should ask and how would I absorb the knowledge for a long time?

Thanks!

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What I try to do:

I quickly go through the game by myself first, and check 2-3 moves that AI says I was very, very wrong (think big changes in winrate/ score, for example losing by 10 points and in the next move losing by 50). I don’t get too absorbed in AI, though, because it assumes perfect play, which really isn’t realistic for beginners.

Then, I post here. Sometimes I ask for a specific thing AI suggests and I don’t understand, sometimes I can “feel” something went wrong and a group died, but I can’t “see” where I went wrong and failed to protect it. However, although I sometimes have specific questions, I usually leave it open and welcome all comments.

I always read everyone’s comments and suggestions. There’s a variety on who reviews each time, and also people tend to disagree (for example, some focus more on AI suggestions and others on the feeling they get about your personal style). I sometimes ask for clarifications. Even if I don’t understand a review, or if I don’t fully agree, the simple fact that the possibility of a different move was presented to me helps me widen my Go horizons. I don’t really memorize “corrections”, but I try to keep in mind, going forward, what the stronger player is trying to teach me. For example, I will not remember exactly how to protect a cutting point, but I will keep in mind that protecting cutting points is important. Also, sometimes very strong players offer reviews that are hard to understand, and someone closer to your rank might offer advice that is easier for you to absorb. You can always take the “big” lessons, or even bookmark your review thread and set a reminder to read it again in six months. See if things from dans make more sense then. :stuck_out_tongue:

After a while, you will probably see a pattern (ngl, my pattern is unprotected cutting points :woman_shrugging:). As time goes by, you will get better at recognizing your weaknesses.

Sometimes, I note down things that strike me as new and important. For example, when we are beginners and someone says “in the opening, play on the bigger side of the board”. This is a general principle and it applies well in all games, so you may want to write it down (if you are a note-taking person, it doesn’t apply to everyone).

Also, if you play regularly with the same people, or if you feel comfortable with your opponent, you can go over the game after you play it. Reviewing isn’t always about someone stronger guiding you; we all can learn from each other. Exploring variations is the most important part.

Sidenote, although not really related to the question: you can utilize the Malc and/ or personal notes in the chat. It helps, if you revisit a game later, to know for example “I considered this big move and that big move, and I chose the first one because …”.

P.S. Even if you don’t get many replies in your first review requests, it is always worth it to come back and ask. The community participation fluctuates, but you’ll probably get responses more often than not.

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It’s hard to give advice about how to not forget.
If you understood well, if you still have the game that shouldn’t happen. After the review, add some notes maybe?
A good lecture is a small one, here the stronger detects something Important to change and try to get your attention on it. 2-3 things at most is enough to work on it.

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You don’t need to remember the whole review. Read the review to see other ways of thinking or of playing, and try to remember 1-2 key ideas.

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Yeah I think that’s my motto also - even reviewing my own games, if I can learn 1-2 things each game and from the review then hopefully I’ll keep improving :slight_smile:

Sometimes just having someone point out a move you never consider or couldn’t see is also really helpful, maybe if the situation comes up again, or maybe just to create new ways of thinking :slight_smile:

There’s a category called review requests that you can create your post under

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Thank you guys so much for your answer and discussion. There are a few points I’ve never thought about before. Now it’s just about actually playing the game and reviewing it after. I really appreciate the suggestions.

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That’s normal.
You should trust your brain’s ability to recognise patterns and make decisions inconsciously. :slight_smile:

The game is too complex to track each single position you’ve encountered. That’s quite useless too, because it’s very unlikely that you’ll find it exactly again in you future games.

Maybe you don’t remember every and each suggestion or advice, but you’re packing and storing them into your brain nonetheless.
When they’re written, you can read them again some time later (weeks, months). Probably you’ll see that you can understand them way better than before or even think that they’re obvious for you at that moment.

Just play.
You’ll find situations similar to those you’ve encountered before, where you received advice, and you’ll try to put them at work. Sometimes you’ll fail, some others you’ll succeed. For sure you’ll get a better grasp of it and you’ll discover more subtleties and complexity. That’s the beauty of Go.

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