Hello. I’m new to Go in general. I have been interested in Go for a few months but I didn’t start actually playing until this week. I looked at the online resources OGS offers. It has very good instruction and I feel like I know the concepts. However, when I get into an actual game, I’m a little lost and not sure what to do during my game and I end up floundering and my opponent takes all the space no matter what I do. I have this huge open space of board and my opponent seems to know what to do and I don’t. I feel like it shouldn’t be this hard. I’m likely missing some element that I didn’t get during the online instruction.
Hi there, @invi! Welcome to the site, aswell as to the Go world! 
You don’t need to worry, your feeling and what is happening to you is more than normal. That’s why there’s a saying in Go: lose 100 games as quickly as possible (or in some other forms/numbers). This means that the first things you need to grasp are a bit abstract to teach directly, so the best way to surpass them is by learning with experience.
Nevertheless, you are on the right place. I’m sure you’ll find great teachers in this forum 
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hi invi
i looked for your games on the server, and it was empty, so you must have been using
a different server, or a different account, or even real life
have you played enough on the small boards? i think thats helpful initially to avoid the
’lost at sea’ feeling. personally i think 13x13 is a good size since it starts to develop
a little notion of whole board play. 9x9 is good up until you get a very basic grasp
of capturing tactics.
why don’t you post what you think is your best game and i’m sure someone here would be
happy to give you suggestions about how to direct your study
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I did what you said. I played black this game on a 13x13 board.This is what I mean when I feel my opponent knows what to do at all times and I don’t. I just tried to capture stones cause I know how to do that. That plan went pretty wrong pretty quickly.
I played this game on a 9x9 as white. I won this game so I feel a little better. Any help is appreciated. You don’t have to look at both if you don’t want to. It’s there if you want to look at them.
I never realized how stupid I am until I tried playing Go on this site.
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Hello @invi, and welcome to the world of Go!
Here are two short reviews to help you improve:
Game 1
Game 2
A word of warning: they do not answer your question - where to place your next stone.
The truth is that there is no absolute answer. The best you can do is absorb lots of little bits of knowledge like the ones I am giving you. With time and practice, you can put these pieces together.
Be creative and come up with a plan, based on your Go knowledge so far. Then try something to implement that plan. Afterwards, look back and ask yourself how and why the result has turned out in the game.
Good luck 
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@Animiral, you did a good job of explaining your points, because I am also 25k and could follow them easily. In particular, after reading your Game 1 comments, I will be watching out for cut points from now on. Thanks for the tips.
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Hey, I’m very new as well, and actually played only my first game against an actual person tonight. I lost by 10pts but I feel like I held my own pretty well for a first attempt.
I recommend reading up and doing some of the intros and tutorials on this site & others to get some of the basic concepts down. On this site, Click in the top left corner & Learn to Play. When you get done with the Tutorial, play the Bot for a few games at least ( took me 6 tries to beat him ). Sites like http://www.learngo.co.uk/GoTutor/Tutor.php and others listed in the New Player Resources sticky thread on this forum are also really good.
If you’re looking for matches against another really rank beginner ( I deserve all 25 of my 25kyu. 
). Give me a shout and we can play.
Good luck and Go for it!
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Thanks @animiral. I shall look at them as soon as possible.
And @go_outside, nice to see others like me. I am not alone.
Thank you @animiral for your reviews. This is what I needed. Hopefully, I can have a little more fun now that I have some of your advice.
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