I’ve been in kyus for a while. Here’s my last effort to get stronger.
The idea is simple: play bunch of games, learn something from them, play another and so on. For each bunch I’ll think of a theme or a style to play them.
At first I thought to play 100 games per bunch but looks like it’s way too much, so let’s say 50. Also I restrict rank for my challenges to play roughly equal (3k+) or stronger opponents. Enough of “teaching” games.
Time control is fast correspondence: 2d+8h up to 2d. Games won by timeout don’t count. Bot games don’t count either.
First bunch is evaluatory. I play my most usual moves. So here’s the results.
| Opponent’s rank | Number of games | Wins | Winrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4k | 1 | 1 | 1.00 |
| 3k | 10 | 7 | 0.70 |
| 2k | 14 | 6 | 0.43 |
| 1k | 13 | 4 | 0.31 |
| 1d | 9 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2d | 7 | 3 | 0.43 |
| 3d | 4 | 1 | 0.25 |
| 4d | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 5d | 7 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 6d | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
Total 68 games.
So I’m 2k through and through. Sometimes it’s possible to snipe 2d because they don’t take game seriously enough but 1ds are way too careful.
When it comes to actual games I think I’m struggling with early fighting. People who fight early on or when I try to make the first crosscut, it always backfires on me. If I survive long enough to understand what I need to fight for in the game I fight better, and often turn the game around in late middlegame or even endgame.
To combat this weakness in the next bunch I’ll try to stay out of my comfort zone and play fuseki that encourages fighting and doesn’t have usual joseki, namely, black hole! So 50 black hole games await me. Let’s see if my winrates go down or not.
What would you suggest my style be in the next after next series of games? I’m low on ideas here, so suggestions are appreciated.
