For the love of Ch**st I seem to have an addiction worse than coffee (caramel lattes… please take my money…).
Ahem, anyway that addiction seems to be playing quickly much like the game is fencing or tennis and the aim is to respond as quickly as possible.
Has anyone got any suggestions for slowing things. I have tried (still trying) to count, looks for 2-3 different moves each time, putting the mouse down (hiding the mouse and throwing it across the room would work but then all the time would spent finding it and plugging it in again).
Buuuut all my good intentions seem to disappear as soon as a stone is laid and I am back on clicking to fast…
I need something to disconnect absorption in the game. Help from ex ‘speed go addicts’ if any exist…
Have you tried to really think about your moves?
Im serious. Like not just looking what options you may have and choose one but also read what may happen, for example if they cut. You can also check ladders, check what direction you want the game to drift to. There is much to do, really. Maybe you need a checklist and are only allowed to play a move once everything is ‘checked’?
If Im in the mood to play moves too hastly, its mostly because Im too lazy to read.
You can try having some tea or hot drink that’s not too strongly caffeinated, or doing some light mediatation before playing, or taking some deep breaths before or after playing a move.
I guess the idea could be to slow down the heart rate slightly and see if that slows down the pace.
You can do additional things like reading or counting, but you can also try to add more words to it, have a verbal reason for your move or trying to have a few words to describe what you think your opponents move means or their plan given their last move.
Play with other people that play slow. You’ll get used to the waiting time while the other player is thinking, and it’ll get easier to think on your time as well.
On the other hand if you play people that play fast, you may get sucked into playing fast yourself. This happened to me sometimes in the past. I think it’s an emotional response, at least for myself.
For me, a good way to slow down is to get methodical and force myself to go through a checklist rather than just react and play the first move that comes instinctively
based on the stage of the game we are in (i.e. Opening, Early Midgame, Midgame etc) what are the biggest priorities for that stage? are there big move opportunities where I can grab something unclaimed, or threaten my opponent?
what is my weakest group? what is my opponent’s weakest group? how can I threaten or chase that in a way that creates direction of play that most benefits that stage of the game?
does it make sense to continue the local exchange or is there a better tenuki opportunity?
if my opponent has done a poor job of settling their groups or leaving cut points, can I use those to get an advantage?
if the current exchange is close to being settled, does it make sense to continue in this area of the board, or are there other opportunities available, and how can I connect those new opportunities to the current situation?
if there are several likely possibilities based on reading 3-4 moves ahead, can I find a move that serves multiple goals at once?
When my mind races to offer me the first suggestion that makes sense - I still go through all these questions, trying to see the situation from different angles. Having to consider options unrelated to the local fight often helps me notice things I wouldn’t have otherwise.