I’ve mentioned these things in our chat too, but I am making it “public” here so others can correct me if I make mistake.
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At this point, I think it’s more, you should have a very good reason in mind if you’re going to
place a stone where your opponent can immediately capture it. If the issue is noticing that your
stone can be immediately captured, then some of Spot the Atari at Sensei's Library might help. (though I believe those are intended more for, one player’s move
put one or more opposing stones into atari, rather than self-atari)
(The “you” above is NEWOLDGUY, not noob42.)
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Well. I’d actually suggest doing those INTERACTIVE TUTORIALS FIRST, in order to UNDERSTAND what it’s all about, like, getting a clue, as opposed to staying clueless and inventing fantasy Go terms like “snakes”.
Things should be a lot easier after that, including understanding what people say here 
all good reasons to follow what was said by all parties here, there is no excuse why i still play as bad as i do , mainly its just i really don’t fully understand core elements of play or as i like to call them rules of the road here, usally ia looking at doing one thing over in the the roght corner when the left corner my opponenet has boxed me in and then i make a judgement call which move to do save my stone or place my other stne so i can get more terriory it always comes done to that and the fact i miss what iam really supposed to do when cornered options, options, options, i just seem right now to always to chose the wrong one. Hope that will get better soon one question does come up here, why the negative reaction to the word snakes and trying to do them Many other go players use that term, even ones that teach so iam confused is a thing to do or not
When in doubt I refer sensei (SXN). I don’t see any mention of “Snake”. Link: Common Go Terms at Sensei's Library
https://senseis.xmp.net/?Snake ?
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I stand corrected
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Sorry for the snake but I still don’t know what you mean with it. Nevermind you can keep it for yourself. I just can’t help you about it.
For the few I watched in your game, you seem to be still a bit lost on the very bases of the game, so it’s not very obvious to advise you although I sincerely hope you can drive your games with a bit more confidence.
So lets try once more to return to the very basics.
The goal is to control areas firmly meaning that your opponent can no more contest them.
This is ruled by capture, capture is like the engine behind the goal.
Now it’s not enough to make secured areas. They have to be bigger as the ones from your opponent.
This makes things a bit more complicated so here two ideas
1 * the capture don’t happen often. In fact it’s more the threat to capture as a real capture to be the engine.
2 * go is about optimization when placing your stones. If you place 20 stones in a very local place while the opponent put them dispatched everywhere, that will not work well. If you don’t use the edge (and even better the 2 edges of a corner) you will lose a lot of efficiency.
I hope this return back to basics would help you a bit. Feel free to comment.
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I doubt that white could create a living group inside black‘s territory. Even if white would move next, living inside there looks very difficult.
I believe black is ahead by a lot.
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@NEWOLDGUY I had a look at one of your recent 9x9 games and added a few comments.
Maybe it helps.
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These are great, we should all aspire to comment games like Fritz over here.
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Week five starts with trying to learn go - and i stopped all 9x9 games entirely and just do 13 x 13 games now and the odd 19x19 – i guess i stand corrected and will not use the snake reference anymore, just connected stones that run top to bottom or left to right connecting to the sides most of my games are continuing, tough iam losing in quite a few, i have lost a few this week and have resigned when i get over 60 % of the board lost -i will keep pluging and do go now about three times min a day - small sessions about 20 mintues long each its about all my old mind can handle i guess -
I added comments to NEWOLDGUY vs. shermanleung9 .
You commonly write comments like “61.5 % for you as of this last move” in your games.
- That’s not what “estimate score” means. It’s a rough estimation total of point differential, not win percentage.
- You’re relying on this as some kind of useful metric early in the game when the values are wildly wrong. It doesn’t come close to being correct until the game is mostly over anyway.
- At your level you shouldn’t even be looking at this. You have a million more important things to worry about.
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Hi @NEWOLDGUY,
I don’t want to offend you, but I don’t see another way for you to even start listening:
To me you come across like a boy trying to learn playing tennis, standing on the court and trying to hit every single ball with all the power and might he has in his muscles. Shouting and groaning with every stroke of his racket. And cursing for not winning a single match.
“If I just manage to hit harder, I will win!”
While most of the time even completely missing the ball.
Please stop that. Just stop.
This is not how you learn playing tennis. And this is not how you learn playing Go.
If you really want to learn playing Go, you have to do your homework first:
- Play 9x9 games only
- Do not miss a single atari (i.e. the situation where a stone (or group of stones) only has one liberty left). If you are in atari, try to run away. If your opponent is in atari, capture.
- Before one of your stones on the second line gets pushed to the edge (by black playing at A in the position below for example) run away or connect it to other stones (by playing at A yourself in the position below).
- If you have the opportunity to push a stone of your opponent on the second line to the edge, do not miss it and try to capture. (i.e. if you are black in the position below, play at A)
That’s it! That’s all your homework.
Other than that, play whatever feels right for you.
Show us, that you manage to consistently do this homework in your games.
If you manage to do this, you might already start winning some of them.
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OK THEN I WILL STOP SEEMS I OFFEND YOU FOR MY NOT UNDERSTANDING., THIS GAME TO YOUR LIKING, SO I WILL THEN JUST STOP
then why? if it so wildly wrong do they even provide it as a tool – even as you say and iam sure your are right , its the differential between players that still means the other player is some how ahead me by 61.5 % hard trying to get a rap around what to do here most days thanks for the intel on that tool i will use it less or even at all if it is so inaccurate
The challenge in your case is: “What do I need to tell you, so that you start listening?”
If you want to progress learning the game, you need to stop doing what you are doing.
Which is: Playing lots of games on larger board sizes, thinking about aspects of the game that are entirely irrelevant on your level and at the same time missing the very basics of the game.
I’m trying to make you understand that you need to take a step back.
Just focus on the most fundamental aspect of the game: Recognizing when you or your opponent are in atari.
Number 3 and 4 of my “homework” are kind of stretch goals: Recognize when a stone on the second line is in danger of being captured.
I’m serious. Try it and do these things consistently in your game and you will already start winning some of them.
I believe you can do that, I believe you will start having success with it and I’m sure you will like it.
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60% (percent) and 60 points of difference between players are massively different, the first one with percentage is like maybe 1 or 2 points difference, but 60 points diffeerence is like 5 handicap stones (or 5 to 6 ranks differences, but it is less so at your level). 1 handicap stone difference is generally about 1 big mistake. Hence, if you are 5 handicap stones behind, it means you made 5 MORE major mistakes already (the opponent can make mistakes, big or small, but you made a lot more during the game). It is not something easily recovered from at that point during the game (but at 60 percent, it is something definitely very close and can recovered from easily)
As others had said, you need to go back to the beginning and start afresh, and consolidate your basics.
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@NEWOLDGUY to show what @Counting_Zenist is talking about here are two screenshots of the game we played. After a few moves the percentage says 84% but the Score is only. +2.5 which is surmountable at our level. Which is why you need to count and focus on the score.
I’m not sure but I assume this percentage is what chance a computer thinks black has to win if both sides were played by AI. Imso even a computer with perfect play doesn’t see it as lost. - case and point - STOP RESIGNING - play out your 9x9 close the borders and score
Secondly when I use the estimate I only see score, not this percentage. Maybe it’s something you can toggle in settings. I’m only see it after a game review
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