Like a kid playing with rocks: creative, prone to injuries, deadly under the right circumstances.
A more interesting question would be how and when your styles developed and evolved throughout the time you played. Also how you perceive your styles vs how others percieve your styles.
How I see my style: “Oh, this is fun, I’ll play this move. Yes!”
How the opponents see my style: “Oh, this is funny he just lost another 10 points. Yes!”
You can answer my question or yours, the more interesting version
As a DDK I started with a moyo style, as I moved into SDK my style became more territorial, though throughout I’ve always enjoyed ni-ren-sei opening.
A few kids later and now my style is reading comments on the forums and deciding which ones I have the energy to reply to
I learned Go at the time when Lee changho was at his peak and Lee Sedol started to takeover. Players at the time liked to mimic him, but usually failed quite hard. In general, I picked up the spirit of playing solid and tended to play territorial at the time (and still do to a degree). However, as time goes on, my style became more about using the thickness to fight in late mid-game and generally evolved into large-scale semeai (strength fighter), and getting less territorial. However as AI era rolled on, I feel I started to play a lot more conservatively and went back to my “root” a bit more.
“What is your Go playing style?”
One word: horrible.
Currently chaotic evil
Righteous
Impulsive
When I started to read books my style became a book style. Which is quite good for the ego but which doesn’t work that well if you don’t know about the other styles.
Then I went into the “I should push to the extreme” style.
I’m happy with my today style as long as I don’t go into glitches and blunders.
How my style evolved:
- Make territory on the 3rd line.
- Oh my opponent makes more territory so I’ll make territory on the 4th line.
- My opponent still makes more territory so I’ll make a big moyo.
- But he keeps invading my moyo. That’s not fair, it’s my territory. But maybe I can kill, killing is fun.
- Hmm… Maybe killing is not always possible. So just attack for profit, let him live and I’ll try to invade later myself.
- Why are my invasions getting killed? Maybe I shouldn’t go so deep, I could just live in the center.
- Why am I still getting attacked so hard, while my opponent is making too much territory? I should make influence at the early stages of the game, this will help later.
- Influence doesn’t seem to help. My opponent keeps making territory, while my “influence” stones are just useless weak groups in the center. Perhaps central stones can just be used to help for fighting, but can be sacrificed.
- After all, central stones are not always meant to be thrown away. Making strong groups in the center is very helpful.
- In fact I realize that go is “the surrounding game”. Central stones can be used to surround, and if possible to kill. Killing is fun.
- Why does my opponent tenuki when I try to kill? He makes territory elsewhere and I still can’t kill. After all, surrounding is not always good, depending on whether I can do that in sente.
So I don’t think my way of playing deserves to be called a “style”. It just reflects my understanding of the game (or lack thereof).
My “style” now is a bit too conservative, I don’t like taking risks and AI generally tells me that I should cut, pincer and invade more. However I still don’t understand why
- AI tells me to invade but when I do, my invasion stone gets killed.
- AI tells me not to always save my invasion stone, it can be sacrificed to make central strength. But when I sacrifice, it tells me I should have saved it and could make a living group.
- When I run to the center, AI tells me I should of course make a base, it strengthens my stone while weakening the opponent’s. When I make a base, AI tells me I can just run to the center.
- When I try to save my cutting stones, AI tells me it’s not necessary, just leave them for aji. When I leave my cutting stones for aji, AI tells me I should of course save them.
- AI often tells me to push and cut on the second line to get forcing moves. Sometimes I do that and waste a ko threat.
- When I lean on an opponent’s group to strengthen my stones, AI tells me my stones are strong enough and I shouldn’t strengthen my opponent. When I think my stones are strong enough, AI tells me I should of course strengthen my stones, I need to play that obvious reverse-sente move.
- When I defend a weak group, AI tells me that’s it’s not necessary, I can live easily. When I don’t defend it, AI tells me of course I should play urgent moves first, that’s a basic proverb.
In live games “Ponder endlessly during the middle game, then under time pressure, blunder away.”
In correspondence “In tough situations procrastinate, later anyway play the first move that comes to mind.”
Thanks for confirming that even becoming 7 stones stronger woudn’t change the feeling one bit!
What style you actually have? What style you try to have?
Those are 2 different questions.
I keep changing what I try to have. So I never have enough time to actually get any of previous choices.
I try to live by the proverb “Make a fist before striking.” Sometimes it works, and sometimes I make something of a fetish of it and discover that by the time I’ve made that fist, there’s virtually nothing I can realistically attack. Hard to find that balancing point, identify that critical moment. Timing is everything.
Throw a stone into the pond and see where the ripples go,
Ooo - me too!
Sounds better as what it could look. Not a lost time because you get deeper and will get better understanding in the next answer of your opponent.