A New Player’s Roadmap
Used to be, a new player, after learning the basic rules, was advised to lose his first hundred games as quickly as possible. After that he’d be hooked. Supposedly. Many of us learned the basics from books translated from Japanese. The diagrams were sometimes not intuitively obvious and finding a stronger player to explain wasn’t always easy.
That’s how I started, back in the mid 1970s.
But today with the internet it needn’t be so hard. There are lots of websites to explain the same concepts from different angles. There are nearly professional quality videos that spoon feed it to us. There’s a site to answer the questions all new players have after their initial handful of games. All these taken together make it a lot easier to learn Go these days.
- We’ll begin with a flashmedia overview of the history and culture of Go.
- Now take a tour through a set of videos that, altogether, will run about two hours: part 1, part 2, part 3a, and part 3b.
- Next, some more culture and a gentle intro by Japan’s national Go association, the Nihon Ki-in.
- An interactive website will help you review and practice what you’ve learned so far.
- By now you’re ready to start playing so don’t hesitate to jump in at the club or one of the online Go servers. After you’ve played a good handful of games, Tel’s Go Notes will answer some of the burning questions all new players have.
And now you are no longer a beginner.
These are hardly the only new player resources on the net. I picked these because I thought they were particularly well done and easy to absorb.
See you on the Go ban.
Very nice. Should be under “Learn”.
This is a good follow-up, so I’ll post it as a comment.
Quick & Dirty Principles of Go Strategy for Beginners
copyright 1972 Milton N. Bradley
From: American Go Journal, Jan. 1974
Play first in the corner, then the sides, and the center last.
Especially during the Fuseki (opening), strigve to maintain a balance
between territorial and “influence” plays. In general, remember that
“the second line is the line of defeat”, “the third line is the line
of territory”, and “the fourth line is the line of influence.”
a move which the opponent must answer or suffer a large loss is said
to have Sente (the initiative). In general, the player who retains
Sente for the largest portion of the game should win. The converse of
Sente if Gote, which is a play that the opponent can safely ignore
without loss.
One of the best ways to learn to recognize when a play has Sente is
to carefully note White’s attacking plays in games in which you take
a large handicap.
A second, and eqully important way, is to note White’s responses to
your own plays. If he is forced to parry your thrust, you had Sente.
If he ignores you and plays ekse-where, you made a Gote play. In this
case, stop and review the situation which existed before your last
play to see where you could better have played. If you don’t see it,
ask White. You’ll learn more this way than if you merely blunder on.
Try to maintain connection between your stones, and be alert to threats
to separate them into isolated groups.
Avoid making compact groups of stones, for these have little influence,
fighting power, or eye-making ability. (Such compact groups are said to
have Omoi Katachi, or heavy, clumsy shape.) Strive for Sabaki Katachi
(light, resilient, or skillful shape).
Don’t be greedy. Your opponent will always gain something from every
confrontation, unless he is making an unsound deep invasion into your
strongly held territory. Be prepared to “give a little, take a lot.”
Don’t play directly against your opponent’s stones unless you want to
strengthen him. The exception is when you are trying to live inside
his territory.
Attack your opponent’s stones by playing on the vital points needed for
his eyes, by threatening to play there, or by threatening to cut him
into separate groups.
When you pressure and chase an opposing group, be prepared to let him
escape, so long as you take territory or strengthen your own weak stones
in the process. Many beginner’s games are lost through unsound all-out
attempts to catch the opponen’ts stones.
The “influence” of strong walls of stones which close in opposing groups
will often gain more territory than direct territorial plays. Given the
choice between a passive territorial play and a sound attack upon an
opposing group – attack. If properly done, it will procude more terr-
itory in the end.
Groups of stones which have two eyes (or sufficient space to form them)
are strong, and should be used as bases to build out into the center and
launch attacks against enemy stones. Such strong groups are also well
used if you can drive enemy stones into their sphere of influence, where
these enemy stones will be hard-pressed to live.
In an even fight between groups, recognize that your opponent’s stones
are usually no stronger than yours. He, too, needs eyes and must avoid
being cut off. Fight back by running into the open, and by striking at
his vital points.
In games in which you take a large handicap, the White stones are always
very weak at first. Take advantage of this by playing to Keep Them
Separated_. This means playing more for extension into the center than
for immediate territorial gain.
In large handicap games, try to avoid “hand-to-hand fighting” with White,
for his superior tactical ability will almost always prevail. Make sound
moves which force him to come to you.
Don’t be afraid to give up a few stones to consolidate your position, if
necessary. A judicious sacrifice will often accomplish what no direct
action could.
Before Every Move that you make, be sure to answer the following questions:
What immediate or long-range threats did my opponent’s last move
make? (If you are taking a handicap, be certain that there is a
threat, even if you don’t see it.)
Must I respond directly, or can I make a stronger threat of my
own? (I.e., did his play have Sente?)
Are any of my groups in danger? Or any of his?
What is the approximate game score so far? (If you are ahead,
play conservatively. If behind, gamble.)
Don’t be afraid to experiment and play boldly. You will learn faster and
win more in this manner than be being excessively timid. At the same time,
if you are taking a large handicap, respect White’s strength, and play in
a manner appropriate to you handicap.
The handicap stones are placed on the most vital points of Influence in
their respective areas.
Remember, even a one-point win is still a win.