「秀策のコスミ」＝ Shusaku's kosumi

Sorry that I haven't written anything these days.

I've been extremely busy... and I'm very tired today...


Last time I said "I have found many of my Go students
who incorrectly use a Go proverb at an incorrect situation."


When I asked them why they did it; they answer
"Well, that's what the Go proverb says!"


One such example is "Shusaku's kosumi".

(which is not a Go proverb, but the shape
is so well-known that I thought it would
be a good example)
http://kazgo.seesaa.net/article/77873995.html
in Dia. 2.

Some of my iGo students did play that in my teaching
game.

I asked them why they played it.

They confidently claimed "I did play a
Shusaku's kosumi."

"Kosumi means a diagnol shape in English."

But as you can see, the difference between
W2 in Dia. 1 and in Dia. 2 are significant.

In my eye they are completely different.


In my mind that kind of misunderstanding is
more like weak kyu players' mistake.

But those Japanese Go players never studied
Go, so I shouldn't be surprised by their
mistake.


Also I've found that some adults, especially the
elderly don't watch where the opponent plays.

They only think about their next move.

So that might be another reason that
they play a fake Shusaku's kosumi.


Many of the elderly go players have a hard time
improving their Go, Igo, Wei Chi, Baduk.



BTW, there was one exception...

There was one amazing old person whom I taught years ago.

After I played a few teaching games with me,
he kept winning so many games.

I was surprised to hear that, too.


Later he wrote down how he kept winning and
handed it to me.

So next time I'm going to translate and
write on this blog about how he improved...

Some adults in Japan learn Go proverbs whereas kids absorb shapes: Part I.

First I'd like to point out that I am very sorry
if I offended some of you because of my last article:

http://kazsensei.seesaa.net/article/107245023.html

One person did write that she was upset about my article.

I didn't intend to offend anybody. I already explained
my intentions and apologies in the comments.　m(_ _)m

From now on I'll try to be more careful about
what I write.


Now today's topic.

Kids obsorb all kinds tesujis and good shapes very
easily.

If kids learn about Go proverbs, they absorb
them as well.

But it's not uncommon to find some strong teenage players
and sometimes even pros who don't know some of the
Go proverbs.

For them learning Go proverbs is not needed. They need to
learn best moves as much as possible.

So they don't have to pay attention to Go proverbs at all.


In my years of experience in teaching iGo, I've found
that some adults in Japan learn Go proverbs
before they learn the shape of a particular tesuji explained
by Go proverbs.


This happens in Japan especially to those adult
Go players who have hardly studied the foundations
of Go before.

I think I've mentioned that in Japan many adult Go
players never study basics, but just keep playing
without learning any basics for years and years.

All they are interested is defeating their
rivals and killing all the opponents' stones.

That's their enjoyment, and nothing can stop them
from pursuing their excitement.


But one day some of them decide to study the
foundations of Go.

But their own styles filled with common amateur
mistakes are very hard to get rid of, since
they've been playing them for many years...

It's like common amateur mistakes have become
their second nature.


So they seem to have a very hard time
altering their ordinary way of playing
common amateur mistakes to the basic ways.

But learning Go proverbs is much easier form them
than learning tesujis and shapes.


In fact they use Go proverbs often in Japanese local Go clubs.


They couldn't care less about whether they
understand the meaning of the Go proverbs.


But I have found many of them who incorrectly
use a go proverb at an incorrect situation.

To be continued...

One big difference between the way kids learn iGo and the way adults learn it. Part III

One line of a stone makes a big difference.

If there is/are a stone(s) in the surroundings, I answer
very differently.

And if somebody asks me a joseki question on a
3-4 point in a corner and a star point, my
answers to these two differ completely, right?

If there is/are a stone(s) in the surroundings, that
will also make my answers very different, right?

If you are in that kind of unusual situation, then
you may very well not follow an ordinary joseki,
but alter it in order t adjust to that particular
situation because of some additional stones
in the surroundings.

(For kyu players and even for some dan players, this
is very hard to do.)

(I know it's better to show you a particular joseki example...
Please forgive me...
Someday I'll do it on my website at http://www.kazsensei.com/
or on KGS plus, I'll show you an example...)


So If somebody asks me a question like:
"Hey, Kaz, tell me how a joseki develops in a corner."

or

"Hey, Kaz, tell me how a joseki appears in a corner."


I have to answer:

"Which joseki are you talking about? Is that a 3-4 point
joseki or a star point joseki?

Could you give a concrete example? I also have to see the
surroundings because my answer changes if there are some
stones around it."


But the question about the corner josekis above is
perhaps 5 times more concrete questions than the ones below:


Some people ask me aji, the potential, works such and such,
and "Do you agree?"

Some people tell me that they always play the opening
badly, and they want to improve it.

Some people ask me to teach them how they should
erase a moyo.


So you've got to show me a concrete situation of your iGo game.

Instead of showing me a particular situation, if somebody keeps
asking me like that "Tell me how a joseki
works in a corner", how do you feel?


When people keep asking me that kind of question, I feel like
they are asking me a philosophical question.

Unfortunately, I'm not a Go philosophy.

Nor am I a mind-reader to understand what they think in their heads.


Nor am I Matt Parkman, who can hear people's thoughts;
Matt is a detective in the New York Police Department
in NBC's popular sci-fi drama Heroes in the U.S.

One big difference between the way kids learn iGo and the way adults learn it. Part II

Every time they ask me such questions, I always
respond like:

"Would you please show me a concrete example?"

They never do.

Instead they always try to explain an iGo situation further
only in words.

This happens in Japan and in America.


It's always impossible to understand what they are
trying to convey.

The best I can ask is that "Would you please show me a
concrete example?"

But they don't. Instead they still try to explain it
to me verbally.


You can not explain anything verbally with
regards to a situation in the game of iGo.

You've got to show an example

(If you're at least my level, then you could describe it
verbally.)


Every situation is different; thus, every answer
is different.

I'll give you an example:


There's always a great difference between
a joseki on a 3-4 point in a corner and
a joseki on a star point.

For those who never play iGo or weak kyu players, the only difference between them is just one line.

BUT, one line makes a tremendous difference to us!

Many weak kyu players often don't see the
significance of a difference of one line.

But the stronger you get, the more easily you realize
the one line makes a huge difference.

It's like...


America and Canada are completely different, right?

But suppose there are some Asians who never learned about
the U.S. and Canada in school, and suppose they have
never looked at a map on the North American Continent, and
suppose they are never interested in outside their countries,
the differences between the States and Canada are probably
minor if at all.

The people in both countries speak English, and they look
the same to those Asians.

So for them, America and Canada are the same except just
one line different geographically.

BUT for the people in the US and Canada, these countries
are completely different!

So one line difference is huge!

(I don't know if it was a good analogy or not.)


That is why you've got to show a concrete example.

One line of a stone makes a big difference, but not only that.

If there is/are a stone(s) in the surroundings, that
will also make my answers very different.

To be continued...

One big difference between the way kids learn iGo and the way adults learn it.

I haven't finished writing some articles on the
U.S. Go Congress in 2008 and other articles on this blog.

But I've realized more important things to write
because this will help some adults understand why
some of them have a hard time improving iGo.


Have you ever thought about the differences between
the way kids learn iGo and the way adult learn it?


Many people know that kids' brain observe things
so quickly, and they can remember them for a long
time.

Unfortunately adults don't have those abilities,
at least not as good as that of children.

Yes, it sure is a big difference between them.

But not only that.


For a long time I've been teaching iGo, and
I've realized two things which make adults
really hard to improve Go, Igo, Wei Chi, Baduk.


Even on KGS some adults have already asked me particular
questions...

That is...


The first one is...

Many adults have a tendency to ask me abstract questions
without showing me a concrete example.


I assert that this makes some adults hard to improve iGo.

On the other hand, kids ask me questions simply by showing
me an example.

Kids just repeat the game and ask me "What should I do?"

So I can answer that with detailed explanations.

(If you as an adult have a hard time repeating
the game, please play on KGS. So you can
repeat it easily.)


But a surprisingly large number of adults ask me
abstract questions without ever showing me
a situation on the Go board.

What kind of abstract questions am I talking
about here?


Here are some examples:


Some people ask me aji, the potentinal, works such and such,
and "Do you agree?"

Some people tell me that they always play the opening
badly, and they want to improve it.

Some people ask me to teach them how they should
erase a moyo.


Every time they ask me such questions, I always
respond like:

To be continued...