Anyone here play Go?

[Anbukakashi14]

i play Go all the time on my laptop. But only on easy can I win. But I think part of the reason I lose is the computer is bad at math.
My prefered strategy is to capture a small area eminating from the bottom left, then work from there, how do you try to win?

[SHADENINJA]

^ We don't really discuss Go against computers much here. Computers, historicly, aren't very good at Go

Would you like to try Go against someone else? I could recommend Go servers and tutorials that you can access on your lap top if you want

[MuKen]

Hey Shade, sorry I wasn't on last night I ended up getting back from my vacation later than expected.

I'll probably check in on kgs some time tonight though.

Is anyone else interested in starting up some narutomania go get-to-gethers as well?

Originally Posted by Anbukakashi14

My prefered strategy is to capture a small area eminating from the bottom left, then work from there, how do you try to win?

I'd have to see a game to really say, but it sounds to me like you are playing too small in the beginning. If you spend too much time securing a corner while your opponent lays claims to the other three, you will be far behind in territory. Like Shade said, why not join us for a game?

[SHADENINJA]

Anbu it sounds like Muken is right. attacking a single area in the lower left and trying to spread out isn't a good way to play. You have to think strategicly and well in advance. Your opponent will simply build large strong framework on every other part of the board, and no matter what you do it's very difficult to build teritory from a small living group in the corner because often groups like this just get shut in and then they just have very small life orth about 2-16 points, while your opponent could, with the same number of moves, build a huge frame thats difficult to evade or hinder worth around 50-200 points and along witht hat, probably built up great infuence.

Remember, each move you make has to be as effective as possible. Don't think about winning the game, just think about playing the most important, effective, and elegant move.

MuKen lets set a date and try to get a NM tourney roster. Then we can ask Kakashi to give the sinner a medal lol. I think MD plays Go and he was pretty strong if what he says is true. LT and kai play I think, but neither of them is much stronger than us.

[MuKen]

Originally Posted by SHADENINJA

MuKen lets set a date and try to get a NM tourney roster. Then we can ask Kakashi to give the sinner a medal lol. I think MD plays Go and he was pretty strong if what he says is true. LT and kai play I think, but neither of them is much stronger than us.

That sounds like a great idea. Although I don't think we can find a single date that everyone can play on. What we should do is get a roster and make tournament brackets. Then when it is two people's turn to play they can arrange it between them and announce the time so people can come to watch if they want.

Do you think there are enough go players here for a tournament?

[kai0x]

What kai are you guys referring to? I've never played before, heard of it though. But if there is going to be any form of tourny I would like to learn asap =). Any beginning sites or tutorials you guys can give me?

[MuKen]

Always happy to see someone new taking up the game =D

I learned the basics from here

The Interactive Way To Go

Then downloaded and played "igowin" for awhile just to get a feel for the game. But don't play it too much, you should hop online somewhere and start playing real people as soon as possible. Don't worry about losing at first, you're supposed to lose a whole lot in the beginning.

[kai0x]

Thats a pretty cool site. I went through a lot of the beginning, but it was late and I started feeling brain dead. I get the basics but it looks like a lot to know, all these different types of moves and stuff. I love it =o. I can see myself losing a lot though, but I really want to learn it

[MuKen]

Welcome to the world of Go. I felt pretty much the same way a year ago, and have been getting in deeper ever since

Btw, join up with the Go Players group

Naruto & Bleach Mania Forums - Go Players

[SHADENINJA]

I thought Kai already knew lol

WRONG

Anyway, in all honesty I don't think enough people on this site know how to play go for a worthwhile tournament, but its worth a shot. I suggest we make a special post detailing the tournament and then advertise it via linking to that pos in our sigs

that way more people will see it

[evilshenzero]

Originally Posted by SHADENINJA

^ We don't really discuss Go against computers much here. Computers, historicly, aren't very good at Go

I heard there is a new-fangled Korean program that is supposed to be pretty good. At least a large improvement over the old Go AI systems.

[SHADENINJA]

As far as know (and I'm no expert), a computer has never successfully beaten a professional Go Player

[{Pebbles}]

lol I'm terrible.

I've been trying to play for weeks, and still no improvement D=

[SHADENINJA]

most people lose every game for a few months before they show any improvment
Don't lose hope lol
If anyone gets the chance, go to KGS and check out my game against "chinago" (8k)
other than move 6 (On which I should have played they pincer since he played the wrong side)
the game was great. I'm super proud of it

[MuKen]

That was a good game on your part, but I think chinago made a lot of mistakes. His approaches to you in the fuseki were getting you a lot more than they were getting him. He was for example very fond of the diagonal attachment to your low approach, but that is only a play you should make if you already have a stone on the other side. He is only granting you a strong base with very little compensation for himself.

And then he approaches your lower left stone in a way that allows you to build territory, but his influence gained is largely negated by the base he already gave you on the bottom.

By the end of the opening I wouldn't think it would be that wrong for him to resign right there, lol.

Been playing more with the great wall lately, I think my skill with this opening has been improving, although a lot of my success is just because my opponents unfamiliarity with it outweighs my own. Another game against a fairly good opponent here

http://www.dragongoserver.net/sgf.php?gid=427684

With the komi, I'm up by a good bit, but if you take out the handicap it is a very narrow win.

I think his largest mistake is trying to respond to my great wall by choosing plays that build influence for himself. His influence will never outweigh the wall, he should instead play territorially and consolidate from the corners.

[SHADENINJA]

I think I had a Go epiphany today. I played so well. I crushed everybody.

Anyway, good news

My local Go club is finally being school funded. We get new boards, new stones, traveling expenses paid for tournaments, and free meeting rooms. It's gonna be sweet, and there's a 3dan, a 2dan, and three 1dan who attend and run the club.

I cannot wait for the teaching games

[Anbukakashi14]

Originally Posted by SHADENINJA

^ We don't really discuss Go against computers much here. Computers, historicly, aren't very good at Go

Would you like to try Go against someone else? I could recommend Go servers and tutorials that you can access on your lap top if you want

sure that would be great. Strange though, I would've thought a computer could be programmed to be good at any board game.

[MuKen]

Computers can get good at any game with a simple gametree, but Go has so many possible moves at every turn that computers simply can't keep up.

It has in fact been proven that computing the best move for an arbitrary position of a board of arbitrary size is an NP-complete problem.