ChiyoDad Learns Go

Sneak Peek: GoBox Invincible

2008-02-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

Whoa!

Just as the weekend started, Pong Yen at Yellow Mountain Imports (YMI) shared with me photos of their latest Go accessory, GoBox Invincible.

Handle extended.

Some of you might recall that I got a preview and later acquired the original GoBox. It was rather functional but one of the oft-heard criticisms of the original design was that it was unlikely to survive the brutal abuse of airport baggage handling. YMI took those into account with the development of GoBox Invincible.

Bottom view

There was some talk by collectors of using the GoBox to ferry valuable gear from Japan. This new version looks very much suitable for that job.

Deeper design and ...

... looking down. Is that a floor goban inside?

GoBox Invincible will fit a floor goban that is 7cm thick (13cm with legs). As you can see from these photos, it will also fit extra-tall bowls (I recognize those as the rosewood Super-Yunzi bowls), a timer and books.

This is a quantum-leap improvement over the old GoBox and I'm sure that it will appeal to a specific group of players and collectors who greatly prize their equipment. It is expected to retail for $255.

The case is manufactured in the USA by Storm Hardigg and is model iM2875. Storm Hardigg makes some of the best industrial-use cases on the planet. I suspect that no one is going to question their credentials or the robustness of their cases.

Update from Yellow Mountain Imports

2008-01-10T11:25:00.001-08:00

The super-Yunzi tested negative for lead.

This morning, I received the update below from YMI on their own tests for surface-accessible lead content in their Yunzi. I really admire their efforts to look after their customers and keep the communication lines open.

The following stones have been tested and do have lead:
Double Convex, New Yunzi, size 32 9.2mm
Old Yunzi, all sizes

The following stones have tested negative to lead content:
Single Convex, New Yunzi, all sizes
Double Convex, New Yunzi, size 38 and 42, 10.7mm and 11.9mm

In addition our marble stones, ceramic stones, melamine stones, and anti-bacterial stones are negative for lead. I will have results for the Jade Luster Yunzi tomorrow.

Thanks for bearing with us! We trying our best to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of all our fellow Go players.

The Go community collaborates on analyzing the Yunzi lead risk

2008-01-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

Some specialists have begun providing their feedback on the Yunzi lead content issue on GoDiscussions.com.

You may want to examine the discussion by clicking here.

As of today, the consensus seems to suggest that the risks may be insubstantial.

Lead check for Yunzi stones

2008-01-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

A Lead Check kit from Home Depot for about $6.

I was recently alerted by a reader about the surface-accessible lead content (chemical symbol = Pb) of his Yunzi stones that he had purchased in October of 2007 from Yellow Mountain Imports. All the hullabaloo about lead in children's toys from China piqued his curiousity so he initially tested his stones with a kit similar to the one pictured above. The test came out positive.

The old recipe for Yunzi included lead oxide which helped reduce the brittleness of the white stones but current formulas are no longer supposed to use this.

My reader had access to x-ray fluorescence testing to confirm the kit results. The white stones contain almost 200 times the amount of lead allowed by US law in paint, and the black stones about 5 times.

My Own Test

I picked-up a Lead Check kit from the local Home Depot to do my own test. As some of you might recall, I had purchased my set in late 2005.

Sadly, the results were positive and showed that my stones did have surface-accessible lead.

Here's a close-up of the test-swab which turned pinkish-red after being rubbed on a white Yunzi stone for less than thirty seconds.

Educating yourself on the risks of lead

The risks from dermal contact (through the skin) are low. Children under the age of six are the most vulnerable to lead exposure because their bodies and nervous systems are still developing rapidly and because they are most likely to place objects in their mouths (thus maximizing exposure).

To better understand the risks and concerns of lead, please see the following links:

Heavy Metal: How dangerous is lead (Slate Magazine, Eliza McCarthy)
Guidance for Lead in Consumer Products (US Consumer Product Safety Commission)

YMI responds to take care of its customers

The reader and I had corresponded with YMI regarding these findings. YMI was caught off-guard as they had received assurances from the Yunnan Weiqi Company (YWC) that their shipments of Yunzi were lead-free. The images below are from documentation provided in 2006 certifying that the stones had no lead content.

Certification from the Yunnan Weiqi Factory showing zero lead content.

Test results from the Yunnan Weiqi Factory

YMI conducted its own tests and found surface-accessible lead on samples of their Yunzi.

YMI brought this matter up with the Yunnan Weiqi Company. The YWC received two new official lab results of the most recently produced Yunzi, confirming 0.19% lead in the white stones and 0% in the black. They were rather baffled because they had taken lead out of the formulation in early 2006. The lead had occurred somewhere in their supply chain and they eventually narrowed it down to their zinc supplier. The zinc supplied for use in the Yunzi contained lead. The YWC will be switching zinc suppliers and will also try making Yunzi without zinc.

In the meantime, YMI is working to put together an exchange program for their customers who have concerns about surface-accessible lead. Obviously, because the YWC is still sorting-out its sourcing, it may take as long as a month before YMI has lead-free Yunzi available. Pong Yen at YMI has advised that if anybody is immediately concerned and does not want to wait until then, they can send in their set of Yunzi stones (without their bowls) and YMI will send them a set of marble stones as a replacement.

A complete set of stones and shipping address should be sent to:

Yellow Mountain Imports
Yunzi for Marble Exchange
227 S. Raymond Ave.
Alhambra, CA 91801

You can also contact them via their website.

ADDENDUM (Jan 3, 2008):
Yunzi stones from the Yunnan Weiqi Company are sold all around the world by many vendors. If you did not acquire your stones from Yellow Mountain Imports and have concerns about the stones' lead content, please contact the vendor who sold you your set. Regretfully, other vendors may have their own policies with regards to safety-issue exchanges.

A discussion on this matter is also active on GoDiscussions.com. Click here to go directly to that topic.

Kyu Review: YMI's "Jade Luster" Go Stones

2007-07-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

Click on image to enlarge.

"Jade Yunzi!" exclaimed my friend when I popped-open the reed basket. "Those must be expensive!"

As I explained to him, these Yunzi are not made of jade but they do appear as such, complete with subtle patterns. The "Jade Luster" Yunzi are among the latest additions to Yellow Mountain Imports's Go product offerings.

The light stones have slight variegations that resemble jade. Click to enlarge.

Contrary to my friend's first impressions, these stones are not expensive. They sell for US$45 which is just $13 more than their regular single-convex Yunzi.

Middle Kingdom Theme

We all choose our Go equipment to suit our tastes. Back in 2005, when frankiii and I were exchanging notes about gear, he expressed a strong preference for single-convex Yunzi for a couple of reasons:

Flipping the stones over made it easier to study variations.
Single convex Yunzi reminded him of China, where Go originated.

The game is Shusaku (B) versus Shuwa (W). Black has a 2-stone handicap. Click on image to enlarge.

If you want a set with a more Chinese theme, then single-convex Yunzi would be your first choice. However, the "Jade Luster" Yunzi really drive that theme home because few things shout "Middle Kingdom" the way jade does.

I wasn't sure if the light green shade of these stones would look alright on my board but, as you can see from the photographs, they work just fine. The flash and my digital camera tended to wash-out the lighter-colored stones so I took another photo outdoors.

Looking a little greener but still a somewhat washed-out. This is the set photographed outdoors. Click to enlarge.

The photo above better captures what the stones look like in natural light. Indoors, the stones have a deeper jade color which is pleasing and easy on the eyes.

I think the looks of these stones would be enhanced when played on a slightly darker surface like YMI's bamboo boards. YMI also had a laminated dark-cherry board at one time but it looks like they're currently out of stock.

Another Option: Old Yunzi

Today's Yunzi with whiter stones.

Old Yunzi with a yellow tint to the white stones.

Afficionados of course know that the original Yunzi had a slight yellowish tint to the white stones. These are now called "Old Yunzi" and YMI sells sets of these also for US$45. If you'd like to theme your set along traditional lines, these are an option to consider.

Now, ... where was I?

2007-07-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to the the 6th of August as I'll be declaring my Go sabbatical to be officially over. I don't think the time-away has improved my game, but I think it has given me an opportunity to re-evaluate how I want to spend my time improving at it.

Coming-Up: A review of YMI's "Jade Luster" Yunzis

The stones were yet unwashed, but my immediate reaction upon opening the shipping box was, "These are too nice for reed bowls!"

I'm talking about Yellow Mountain Imports's new Jade Luster Yunzi stones (US$45). I received a set about ten days ago but was in the midst of certification exams and was too tight on study-time to write a review into my blog. I'm hoping to finish it before the end of this week.

"Spoiler" for The Last Potter Book

2007-07-19T20:33:00.001-07:00

I'm in the midst of a certification exam right now but I know that some of you are Harry Potter fans and I just wanted to do a quick off-topic post on the last book.

For those of you who shop at Borders, you'll probably get the joke of the image below. If you want the image to print on a T-shirt (to wear on the night of the book release), you can find it here.

Photos from the Philippine Go Association

2007-07-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

I very much enjoy seeing how Go is enjoyed in different parts of the world. Pong at Yellow Mountain Imports recently shared with me these photos from the Philippine Go Association in Makati, Metro Manila.

I noticed the Hangul (Korean) in the sign which suggests that the club is probably partly-supported by members of the local Korean community. (Expatriates, perhaps?)

These photos were take by Alvin who works with Pong in YMI. That's him in deep thought.

Here's his board position. It still looks reasonably balanced in the chubansen.

Alvin's opponent is also in deep thought. Behind them, we see ...

... a game in its counting stage.

There's a good deal of activity at this club.

And another match goes into the middle-game.

I just noticed that the ladies are almost equally-represented at this club. That looks like a clock on that table.

These two seem to be building the pinwheel fight-pattern after someone played on tengen.

My thanks to Alvin and Pong for sharing these photos with us! It was great to have a virtual club visit and see how Go is being enjoyed in the Philippines. I hope the club members get to see their photos, leave some messages, and join the online community at GoDiscussions.com.

I also discovered that they have a video on YouTube and have embedded it for your enjoyment.

Summer reading: YMI gets its Chinese books in

2007-07-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Pong had informed me months ago that they would soon be importing some Chinese Weiqi books and I'm happy to report that they've arrived. I would recommend that you drop by Yellow Mountain Import's Go book section.

I imagine that collectors will want a copy of the complete games of Honinbo Shusaku (pictured above, US$45).

The more practical choice, in my humble opinion, would be the collection of Lee Chang Ho's life-and-death problems (US$45).

Keep in mind that these books are written in Chinese but, as is the case with kifu and tsumego, they are usually not difficult to understand even if you can't read the language.

Reminders of how uninviting online Go can be for newcomers

2007-06-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was 8:30pm one night and I was awaiting a critical report from our company's subsidiary in Japan. It might come within 15 minutes. It might come in two hours. I thought I could instead be playing a game of Go, but the likelihood of a sudden interruption gave me pause.

"Why not play a game of Go with your 'anonymous' KGS account?", I thought.

As I discovered, my anonymous account had floated to "5k?"; its rank destabilized from months of idleness. So I put up a game with a remark that I was actually 7k and that I would gladly adjust the handicaps as needed.

Games 1 & 2: A Hostile and An Escaper
As expected, hardly anyone wanted to play with me since I didn't have an established rank.

The first challenge came from a KGS guest (no rank and no games) after almost 20 minutes of waiting. My opponent proceeded to criticize my moves and taunt me with remarks that were occasionally laced with expletives. It was clear that he was notably stronger than me. I didn't care for his demeanor so I resigned early in the game.

"Had enough, eh?", he remarked just before I exited.

The second challenge came from a player with a similarly unstable rank. The game did not go very well for this opponent and it quickly degenerated into a losing blitz. The opponent escaped.

The good ol' days weren't always that good
As you advance in rank and become better-known to the online Go community, encounters with discourteous players become less frequent; but they still occur. On GoDiscussions.com, it's not uncommon to read the laments of new players about rude opponents.

These two games brought back memories of less-pleasant matches of online Go. In my early months, I had my share and blogged about a few; and these were the tip of the iceberg. As time passes, you learn to regard these encounters as anomalies and move past them quickly. I imagine however that they can discourage one from further play. Beginners and those without an established rank generally have it worst.

I wasn't discouraged in my early months because I had a strong desire to advance which was aided by the passion of imagined rivalries and the encouragement of many volunteer mentors and friends. After having been on this journey for two years, I can't help but wonder how many others might have chosen to not continue playing (or to play less) because of encounters with rude players.

Sometimes, real life isn't any better

Coincidentally, chid0ri captured a similar perspective in the 21st cartoon of EmptyTriangle. The difference was that it was from a woman's perspective and based on an in-person incident.

... perhaps it is not the reason why such a few girls are playing go (it could be the consequence; who knows), but it certainly might be the reason why a girl would quit playing - or, at least, stop attending tournaments
- chid0ri

Social ineptitude can be found anywhere.

Games 3 & 4: The faith restored
My data arrived from Japan shortly after the second game. I was actually relieved to have to get back to work.

Still, I was intrigued by what had happened. It's not everyday that I get to be a pseudo-noob on KGS. I thought I should carry on after my work was done and turn my evening into a social experiment.

My third challenger was a solid 6k. I got the impression that this person was in his early teens. He was refreshingly polite and cordial. He lost the game because of a couple of errors and we did a short review. We probably thanked each other for the game at least three times before we said our final goodbyes.

My fourth challenger was an active member from GoDiscussions.com and also a solid 6k. True to his form, he played a thoughtful and polite game that went into byo-yomi. I was surprised to have won by a small margin. There was no end-game review or long goodbyes, but there was his usual and fully-typed "Thank you for the game".

And so, the night ended with four games with rude players claiming 50% .

Maybe I'll try this experiment again on another evening.

Consumer Choices: What I learned today about CapitalOne Visa

2007-05-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

Based on what I know to date, the credit cards issued by CapitalOne are among the few left that do not charge fees for foreign currency transactions. That's something worth considering among Go players since most of our high-end goods (like Mr. Kuroki's wares) are likely to be purchased from Japan. Foreign currency fees are typically assessed at 3% of your transaction amount.

I got a chance to deal with CapitalOne's customer service and their transaction-dispute departments yesterday and today. I was having trouble getting a timely refund for a guitar that I had returned to an eBay merchant. My experience shed some light on CapitalOne's operations and how they're able to reduce their costs (thereby reducing the fees charged to the customer).

Outsourced Call Center
Both of the service reps, Richard and Steve, had heavy Indian accents and the lines had a slight level of static. Both reps spoke clearly but in slow and halting English. These would seem to suggest that the main call center is located in India. I spoke to both during the mid-morning, Pacific Coast time.

The line to the transaction-dispute department was clear and the representative, Dee, had an East Coast accent which suggested that this department was located in the US. I expected that any "escalations" would still be handled locally.

30 Days
I was told that CapitalOne does not open a dispute until 30 days after the transaction has closed or 30 days after the date that the merchant claims to have issued a refund; whichever is later. Until the dispute is resolved, the transaction stays on the card owner's account and he/she is still obligated to pay it. Otherwise, normal credit card interest will be applied on any unpaid balance.

Comparison to CitiCard
To the best of my knowledge, Citbank's call centers are all still located nationally and I haven't yet seen any indication of an overseas operation when calling late in the evening.

With regards to contested transactions, Citibank assumes that the customer is right and immediately issues a credit for the disputed amount so that the card owner is not obligated to pay for it. If there is a difference between the claimed amount and the settled amount, the balance is debited/credited to the account on the date of settlement. The final settlement usually takes about two months to complete.

Overall, this was a good learning experience and it will help me decide when to use my CapitalOne credit card. It's best suited for transactions with trusted merchants (Amazon.com, UPS, your grocery store) and, obviously, with trusted merchants dealing in foreign currency (like Mr. Kuroki).

For yet-untested merchants, it's probably best to handle the transaction with a more service-oriented credit card issuer like Citibank. I've been their cardholder since my first year of college and they haven't yet disappointed me. I still remember the time that they upped my credit limit so that I could buy a gift for ChiyoMama when we were in Hawaii.

chid0ri's hilarious take on KGS

2007-05-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been frequenting GoDiscussions.com, then you might not have already heard of chid0ri's Go-related art blog, The Empty Triangle. Trust me, it's worth your time to visit her site and browse through her (to-date) seventeen works. You can find the navigation buttons below the main image.

You probably should bookmark it because she updates it in a rather regular fashion. If you prefer, an RSS feed is available on the home page. Don't forget to sign her guestbook.

Her latest work depicts KGS. Solomon Choe started a topic thread to discuss the many amusing references in her collage.

The old neighborhood

2007-05-20T21:45:00.001-07:00

I recently revisited rec.games.go using Google Groups. Not having the benefits of a usenet killfile application, I was quickly reminded of what inspired Don to create GoDiscussions.com.

Usenet groups certainly have their advantages. Posts are automatically replicated and archived on several servers. Usenet posts are, in an internet sense, "immortal". They are also searchable, although it may take a little skill to find the specific posts that one is looking for.

In my first months of playing Go (mid-2005), I frequented RGG and sometimes received good advice and occasional encouragement. I seldom go there now as GoDiscussions.com has created a more welcoming atmosphere for discourse, general communications and socialization.

At some point, Google will probably build a killfile tool into its Groups interface and that may give RGG a bit of a facelift for those of us who have grown accustomed to using only browsers to read Usenet posts. Of course, it would only serve its purpose for as long as visitors to the group don't feed the trolls.

Sabbatical. Concerned and unconcerned.

Two steps forward and one step back is still progress.
- Zen saying

I'm still on a Go sabbatical. For a while yesterday, I was briefly disturbed by the thought that I might return a weaker player than when I left. Then I remembered a few Zen teachings about how much more important it was to be focused on the here-and-now and how impatience was a not a virtue.

The thought went away.

Sabbatical ... seriously

2007-05-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't played a single game in fourteen days. For me, that's a rather long time.

Part of it was due to increased activities at the office but there was something else; something worth noting.

My desire to improve in skill and in KGS rank was making Go feel more like work rather than a leisurely challenge. It was taking a bit of the fun out of the game and probably wouldn't be helpful if I allowed it to continue. Quite naturally, I gradually stepped away and indulged in other pursuits.

I imagine that some other amateur players may have experienced a point of overload at one time or another. I'm thinking of allowing this sabbatical to continue for a couple more weeks.

Who knows? It might actually be good for my game.

Confirmed summer book offerings from YMI

2007-04-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Pong at Yellow Mountain Imports sent me an email confirming the summer availability of at least these five titles/collections.

Shusaku's Kifu Collection
Igo Hatsuyoron (life and death book)
Guanzi Pu (problems book first published in1689)
Xuanxuan Qijing (problems book published in 1347)
Lee Chang Ho's Life and Death Set

His email seemed to suggested that other books may be added to this list.

For those who can't wait until summer, goplayer2006 sometimes offers these books on eBay. Take note of the shipping charges as his books ship from China.

In Other News: SUPs know that the ukulele is not a toy
SUP is an acronym for Serious Ukulele Player(s); but I'm still a beginner and a chording strummer with this fun instrument.

If you'd like to see what it's capable of in the right hands, watch the video below (may not appear through the RSS feed of PlanetGo.org) of Tyler Gilman (left side) performing at Ukulele Puapua in the Pacific Beach Hotel of Hawaii.

These days, a lot of ukuleles are manufactured in China but the quality has been going up well beyond the typical tourist-trash models that one usually finds.

For example, Hamano ukuleles, made of solid mahogany and not laminates, have distinguished themselves as quality copies of the early top-caliber Martin ukuleles. Not surprisingly, they command prices of $250 to $300 (which is considered to be inexpensive for a solid mahogany ukulele).

Yunzi manufacturing and books from Yellow Mountain Imports

2007-04-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Long-time (well, in terms of internet-time) readers of my blog had seen seen the collage of photos, courtesy of Pong Yen, from the Yunnan Go Factory where boards are made. I think that's the second-most popular post of this blog in terms of independent hits. We all love taking a peek into the kitchen.

Some of you have also seen the manufacturing video from the Yun-zi Company. The video is old and you don't see the actual process until somewhere in the middle.

Pong Yen at Yellow Mountain Imports recently visited the same manufacturing facility and took these close-up shots. It's interesting to see how the Yunzis are closely consistent in size and how they turn white as they cool.

News of upcoming books at YMI
Start saving-up you cash for after-school reading.

Pong mentioned to me that they will have a whole new set of Go books available at Yellow Mountain Imports beginning in the summer. Last year, they started their book offerings with the complete game collection of Go Seigen (aka Wu Xingyuan) which was a big sales hit.

He didn't mention what the titles would be, but we had corresponded about the books that were mentioned in the July archive of becci's blog, Studying Weiqi in China. Although these are all written in Chinese, they are supposedly accessible even for those who don't read the language.

Image courtesy of Studying Weiqi in China

SOM Regret

2007-04-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have no doubt that I'm improving at Go because I more often find myself experiencing SOM Regret almost immediately after setting a stone down on the grid.

That's SOM as in Sub-Optimal Move.

It's an observable difference after one advances from a totally-clueless player to a just-plain-clueless one. When you're totally-clueless player, you hardly have an idea as to whether the move you just played is truly sub-optimal until about four to eight moves later when your position is completely laid waste. In contrast, when you become a just-plain-clueless player, you realize your folly much sooner and spend the next moments praying that your opponent doesn't see the opportunity that you just handed to him/her.

The proverb goes, "You are two stones stronger when you are watching a game."

In my humble opinion, the proverb could be rewritten as, "You are two stones stronger shortly after playing a move; then you drop down to your usual strength, or less, just before you play the next one."

Results of the 2007 Winter Poll

So, the question for the 2007 Winter Poll was aimed primarily at those of us who haven't yet reached that touchstone rank of shodan, however we choose to define it. The question was:

Since you started playing Go, how long do you think will it take to reach amateur shodan?

Here's a tabulation and charting of the results. You can click on the images to enlarge them.

About 50% of of the respondents said that they're not on a timetable; and I actually think that's a good thing for amateur players who want to really enjoy the game. The next two popular responses were 5 years and 2 years. 61 respondents (9.8%) doubted that they would ever achieve shodan.

Interestingly, 15 respondents (2.4%) expected to achieve it in six months. That's rather aggressive but one never knows.

The 2007 Spring Poll

There's hardly been anyone who doesn't experience some sort of rush when playing Go since it is, after all, a battle of minds. So, I thought I would examine our states (mental and, as manifested, physical) when playing Go.

Your five choices should cover the general spectrum. Enjoy the new ChiyoPulse poll!

What's that, mon Capitaine?!

2007-03-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

Read this! And stop groveling!

Most folks on KGS know of TheCaptain. I first heard of him from yoyoma, who described him as "the fighting 4-Dan", way-back when I was still struggling to even get a rank. His games attract some of the largest crowds of spectators. You can read more about him in Sensei's Library.

In the English Game Room of KGS, TheCaptain said that "all kyus should read The Breakthrough to Shodan".

Gosh. Getting a message like that is akin to receiving directives from the archangel Gabriel.

The book, regretfully, has been long out of print. I got a copy in 2005 but never even cracked it open because I was still a struggling double-digit kyu and I thought it wouldn't help me; that I needed to first get closer to shodan. On top of that, the first sections looked like mere handicap Go guides.

I'll admit that I'm now curious and I'll probably give it a better reading this weekend. Is there something to this book that might help me understand my game better? Why this book?

ScatCat's new semi-precious Go stones

When I met ScatCat in person at the Berkeley beginners tournament, he had brought with him his custom-made Purpleheart board combined with Kuroki Goishi's Purple Clam stones. Pretty creative of him.

ScatCat is putting together an new custom set. He's asked Carol Dufour (owner of Board Game Go) to craft a unique slotted board. He's also gotten a set of Rose Quartz and Agate stones from Yutopian.

There currently are no photos of this set of stones on the Yutopian page, so I thought it would be helpful to share some of Scat's images with the Go community.

Here are the stones nestled in their box. Nice presentation.

ScatCat doesn't know of what wood the bowls are made of. The grain pattern reminds me of mulberry but ScatCat doesn't believe the wood is of that specie. Although the bowls may look shiny in this photo, they really are not.

ScatCat said that he finds the black agate stones most attractive on close inspection.

Not tonight

2007-03-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

It's manga, so read right to left.
Poor Akira often has a perplexed look on his face, don't you think?

For the most part, I've managed to keep to a belated New Year's resolution that I quietly made to myself after a marathon game period.

"Play when I'm good."

"Good", in this case, is supposed to mean:

I've got a period of time wherein I'm almost guaranteed not to be disturbed.
I'm free of immediate obligations and tasks.
I've stuck to my (physical) workout routine.
I'm not physically or mentally stressed/exhausted.
I've taken time to study/research any puzzlements from my last game.

Counterproductive and frustrating
I used to play some of games as a form of escapism; to forget things that might have recently troubled me or to get my mind off an issue.

Imagine that I've just wrapped-up an exhausting day at work when things didn't go as planned and I was overstretched. "Hey! It's all over, ChiyoDad! Now let's play Go!"

BEEP! Wrong! It's probably one of the worst times for me to play Go. I'm tired and drained and even all my enthusiasm won't be enough to charge-up one tiny little brain-cell for a battle royal. Passive mental escapism might be the better alternative to active mental escapism. I should just fix myself a strawberry smoothie and unwind with a movie or, at worst, solve some very light tsumego.

It's an ironic fact that a lot of the times that I want to play Go are actually the most counterproductive times.

A brief unexpected lull at work? Not all high-priority tasks done?
Bad time.
Overworked? Just finished a long morning of house-cleaning? Got a headache or even just a mild head-throb?
Bad time.
Substituting your gym period for Go? Got a guilty feeling because you're supposed to be pumping iron and doing a 30-minute cardio?
Bad time.
You didn't read-up on that joseki that you mis-played?
Bad time.

If I insist on playing, then I'm likely to play a sub-optimal game, which increases my chances of losing thus leaving me slightly frustrated, ...

... which may cause me to drop in rank (I'll be honest. I try not to get hung-up about rank but I occasionally still do.), thus leaving me slightly more frustrated, ...

... which may induce me to play another game to try to redeem myself ("That wasn't me. It was just an anomaly. I'll be better focused in my next game.") ...

... [BEGIN LOOP].

Holding to the conditions of my resolution often means playing only one game a day (on days that I can) or playing a handful of games infrequently. I'm playing fewer games than usual, but I'm finding myself enjoying my matches more.

The effect of rivals (real or imagined)

2007-03-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

In the manga, Hikaru No Go, the rivalry between Hikaru and Akira is symbiotic. Akira's concerns for Hikaru's potential strength drive Akira onward to keep his lead. Hikaru's aspirations to surpass Akira make Hikaru work harder. In the process, both become stronger Go players.

Rivals then
I had a good number of "rivals" back when I started playing Go on KGS in 2005. Most were just other players of the same rank who had started playing the game about the same time that I did. I might have played a game or two with them but we really didn't know each other.

I guess you could instead describe them as randomly-selected benchmarks rather than rivals; but they served the same purpose.

Those first months were when I had the strongest desire to advance. I would often peek at the rank charts and game tables of my so-called rivals to see how their progress was going. I would then try to catch-up if I was being left behind; or experience a subtle glee if I managed to pull ahead.

However, many of these players disappeared quickly. The great majority were flash-in-the-pan beginners and they quit the game after hitting a wall near 22-kyu (on the old CGoban2 ranking system) or sooner. A small number were notably talented and quickly left me in the dust. Two, whose life profiles are similar to mine, needed to deprioritize Go and now play infrequently.

Rivals now

These days, I find myself just aspiring to play my next game better than my last (by thinking even just a little deeper). Obviously, as an amateur, I don't have a burning need to improve as quickly as possible. On top of that, I've probably come to accept that all folks have different life circumstances and that makes it hard to really compare one's progress to another's.

I still sometimes benchmark my advancement against other players that I've known for a while; a couple of these being Typhoon and aussiemate. I compare their progress to mine just to check if I'm "falling too far behind the pack". This gives a little impetus for me to improve; a gentle tug that helps ward-off complacency with my current quality of play.

I really hope that I don't develop some intense rivalry in Go. I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle it. I have enough competition to deal with at work.

Is your game off?

2007-03-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Relax

I had blogged about the effects of OGA (Online Go Anxiety). Some of you had also reported suffering from RLGA (Real-Life Go Anxiety). As you've probably suspected, any anxiety makes you play worse.

Research presented by Mark Ashcroft, a psychologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, shows that Math Anxiety - feelings of dread and fear and avoiding math - can impair the brain's working capacity. Ergo, worrying about how you'll perform in a math test can undermine your performance.

Try to keep that in mind (or not) the next time you play a match.

Stay Fit
I've known for a long time that exercise can lift one's mood and suspected that it can boost brainpower. Now a new study shows that it builds new brain cells in a region linked with memory and memory loss.

Yet another good reason to maintain balance in one's life; playing Go and staying fit.

Speaking of fitness

I changed my workout at the beginning of the year to add a regular squat routine.

No, not the leg-press machines but real "bar-on-your-back-with-the-potential-to-crush-you" squats. Squats with heavy weights that make you break into a sweat on the second repetition. Squats that make you feel your heart thump.

Michael Mejia and John Berardi, fitness trainers who write for Men's Health, strongly recommend squat routines as the best way to induce overall muscle development. As they describe it, a squat puts stress on the entire body, treating it as a whole organism. Machines by contrast, isolate specific muscles.

I stopped doing squats back in late high school after the gym acquired a leg-press machine. Sure, it was safer and I could do heavier weights; but in retrospect, the switch did less for promoting muscle development.

Misconceptions about the decline of real-life Go clubs

2007-03-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

"I hate Go."

- Cho Chikun, replying to a Dutch TV question as to why he liked Go so much.

That phrase, "I hate Go", was half-jokingly spoken to me seven times over the last three weeks by friends on KGS.

Admittedly, there are times when I too "hate" Go. The phrase encompasses my frustrations. Maybe I lost a game. Maybe I'm not advancing in rank as fast as I think I should be. Maybe I'm unhappy for not having read a move just one stone deeper, or for having found the ideal move three stones after it should have been played.

Given that "love" and "hate" are supposedly two sides of the same coin, one would come to expect similar frustrations in just about any fervent pursuit.

Interestingly though, I can't recall having felt as much frustration at any time when I practiced fencing or kendo. One possible explanation is that the intense physical activity released enough endorphins to lift my mood.

Another explanation might be the camaraderie of the salle or the dojo. Everybody acted as a fun social distraction, a cheering squad, or a mutual support group. And honestly, how can your mood not be lifted when occasionally, after two hours of practice, the gang either steps out for beer and pasta at Original Joe's or sits down for a tasty home-style Japanese meal?

Virtual vs. Real-Life
Now, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that I probably spend at least a third of my time on KGS just socializing. There's a lot of online chat that goes on in the rooms of that server and, coupled with KGS's rather well-designed game-review capabilities, I once speculated about the ultimate demise of real-life Go clubs as virtual clubs would take their place.

I probably couldn't have been more wrong.

Face it, it's a different experience to be sharing a drink, a light conversation, and a game in person than it is to be sipping tea by yourself as you play on a server. You can throw-in all the tools at one's disposal - internet telephony, webcams, and virtual worlds like Second Life - but what you get is still a substitute that falls notably short of the broad social enjoyment that comes with a club.

These days, I'm more convinced that online social interaction will always remain merely an extension of real-life social interaction; a convenient way to get together when time constraints or distance conspire to keep us separated. Online Go is enjoyable and educational, but I'd really prefer to be playing at The Berkeley Go Club, The Sunnyvale Go Club, or join the LLNL Club for it's once-a-month off-campus meets at the Panama Bay Coffee Company.

I speculate that many of us would also rather be at a club if one were nearby. The pleasure of just getting together with people who share the same interest is difficult to replicate.

Ladies' turn

2007-02-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

Most of you are already familiar with three women in the Go blogosphere: NannyOgg, who started blogging back in January of 2005 (preceding me by six months), toastcrumb, who documented her effort to advance as far as possible in a summer and is still blogging, and becci, who provided considerable detail of her summer weiqi studies in China under Mr. Yan in Wuhan province. There were two other bloggers, but their journals have long been inactive.

We've seen two new entrants.

The first of these is Terri Schurter's, currently 8k on KGS. Many of us have known her as goddess or buzzsaw on KGS, as the founder of the Wings Across Calm Water online Go club (of which I am a member ... albeit a rather inactive one) and as a part-time correspondent for the AGA's ejournal.

The second is from Silent Snow (aka Yuki Nabe) who goes by the same namesake as a teacher on KGS. She carries the real-life rank of 1D and blogs from Germany. She teaches in both English and Japanese. I'm not sure if she teaches in German (but I assume that she can).

Last Installment of Go! Go! Igo!

2007-02-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

shadowbakura has posted the seventh, and last, installment of the Go! Go! Igo! compilation. I've linked it below for your viewing convenience.

We owe shadowbakura a lot of thanks for taking the time to split and convert these clips. Please take the time to visit his YouTube account and rate his videos.

Here are all the previous six installments, also for your convenience:

Meanwhile, in an alternate universe ...

If the video doesn't work, you can use these links to
access it in Quicktime or Windows Media Player.

12.4 minutes

2007-02-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

I set my games typically to a base time-limit of 20 minutes plus 5 x 30 seconds of byo-yomi (Japanese Timing). yoyoma, who often said that I needed to slow down, once chided me that I was being rather generous to myself given how fast I actually play.

Out of curiousity, I took a sample of my last fifteen games to see how much time had elapsed on average.

The answer was 12.4 minutes; only 62% of my base time-limit. Of the fifteen games, only four games lasted more than 15 minutes, and only one of those went into byo-yomi. For those who are into statistics, the standard deviation was 4.9 minutes.

This, of course, is only a simplistic analysis. I recognized a few games that were played-on even though Black or White had already won. There were also shorter games that, if my opponent chose to do so, could have been drawn-out with the possibility of winning on time by creating complications.

This still points-out however that I may be playing just a bit too fast and that I'm not taking the greatest advantage of my time allotment. I know that Sorin advises us to play fast games, but I'd also like to cultivate the habit of thinking a little deeper.

Plateau ... again. No big deal.

Click on image to enlarge.

This investigation into my elapsed game times was, in fact, prompted by a remark during one of my reviews. One of the commentators said that the difference between where I was (8k) and 5k is currently a matter of reading deeper.

Admittedly, there are days when I start a game on KGS, even when I know that I'm not ready to dedicate all my mental energies to it. It's a very bad sign when I feel an impatience for my opponent to make his/her next move.

That image above is a 20-month composite of my entire record on KGS to-date which I constructed using Photoshop. It should be noted that there was a dramatic change in the ranking method when KGS switched from CGoban2 to CGoban3 in September 2006. For many of us in the mid-kyus, that resulted in a five-rank jump.

As can be seen, I've gone through several plateaus and am currently in one of my longest ones. I remember how my early plateau back at 22k briefly made me wonder if I might be forever stuck at that rank (HAH!). If you enlarge that chart, it becomes quite obvious that my 22k plateau was one of the shortest ones I had experienced.

I expect to move forward eventually. Either something has to sink-in my brain, or I just need to change my style of play (i.e. take ... my ... time ... and ... think).

Yes, I'm you're fan!

I've made a lot of friends and acquaintances since I started playing Go on KGS, and just about all of them are on my "Fan" list.

Bill Shubert added this feature to CGoban3; a third option to marking an account as Buddy (so that it appears at the top of the logged-in roster) or Ignore (so you don't see any of their remarks). If you have the "Fan Games" room active, you will be alerted whenever a fan account starts a game.

It seems to be a natural extension of playing in the virtual world; one strolls about from board to board to see how their friends are doing in their games. It's always nice to root for your friends or just try to see how your thinking compares.