Other things to do #
Although playing, analyzing your games, and doing problems are the 3 main drivers of progress in Go, there are many other activities you can do that can also contribute to improving your level.
Participate in Tournaments #
Although it’s not necessary to progress, playing tournament games can give your level a boost. It’s in tournaments that you will encounter the highest intensity of play: you and your opponents give it your all, the stakes are at their highest! Since the challenge is at its peak, this can help you reveal your strengths and weaknesses. For this reason, tournament games are often very interesting to analyze with your teacher.
If you have registered for a tournament, there are things you can do to simplify your participation. First, try to have a calm week before the tournament to arrive as rested as possible. You can also try playing games with the tournament settings to prepare, although it is sometimes difficult to find online partners for long games. Additionally, you can plan the logistics of your tournament as much as possible: how will you get there? Where will you sleep? How will you eat? Are there things you will need? Planning all this can reduce your stress once you are there.
Once the tournament starts, it’s up to you to behave in the way that allows you to be most effective in the game. Generally, it is recommended not to overdo things: try to eat properly, drink water, try to sleep as much as possible. Avoid drinking too much coffee or eating too much sugar, it’s counterproductive.
During the tournament, try to have something to record your games on a kifu or your phone once they are finished. If you wish to use your phone or computer to record during the game, be sure you have permission from the organizers and your opponent.
Besides one-off tournaments, many online or club leagues offer a different format, allowing you to regularly play high-stakes games over a longer period (one to a few games per month).
Be part of a Community #
Being part of a group is excellent for encouragement, stimulation, and determination to progress. It allows you to share new ideas with other players and meet people. Online, you will find a multitude of communities to join, from public forums to study groups to Discord servers.
Watch Live Games #
Watching games online, possibly discussing them live, is a good way to pass the time, but unless you are actively analyzing the game, it’s not really an effective way to learn.
Learn from Games #
For a long time, it was recommended to learn pro games by heart. Today, this is no longer the case:
- Current pros often develop very complex and specific strategies, which are difficult for an amateur to draw direct and effective inspiration from.
- Older pros often have a classic style that is more interesting to draw inspiration from, but they do not know modern post-artificial intelligence Go, and some of their sequences or position evaluations are no longer considered correct.
Of course, replaying a pro game on your goban can in no way harm you, but it is not a very effective way to learn.
Learn Proverbs and Read Books #
Although direct teaching by a teacher is often ideal for assimilating theory, reading books and studying proverbs can be useful complements, provided they are approached judiciously. In the case of proverbs, as with everything else, there is no point in learning them by heart and applying them blindly; you must understand why and how the proverb works, because no proverb is true in all situations.
In the case of books, try to practice the theory of what you read as much as possible as you go along to make it your own. Furthermore, even if not everything published before 2016 should be discarded, pay attention to the publication date of the works; many books are no longer up-to-date following the appearance of AI.