Solving Problems #

Solving Problems

To progress effectively in Go, solving problems is as essential as playing games and analyzing them.

Why Solve Problems? #

Like it or not, reading is a crucial part of Go. Even if you prefer peaceful games with minimal combat, opponents can always force you into a situation where reading is necessary. Generally, you will need to read sequences in almost all your games. But what exactly is reading?

One might think that reading is about calculating all possible variations, even the most unlikely ones. This is actually impossible, as the number of branches increases exponentially. Imagine finding 6 possible moves and wanting to read all variations just 3 moves deep: an approximation already gives 120 sequences to read! If you find 10 possible moves and want to read all moves 6 moves deep, you would need to read about 150,000 sequences. Reading actually relies heavily on intuition, which allows you to prioritize the moves most likely to work. This intuition helps optimize your reading width, which is the number of variations you read before reaching a conclusion.

On the other hand, reading depth allows you to calculate a larger number of moves in each variation. We often marvel at pros who can read 20 or 30 moves ahead; it’s their reading depth capabilities at work.

Finally, there is visualization, which allows you to imagine the moves even when they are not on the board. Some sequences, being too long or involving captures or unusual shapes, may require more visualization effort. Depending on the situation, visualization can be immediate or, conversely, impossible.

Solving problems will help you improve these three crucial skills for progress.

How to Solve Problems? #

There are many ways to solve problems. You can spend up to 10 minutes trying to solve a difficult problem, but you can also chain together very simple problems, with a timer of a few tens of seconds for each problem.

The most important thing is to understand the problems, which means not solving them based on intuition alone. Even with simple problems, you should take the time to verify that the intuitive sequence is correct. If you end up looking at the solution (try to avoid this as much as possible), take the time to grasp the logic behind the moves. There’s no point in memorizing problem solutions: the goal isn’t to know where to play in a real game if you encounter the exact same shape, but to develop your skills to adapt to a multitude of situations.

Which Problems to Solve? #

It all depends on what you enjoy and what you need to improve on! Here are some suggestions:

You make simple reading errors in games: do many problems below your level, without a timer, and make sure you get the right answer on the first try.
You have difficulty visualizing stones in long sequences: do more difficult problems, spending up to 10 minutes on each, and read the sequences through to the end. Finding the solution isn’t necessarily important, but you must apply yourself to reading carefully.
You have increased your level without doing problems, or learned Go without doing problems: start with very easy problems, and increase the difficulty very gradually. For example, if you are 5 kyu, start with 15 kyu problems, which will be very simple but lack practice for you, and gradually increase the difficulty.
You don’t like doing problems, or you get discouraged quickly when you do: the problems you’ve faced might have been too difficult. Try finding problems you can solve in about 30 seconds with a high success rate. It doesn’t matter if they are not at your level.
If you cannot visualize stones at all, you can start practicing by simply reading ladders or atari sequences with no possible variations. Don’t use a timer, and only confirm the solution once you are certain you’ve read it correctly.
In games, you have trouble finding solutions, there are too many possible moves: you need to improve your intuition, try solving problems at or below your level, with a timer. If your success rate isn’t satisfactory, decrease the difficulty of the problems.

Generally, don’t hesitate to do problems that are below your level. Problems at or above your level are valuable but can also be discouraging. Remember: doing problems should be a pleasant and stimulating experience, not torture. Feel free to experiment and adjust to find what works for you.

Depending on the books, websites, or apps you use, the indicated levels for problems of the same rank will vary greatly. Pay no attention to them and determine which rank corresponds to what you want based on your results on the problems.