In the game of Go, skill level depends on many factors, such as understanding of opening strategies, memorization of joseki, tactics in the midgame, and endgame techniques. To improve our playing strength, we need to learn a lot of knowledge and master various skills.
However, a very critical aspect of Go competitions is the occurrence of mistakes. My recent realization is that in Fox 5-dan matches, if a player does not make errors in all 101 life-and-death problems at the 5-6 kyu, their chances of winning are quite high. In Fox 7-dan matches, this requires accuracy in life-and-death problems at around the 3-kyu. This means that a Fox 5-dan player is quite prone to making mistakes in life-and-death problems at the 5-6 kyu, and as long as they avoid making mistakes (or make fewer mistakes), they naturally become the winner (the same logic applies to 7-dan players).
But why do Fox 7-dan players, who are already very close to the highest rank on Fox, only need accuracy at the 3-kyu out of 101? I think there are three key factors:
1. Online games are often played at a fast pace, with moves being made every 20-30 seconds, while the life-and-death challenges in 101 allow 45 seconds per problem. It's actually not easy to maintain high accuracy at the 3-kyu under these conditions.
2. There is a significant difference between solving problems and playing a game. While playing, we might miss the opportunity to solve a problem due to a lack of sharpness, often making impulsive moves when we should be thinking carefully. These exaggerated mistakes are sometimes called "blunders." Although blunders may not occur frequently, many times players make mistakes that could be avoided with a bit more thought. This is related to sharpness.
3. The mentality issue: Many people become impatient or emotional when playing online, often leading to what's known as "tilt." This is why many players perform better in real board games or official competitions, where they have a more stable mindset, reducing the number of mistakes.
To effectively reduce the number of mistakes, I believe that focusing on accuracy in problem-solving is the right approach. However, I will also share some common mistakes encountered in fox 7D actual games.
Q1. At this moment, black want to cut at A, but does it work?
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In the actual game, black 1 cut, and white 2 atari
Black is dead
Black need to play the exchange before cut at 3
So, when white 4 atari, black 5 can push.
If white 4 jump, black 5 could win the capturing race, black is much better.
Q2. At this moment, white turn, could white play the block at A?
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In the actual game, white 1 block, and black 2 hane, white corner is a dead shape, black got a come back for the game.
White 1 is correct, if black 2 limit the eys shape, white 3 can escape.
If black 2 divide, white 3 is a live shape.
Q3. At this moment, black turn, black needs to kill white's dragon, now white A push, could black block at B?
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In the actual game, black block fell in the trap, white could live with 2, 4.
Afterwards, black 1 could not destroy white's eye due to the exchange of A and B.
Black 1 should try to destroy the eye in the beginning, as A and B is a miai, white only has one eye, it is still complicated.
Q4. At this moment, black played a hane, in the next move, black could ladder two white stones, how should white connect?
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White 1 hane is a mistake
Black 6 could divide white's group, the group on the left has not lived yet.
White is goint to break, the calculation is not complicated for a fox 7D level.
White should retreat, black does not have any threat.
All four examples above were played by Fox 7-dan players. While these problems might not be particularly challenging as practice exercises, the reality of gameplay is as such. The reasons for making mistakes have already been explained at the beginning of the article, and I believe this is why fundamental skills and problem-solving training are so important.
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