Hello. At present I play as a 1-kyu. My games are rarely counted – usually either my opponent or I resign. I myself realize that I have a tendency to make overplays, but I can’t do anything about this when I’m actually playing. I really want to play long games. Do you have any advice for me? Consultation Two: by Mr. Ebi Hello, Mr. Ebi. Actually, I also often make overplays and also want to play long games. So rather than giving you advice, I’ll just tell you what I aim at myself. When the game looks like getting into a perilous position, I pause and take a deep breath. If you build up momentum, playing immediately, overplays inevitably become more common. During this pause, I take a look at the whole board. If the place where I am fighting is an area when I have a lot of allies, then it’s OK to keep on fighting. But if it’s an area where the opponent is stronger, I assess the territorial balance. Just a rough calculation is good enough. If I find that the game is unfavourable for me, then I plunge ahead with the fight. But if the position is even or I think that I am ahead, then for the first time I try thinking about playing a leisurely move. In the kind of positions where you are liable to make overplays — • stop and look at the whole board • assess the territorial balance. If you get into this habit, it should make a big difference. I hope that we can both play long, drawn-out games, instead of relying on fighting strength. Let’s both do our best.