I am nine years old. When I was in Japan I played as a 4-dan. Actually, I’m about 2-dan. I’m living in New Zealand now because of my father’s job. Dad doesn’t seem to like playing with strangers. He’s always studying by reading books. Occasionally he plays with a New Zealander, but he always loses. I won three games in a row against this New Zealander. But when I play Dad, I almost always lose. Why is that? Consultation One: Miss Sugimoto Hello, Miss Sugimoto. Thank you for your really charming question. You must be quite strong if you were playing as 4-dan. You write that actually you’re about 2-dan, but I’m sure you’re really a strong 4-dan. You wonder why you lose to your father when you beat his opponent three times in a row. My guess is that your father knows your go style really well. That would make it easy for him to decide on a good strategy. He may even be aware of your go habits. That’s why he knows how to beat you. But he doesn’t know the go style of his New Zealand opponent, so that’s why he loses. It’s really impressive that you are not timid when playing a foreigner. Winning three games in a row is really something. How about taking a good look at the way your father plays and trying to work out his style. If you get to understand his style a little, I think you will be able to put up a good fight against him. I envy you, living in such a beautiful country as New Zealand. I hope you make the most of this opportunity to play people from different countries.