I have just started playing go. I hope to get better by playing a lot, so I often play on PandaNet, but I feel uneasy because I don’t understand the reasons behind the moves. I also tend to lose my cool easily, so I sometimes panic. I’ve tried to study the basics of life and death. Do you think I can expect to improve playing like this? Consultation One: Mr. Omura Not understanding the reasons behind the moves and losing one’s cool are certainly problems. If you go over your games after you have played them and try to work out which were the good and bad moves and also get the help of your opponent, you will gradually learn how to play calmly and gain understanding of the position. As for getting excited and panicking, the very reason go is so interesting may be because we get emotional about it. It sounds as if you are a real fan of go even though you have just started. Studying life-and-death problems is the best training method for developing your reading ability, so it’s very important. There are various other ways to study, but if you have just started playing go, the way to improve naturally is to enjoying yourself playing games. I wish you the best of luck.