I’ve started playing go recently. I hope to get stronger, so I’ve just joined PandaNet. However, my winning percentage is not very good. Before I play a game, I always think to myself, “Today this is how I’m going to attack” or “Let’s play this kind of move.” When the game starts, however, I get pushed around by the opponent’s attack, and things don’t work out the way I planned. Izumi Sensei, what do you do when the opponent plays a move you haven’t anticipated? Consultation Two : Mr. Makiishi Go is a game which is a world of freedom and in which there are various different ways of thinking and various different strategies that transcend the question of good or bad. We often encounter moves we haven’t anticipated. In my case, I sometimes feel a chill run down my spine when the opponent plays an unexpected move in a decisive fight. There are many games that don’t work out the way one plans, but I think that shows the profundity of go and is one of its fascinations. How about just enjoying the novel positions you encounter in each game? Incidentally, in my games I don’t think very much about trying to take the opponent by surprise, but in my practice games, playing with my husband, I aim at playing original moves, catching the opponent by surprise and sending a chill down his spine, even if only momentarily. It’s a lot of fun.