Hello, Ms. Yashiro.I often look at the game records of high-dan players and professionals on PandaNet, but I just play over the games aimlessly and don’t feel that this is contributing to raising my strength. I wonder if you could enlighten me on the following points? When I’m replaying a game, what should I look out for at the different stages, that is, the whole game, the opening, the middle game and the endgame? What kind of goals should I have when going through a game if I want to get stronger? I would be very grateful for your help. My level is about 4- or 5-dan. Consultation One: Mr. Nakao Hello, Mr. Nakao. Thank you for a question. Your question is very well organized, so I picture you as a methodical person. I don’t know if I can meet your expectations, but I’ll do my best to answer your question. Actually, even professionals vary in the way they play through game records. Some people spend a couple of hours on one game, while other play through several games per hour! This is a case of individual preference . . . so the best thing is to find out which method suits you. People also vary in the part of the game they focus on, the opening, middle game or endgame. I’m most interested in the part of the game from opening to the middle game, so I don’t pay much attention to the rest of the game. At any rate, you won’t keep it up if you don’t enjoy it, so I recommend you to focus on your favourite part of the game. If you see an interesting tesuji, replay the sequence a number of times. You are sure to learn something from it. When I play through a game, I try to imagine that I’m actually playing the game. It’s fun, because you feel stronger. It’d be nice if one could be possessed by the spirit of a champion player . . . However, life is not so easy. (tears)