Hello, Ms. Kato. I’ve only just started playing go. I find myself unable to play tenuki, that is, to ignore the opponent’s moves. I always keep him or her company by answering each move. Sometimes this works well for me, but sometimes it doesn’t. I can’t grasp the criteria for playing tenuki. Is this a problem that will solve itself naturally as I get more experience? Consultation Two : Mr. Kishino Hello, Mr. Endo. Thank you for your question. It’s easy to just automatically answer the opponent’s moves. Judgement of when to tenuki is difficult. Perhaps the first thing you should do is to make a habit of looking around the board after your opponent plays a move. You will rarely want to play tenuki when the stones of both sides are in contact with each other. In the opening and middle game, the easiest way to work out where you should play is to evaluate the relative strength and weakness of the stones. When the opponent plays, make a habit of looking in the opposite direction. You need to develop your intuition through experience. Please think about the strength and weakness of the groups on both sides as you play. If you play more aggressively, you will probably be less inclined to follow the opponent around. Please do your best.