I play as a 3-dan. These days I mainly play on the Net. Recently I’ve been in a slump, and I no longer know how to improve. I don’t believe that I will naturally improve just by playing a lot of games. Is there any way of making a breakthrough to the next stage? Consultation One : From Mr. Iijima The method I recommend is to play games with players who are stronger than you (4-dan and 5-dan). And please, as much as you can, review the games after playing them. (If you are playing on the Net, you can store your games.) When you play players who are stronger than you, your winning percentage may go down, but you will also gain a lot. Your opponents will have something that you don’t have. For example, they might be skilful at taking sente, or they might play solid shape . . . And after the game, you can review your moves and work out how you should have played. This will help you to discover your weak points. If you are 3-dan, there should be areas of the game at which you are good and other areas that are not your forte. If you can discover the latter and focus on studying your weak areas, you should gradually improve. The weak areas will differ with different players; they could be the opening, the endgame, tesujis, etc. The step up from 3-dan to 4- or 5-dan is not as simple as the step from 1-dan to 3-dan. You may not see immediate results, but don’t view it as a slump. Plug away, accepting that it will take time. I wish you the best of luck. The method I recommend is to play games with players who are stronger than you (4-dan and 5-dan). And please, as much as you can, review the games after playing them. (If you are playing on the Net, you can store your games.) When you play players who are stronger than you, your winning percentage may go down, but you will also gain a lot. Your opponents will have something that you don’t have. For example, they might be skilful at taking sente, or they might play solid shape . . . And after the game, you can review your moves and work out how you should have played. This will help you to discover your weak points. If you are 3-dan, there should be areas of the game at which you are good and other areas that are not your forte. If you can discover the latter and focus on studying your weak areas, you should gradually improve. The weak areas will differ with different players; they could be the opening, the endgame, tesujis, etc. The step up from 3-dan to 4- or 5-dan is not as simple as the step from 1-dan to 3-dan. You may not see immediate results, but don’t view it as a slump. Plug away, accepting that it will take time. I wish you the best of luck.