Hello, Ms. Yashiro. I saw you on NHK TV. I hope you won’t mind answering my question. In Net games, I fluctuate between 4- and 3-kyu. I’ve been this way for a long time. When I take records of my Net games, I find that I play well for about 100 moves, whoever the opponent is. My winning percentage (games in which I take the lead) is about 80%. When I get up to 150~200 moves, my winning percentage (leading percentage) is about 50%. Is there a study method that will help me to play better at this stage of the game, from 150 to 200 moves? I would be grateful for your advice. Consultation Two : Mr. Nishitani Hello, Mr. Nishitani. Thank you for your question. Reading it, I was impressed with how objectively you analyse your own go. That’s splendid! When you say 100 moves, that probably refers to the stage when the opening has ended and the middle game is at its height. If you are doing well at this stage, one would certainly expect you to have a good winning percentage. Various causes are conceivable for your lead being upset after this. The stage from 150 to 200 moves is the macro-endgame. One common reason for doing badly in the endgame is following your opponent around, that is, answering every move he makes. That means that you get hardly any of the good endgame moves and you lose more than 20 points! This can happen very easily. The important thing in the endgame is to make sure that you think carefully so that you play the biggest point each move. The knack is to focus on the sides rather than on the centre. (Of course, there are exceptions.) If one looks for causes apart from the endgame, one possibility is that the opponent pulls off something inside your territory. When the opponent comes in, all you can do is to fight your hardest and try to capture him. (I think the best study method is doing life-and-death problems.) Another possibility is that a player may think he’s ahead when he’s not ahead at all. On the contrary, the opponent is ahead. In my case, this is the most common. The problem is that you can’t help overestimating the size of your own territory. All one can do here is to make an effort to be careful. I have hypothesized various cases. I hope at least one of them has been of some use to you. I hope you keep enjoying go. I’ll do my best to play in the NHK Cup again.