Hello, Ms. Mukai. I hope you don't mind answering my question. A year has passed since I started playing go, but I am still only 15-kyu on the Net. (I'm embarrassed!) I like to build influence, and I'm confident in my opening, but from the middle game on, my groups become heavy clumps, and, increasingly often these days, I lose fights by one move and have large groups captured. I am now able to easily beat a go-playing program on a 9x9 board. Every day now I'm engaging in fierce fights on a 13x13 board. I would be grateful if you could tell me if there is a way of playing the middle game on a 13x13 board that would give one practice for 19x19 games. Consultation Two : Mr. Mori Hello, Mr. Mori. Thank you for your question. Reaching 15-kyu after just one year is fantastic. When you play on a 13x13 board, you can play a lot of games in a short period, so it's a good way to study. However, just as the scale of a game on a 13x13 board is completely different from a 9x9 board, the difference between a 13x13 board and a 19x19 board is so great that you could say, with a bit of exaggeration, that it's a different game. That's how different the opening and middle-game strategy are. I think there's a lot to learn in josekis and tesujis and also in areas where you can get concrete answers, such as the endgame, but it's a more difficult question when it comes to the middle game. As for the question of getting clumps of stones in the middle game on, the problem is what to do when the opponent invades an area where you have built influence and the stones of both sides come into contact. The first thing is to check the relationship between your stones and the opponent's stones. When you have many allies in the vicinity, please fight enthusiastically. There may be times when you are captured, but don't let this stop you from fighting. The day is bound to come when you capture large groups! On the other hand, avoid fighting in areas where the opponent has a lot of stones and link up with your strong positions. When this doesn't look possible, you have to choose between seeking life for the stones and discarding them. Don't try to capture all your opponent's stones and focus on fighting in positions where you have the advantage.