December  Narumi OSAWA 4-dan Something that I always regret in handicap games is that I can' t help feeling that the opponent' s moves have authority and I end up answering them submissively. Before I realize it, the game has turned bad for me. Is there any other way of overcoming this timidity besides playing a lot of games? I would be very happy if you could tell me of a method to measure my go strength and also tell me what level of strength is necessary to take part in go classes and tournaments. Novemober  Chiaki MUKAI 4-dan I am a senior citizen of 69. At one time, just very briefly, I was promoted to 2-kyu, but now I am in the bottom ranks of the 4-kyus. At the very least I'd like to become a strong 3-kyu.What study methods are there? I would be really, really grateful if you could tell me. A year has passed since I started playing go. 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. October  Akino IZAWA 4-dan I am now easily able to solve 1-dan life-and-death and other problems. When I play teaching games with professionals, they tell me, though they may be flattering me, that I have the ability of a 1-dan. However, I can't play well in actual games. At present, I am 2-dan. I often hear that consistency is important, but during a game how can one judge whether one should go for territory or build thickness? September  Kaori CHINEN 4-dan II play on Pandanet as a 3-kyu. At first, I do well, but often I suddenly realize that I have no eyes and I am under attack. What should I watch out for? I think that I am making mistakes in counting territory, but I am just unable to get a precise idea of territory. What study methods are there for getting stronger at the endgame? August  Kana MANNAMI 4-dan My go strength is somewhere between 1-kyu and 4-kyu - it periodically moves up and down. I can't break out of this cycle, which is bothering me. I find it very hard to get enough time to play go. I was wondering how you plan your own go study. July  Izumi KOBAYASHI 6-dan I'm not basically a nervous person, but I lose go games because of timidity.If I count properly, I often find that actually I was still winning. I want my son to be interested in go and to keep playing it, but how does one teach a little child how interesting go is without forcing the game on him? June  Ayumi SUZUKI 5-dan There’s a saying in go that ‘the spectator sees more’. This is a saying that really comes home to me when I play in local go tournaments several times a year. Does this saying also apply to professional players? I play on Pandanet as a 1-dan. Recently a friend asked me to teach him, so suddenly I have become a teacher. How should I teach him? May  Tomoko KATO 5-dan I am 18 years old and my go strength is about 1-kyu. Professionals often replay a game after finishing it, but when I try to do so I immediately lose track. I started playing Net go, thinking this would be a good way to communicate with my father, who lives a long way away. However, I’m a beginner, and my father is a dan player. To some extent, I’ve mastered the basic rules, such as ko and kosumi, but I really can’t play the kind of games that would make my father happy. April  Kumiko YASHIRO 5-dan I play go on Pandanet. When I get on a losing streak, I become irritable and can’t play my normal game. Moreover, it’s hard for me to get out of this negative frame of mind. At present I play as a 10-kyu. Whether I play white or black, I feel that I’m not very good at attacking. What sort of study should one do to become adept at attacking? I would be grateful for some advice. March  Mieko NAKAJIMA 2-dan People say I’m slack at taking territory. I learnt go by myself and was brought up on handicap games, so this is probably not mistaken. I am 13-kyu. Sometimes I fall into a slump. Please tell me what I should do at such times. February  Akiko TSUKUDA 5-dan At present, my go strength is 5-kyu. Recently I’ve been having strange experiences. Games that I’m convinced I’ve won while I’m playing turn out to be losses and games that I feel are hopeless and so resign turn out to have been wins for me. At what strength are players able to carry out positional assessments? 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? January  Kaori AOBA 4-dan I play go on Pandanet. When I get on a losing streak, I become irritable and can’t play my normal game. Moreover, it’s hard for me to get out of this negative frame of mind.Ms. Aoba, when you have a losing streak, what do you do? Please tell me how to change one’s mood. At present I play as a 10-kyu. Whether I play white or black, I feel that I’m not very good at attacking. What sort of study should one do to become adept at attacking? I would be grateful for some advice. > backnumber 2013 > backnumber 2012 > backnumber 2011 > backnumber 2010 > backnumber 2009 > backnumber 2008 > backnumber 2007 > backnumber 2006 > backnumber 2005