Bad Moves vs. Wrong Moves

So I was in my Group Decision Making class yesterday when we began discussing the difference between a bad decision and a wrong decision. In all honesty, most people use the words interchangeably and don’t even give it a second thought. Unfortunately though, they are all very wrong (and yes I mean wrong and not bad). Why is that? Because wrong decisions in nature are better than bad decisions. What?! Preposterous is what you may say, but hear me out.

_A wrong decision is one that usually results in an undesired manner. _

Example: Investing in Stock A may end up being a wrong decision for Person X because the stock market will crash soon after.

_A bad decision also results in an undesired as well, but the crucial difference is the lack of the decision process leading up to it. _

Example: Person X invests in Stock A simply because the TV says that the stocks for Company A are going way up without any research to verify the information.

Why is someone who blogs about Go talking about this? It’s because I think that all Go players alike should and must differentiate the difference between a bad move and a wrong move. Players absolutely need to solidify this concept when interpreting their moves in order to get stronger. A wrong move can be played because it is not nearly as effective or does not achieve the aim intended. A bad move on the other hand, generally lacks any planning whatsoever and is just played instinctively out of some pre-joseki type thinking.

Example: My opponent placed a 3-3 invasion! Time to follow the joseki I memorized!

To all players out there, we all make mistakes. We will continue to make wrong moves as time goes on. It is inevitable due to the fact that human beings are not perfect. The one thing we can do though, is prevent ourselves from making bad moves. That is not to say you cannot test out a move, but to do so without the intention of testing and some sort of reading ahead would render it a bad move. I hope this helps some of you understand a bit more about your moves when reviewing your games. Good luck!