I’ve been making a more active effort lately to play more. Although it has been good to play real games once again, I have been on a bit of a losing streak.

As most people might think, it’s been a bit frustrating and I almost thought about stopping again for a while; but then it dawned on me, I was caught up in being overly aggressive and trying to kill everything once again. Should an opponent play something I deemed “incorrect” or “improper,” I felt like it was my mission to punish them. However, it wasn’t enough to simply gain profit. No no, each time I would try to dominate my opponent and kill a group or two.

Sigh. This bloodlust is definitely taking a toll on my enjoyment of the game. That combined with the losing streak is not helping since I’m on tilt; but alas, this is part of the journey to getting another stone stronger. I’m sure there’s just a critical mistake I keep making in my games that keeps costing me the game (along with a poor mental state of mind). Anyhow, hope your games are going better than mine.

PS. Be sure to be on the lookout for tomorrow’s Weekly Go Wednesday! I’ll be featuring an exclusive duo review by frozensoul and I on the recent Gu Li vs Lee Sedol Jubango Game 1. In the review, there will be comment on E-V-E-R-Y move. I am hoping that this helps to allow players of all strength levels to appreciate the game. So till then!

Some of you already know, but I went to one of the local malls and volunteered to teach go for the Chinese New Year 2014 celebration. As you can see in the little collage I put together above, there were nice decorations along with performances in the center of the mall. Definitely felt like Chinese New Year! Haha. And of course, how could you have a Chinese New Year celebration without go? (I might be a little biased though xD)

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Slate and Shell Go Stones - Sample Pack - Size 36 Biconvex

Description: “This is a sample pack of our size 36 slate and shell Go stones, which are among the highest quality Go stones available. It contains three black stones and three white stones. Size 36 refers to the thickness of the stone (in this case 10.4 mm or 0.41 inches). The additional thickness and weight of these stones gives them a pleasant feeling in your hand and produces a sharp and satisfying snapping sound when the stones are played.” - GoGameGuru

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Friday Go Forward: Week 49

Overview

Another week has passed me by and man have I been swamped. On the upside, I am starting to be able to grasp my to-do list and really start cutting it down to size. It’s certainly been a big relief as I continue working on multiple aspects of my life. Once again, I must apologize for being so absent this week; but I am really hoping to be coming back full swing with real consistency soon. So until then, hope all is well with you and your journey to gaining the next stone!

PS. I’ve updated my Leather Goban Review to include information on how it was made. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t read it already!

Training Regimen

• Step #1: Do 5 go problems a day. (Estimated time: 5-10 minutes)

Games

• KGS - 0 games
• DGS - 1 ongoing game
• OGS - 5 ongoing games

Books

• Worked on Graded Go Problems for Dan Players - Volume One: 300 Life-and-Death Problems.
• Worked on Life and Death Problems 1 - Basics by Robert Jasiek.
• Finished Fighting Fundamentals by Robert Jasiek.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to drop in and let you all know about a brand new go server that is currently in beta: Bitcoin Go! Though currently still undergoing development and being in beta, one of the unique factors about them is that they will be using bit coins (aka digital currency) as prizes for the tournaments! Isn’t that awesome?

So since it won’t cost you a thing, be sure to get on over to Bitcoin Go and sign up for an account and become a beta tester with them! And if you have any suggestions or notice any bugs, feel free to contact the developers. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and playing with Steven and he was really responsive and friendly. So don’t delay, go check it out! =)