No More Correspondence Go for Me

Correspondence go and I have always had a rollercoaster of a relationship. There were times I loved it. I mean, I could play multiple games at once and would eagerly await getting a move back from an opponent. And then there were the polar opposites when I absolutely hated it and would end up losing by time on numerous games because I would keep procrastinating my own move.

And as of this moment, here are my top three reasons why correspondence go is just awful for me:

  1. My thoughts are fragmented - My ideas are constantly shifting. What I want to try at this moment may not necessarily be the thing I want to try in an hour (let alone tomorrow). For example, I may feel like trying out a particular strategy because of something I was inspired by; but the next day, I could be inspired by something completely different and I’m now stuck with the old strategy. No fun.

  2. The feedback loop is too long - Because there are so many variations in a sequence, I prefer to find out sooner rather than later that I made a mistake. Or vice versa, it’s not great if I relish too much in a move that I think worked out great when in fact I was just lucky that my opponent chose the wrong variation. Either way, bad for my growth as a player.

  3. I am constantly reminded of my mistakes - When I make a move in correspondence games, I don’t typically have the luxury of spending a lot of time on it. So that in conjunction with the fragmented thought process often leads to more spontaneous moves that lead to mistakes / unfavorable situations. The vicious cycle then continues because now I have to stare at my mistake and deal with it for days on end. Gahhh!!!

Of course, like all things, there are certainly exceptions to the rule. I’m still happy to play correspondence go with any friends / people who are unable to play a real-time game fo go with me and request me directly. Other than that though, I need to focus all my energy and time on playing live matches.

And just to ensure there is no misunderstanding, I am not saying that correspondence go is bad. It’s just that after trying time and time again, it just never seems to synergize well with me and always causes me more frustration than necessary for something that should be enjoyable.