Sean and I chat about the quirks of hosting a Go club, adapting to different play styles, and the importance of tsumego in this super special guest episode of Star Point. Thanks so much for coming on the show, Sean!

Hanayeol's Very Essential Life and Death Lecture

A review of the gripping coming-of-age historical fiction novel, The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa, followed by a discussion on the "aesthetic" and "spiritual" Japanese play style.

Kolybi Go

Recently, Telegraph Go (Nate Morse) caught wind of my interest in Rocket League and invited me to play a few games on stream with him. I happily obliged, and our resulting conversations about Go during the stream were quite thought-provoking.

A quick bio of Japanese Go legend Otake Hideo and a book review of his "Opening Theory Made Easy," what I've found to be the quintessential handbook for beginning to intermediate Go players.

Abstract strategy game showdown! Go and Chess are very different games, but I can't help but compare the two. Let's dissect the pros and cons of each game to find the ultimate abstract strategy game.

13th Annual San Diego Go Championship Info (GoClubs.org) AGA Meeting Update

Ben's Onyx & Agate Stones

It's a Listener Mail catchup episode! Lots of interesting thoughts shared by Star Point listeners regarding draws, weebs, the benefits of Fischer time, and even a little history lesson. Thanks for listening!

Links:

AGHS Writing Contest Entry Form

Syracuse's Salt City Tourney (Tsumego Cake)

In this special edition of Star Point, listen in on a collection of interviews and conversations with Go players participating in the 2024 Los Angeles Open tournament. Go players of all ages share their thoughts on becoming a pro, the correlation between Go and tennis, and more.

I played in a tournament! I met a lot of really cool people and had so much fun playing the game we all love. This episode is a bit of a debrief of my games at the tournament as well as my overall experience. Also, stay tuned for next week's episode where I share with you some of the field interviews I was able to conduct while at the tournament!

Should draws be allowed? What is the best English name for Go? When should you request undos? Find out what my spicy opinions are on these matters and more on this episode of Star Point!

Don't try to make AI do all the work for you! It's just a tool like any other and you need to learn to use it effectively. Here are some of my personal tips for making the best of the powerful technology that would make Honinbo Shusaku shake in his boots.

Links

Lee Sedol's Google Interview

Get 25% off your very first purchase on ⁠⁠⁠⁠GoMagic.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

This past weekend, I took a trip up to San Jose and had an opportunity to ask my friend about his path to 1 dan. What he said inspired me to rethink my own studies and consider "switching gears." Get 25% off your very first purchase on ⁠⁠⁠GoMagic.org⁠⁠⁠ by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

You can't fix your mistakes if you aren't aware of them. Let's talk about how we can increase our awareness of the issues in our game so we can properly diagnose and treat them.

Links:

Go Pro Yeonwoo's 3-3 Invasion Lecture
Deep Blue Documentary

Get 25% off your very first purchase on ⁠⁠⁠GoMagic.org⁠⁠⁠ by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

We're back! Honinbo Dosaku was an unrivaled Go player in the Edo period of Japan. He made great contributions to Go theory, laid down the framework for the Japanese ranking system, and is still revered today by professional and amateurs alike.

The Art of Sacrificing Stones of Honinbo Dosaku by Michael Redmond 9p
Clossius Teaches Go to a Chess Player

What parallels can we draw between the elements of musical training and Go? Let's talk about what we can learn from this cross-disciplinary reflection and how it might teach us something about what we should expect of ourselves while learning new abstract concepts.

Get 25% off your very first purchase on ⁠⁠⁠GoMagic.org⁠⁠⁠ by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

Before ChatGPT, there was AlphaGo. Before AlphaGo, there was Deep Blue. Before Deep Blue, there was... the Turk? Follow me on a journey through man's struggle with his own creations as we explore AI's profound impact on our game.

https://www.eurogofed.org/seygo/index.html?id=1 Get 25% off your very first purchase on ⁠⁠GoMagic.org⁠⁠ by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

Have you ever taught anyone how to play this beautiful game? It is more challenging than you might think! Let's talk about the dos and don'ts of teaching complete beginners.

Get 25% off your very first purchase on ⁠GoMagic.org⁠ by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

Do you ever wish you could follow a simple set of rules and win every game of Go? Unfortunately, that's now how it works. How do we convert our following of basic principles into true understanding of the game?

Ryan Li vs. Alex Qi Misclick Game: https://online-go.com/game/61717943

Get 25% off your very first purchase on GoMagic.org by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

Have you ever experienced a Go epiphany or realization? This week, I share with you the various paradigm shifts and eureka moments that I experienced on my Go journey.

Get 25% off your very first purchase on GoMagic.org by using the code STARPOINT at checkout.

Go is a game we play with little pieces that we call stones, but they are not all made of actual stone and they come in different shapes and sizes. Let's talk about the differences, pros, and cons!

Links:

Yellow Mountain Imports

Kurokigoishiten

Shell Stone Manufacturing

Slate Stone Manufacturing

Benkyo League

Use code STARPOINT to get 25% off your first purchase on ⁠GoMagic.org⁠!

One of the most common pieces of improvement advice in Go is to play lots of games! Is there any truth to this idea? Do you play enough games? Let's talk about overcoming our fear of plateau and how to maximize our Go gains while we put in the reps.

Info about the Obama Go board: https://trianglegoclub.org/theboard.htm

Use code STARPOINT to get 25% off your first purchase on ⁠⁠GoMagic.org⁠⁠!

Go is as pure of a game that one can find, but some moves in Go might be considered by some to be dirty. Let's dig into the dirt underneath the go board as I share with you some ways you can get an annoying edge over your opponent.

North American Kyu Championships: https://www.usgo.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=454497&item_id=96948

European Youth Go Championship+ Camp: https://www.dgob.de/wettbewerbe/meisterschaften/eygc2024/

Internet Go School: https://internetgoschool.com

Buzzsaw's Blog: https://terrischurter.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-internet-go-school-for-ddk-bkl.html

Did you know that Bill Gates wanted to become a professional Go player? In this week's episode of Star Point, let's talk about all sorts of unlikely places where you'll find the influence of our beloved game, including QR codes, TV shows, and more!

How do we make sure that what we're learning sticks around in our brains for the long haul? Let's talk about a learning method called "spaced repetition" and how it can help our Go game!

Do the current options for auto-match on OGS make sense? Also, what if the Queens' Gambit were about Go? Thank you all who have supported Star Point during its debut season, I am looking forward to more Star Pointing with you guys when the podcast returns on August 19th!

OGS Forum Post: Revisiting Automatch Time Settings

Sometimes we need to hit the reset button and consider what kind of Go players we were when we first started out. We get bogged down with our own ideas and thoughts and it might be preventing us from truly learning. How do we maintain a sense of childlike wonder when we play this game?

Many Go players put a lot of importance in achieving that ever so elusive shodan title. But the fact is that many Go players will never reach this goal. Is that okay? What reasons could we find to play the game outside of climbing the ranks?

To be a Go player, you need to be more than just a Go player. Let's talk about some of the "soft" skills of Go. How is your confidence? How is your resilience? Do you get discouraged easily? Can you get under your opponent's skin?

Correction to this episode, Shin Jinseo played against Ke Jie, not Gu Zihao in the LG Cup Semi-finals.

Michael Redmond's Review of Shin Jinseo vs. Ke Jie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2hEURa-eDI

If you're like me, you're addicted to buying Go books. But does reading a Go book actually help you improve? This week, I share some thoughts about Go books and give mini reviews of all the Go books that I own.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go - Toshiro Kageyama

The Fundamental Principles of Go - Yilun Yang 7 Dan

The Workshop Lectures - Yilun Yang

Go! More Than a Game - Peter Shotwell

Winning Go - Richard Bozulich, Peter Shotwell

Cho Hun-heyon’s Lectures on Go Techniques: Volume One - Cho Hun-hyeon 9 Dan

Attack and Defense - Akira Ishida 9-dan, Ishida James Davies

Tesuji - James Davies

Get Strong at Endgame - Richard Bozulich

All About Life and Death Vol. 1 & 2 - Cho Chikun

How to Open Go - Dwyrin

How Not to Play Go - Yuan Zhou

The Master of Go - Yasunari Kawabata

The Girl Who Played Go - Shan Sa

Come gather 'round and hear the tale of the two brothers; one called Strategy and one called Tactics. Let's not mistake them as one person. In Go news, I cover the final result of the Samsung Cup, round 2 of the Nongshim Cup, and an update regardingthe latest AGA board meeting.

This week on Star Point, I uncover the mystery of reading in Go! More specifically, I’ll go over some of the subtleties involved in the thinking process of reading, how to train your reading ability, and touch on a relevant study that may reveal some insights about what reading really is. Special thanks to plixik716 for the episode idea!

Baduk Doctor's "Road to Be Dan Player":

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdgGayi8IloIQ6jbY4pXIMzcE081vwfxN&si=qfYTkZaHrtkwglCm

Clossius (Shawn Ray)

https://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRay

Telegraph go

https://www.youtube.com/@telegraphgo

Takumi Go Academy

https://www.youtube.com/@TakumiGoAcademy

Drako’s Go

https://www.youtube.com/@drakosgo

Simple Baduk

https://www.youtube.com/@simplebaduk

Yoon’s Baduk Cafe

https://www.youtube.com/@YoonsBadukCafe

Tuerda

https://www.youtube.com/@tuerda

Go is a game of wood and stones but it’s not immune to the influence of technology. This week, I talk about some of the existing technology in the Go world today, SGF and envision what could be coming to us in the future. Also, an update on the results of the round of 32 in the Samsung Cup.

J’s IZIS AI Go Board Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KPGqKJYcZY

goban.co:

https://goban.co/

AI SGF Analyzer:

http://gostyle.j2m.cz/webapp.html

Baduk Cap:

https://apps.apple.com/uy/app/baduk-cap/id896353586

SmartGo:

https://www.smartgo.com/

This week on Star Point, I go over an interesting study I found on how we learn. I also touch on Nick Sibicky's retirement and discuss the state of Go content today.

Benjamin Keep, PhD, JD: A Simple Way to Learn Complex Skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI_3bQ-EWSI

Nick's Goodbye:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmycG_KWlWs

Creators mentioned in this episode (and few more!):

Go Inside: https://www.youtube.com/@eunkyodo

Triton Baduk: https://www.youtube.com/@TritonBaduk

Contraband Go: https://www.youtube.com/@contrabandgo

Baduk Doctor: https://www.youtube.com/@BadukDoctor

Spirit Animal: https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritAnimalGO

Struggle Bus: https://www.youtube.com/@StrugglebusGo

Benkyo: https://www.youtube.com/@BenKyoBaduk

Dwyrin: https://www.youtube.com/@dwyrin

Clossius: https://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRay

Telegraph Go: https://www.youtube.com/@telegraphgo

Go Magic: https://www.youtube.com/@GoMagic

New York Institute of Go: https://www.youtube.com/@NYIGGo

Everyone says it's important to review your games. But how exactly should you go about doing that? This week, I share my 4-step process for a good self-review.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://ai-sensei.com/

https://gokibitz.com/

http://ps.waltheri.net/

This week on Star Point, I tell you all about my Go origin story and the on-and-off relationship I had with the game to get to where I am today.

The Classic of Weiqi is one of the oldest texts about Go. Written by Zhang Ni in the 10th or 11th century, it's chock full of ancient wisdom that has stood the test of time. Can such an old piece of writing help us improve our game?

The Classic of Weiqi

I finally watched Knives Out! This week, I talk about the handicap system and my amateur data analysis attempt at 27 million OGS game records.

Source of OGS game record data:

https://forums.online-go.com/t/can-we-get-an-sgf-database-dump/38837

https://za3k.com/ogs/

This week, I share some thoughts about the benefits of studying joseki and compare Go to martial arts and music.

This week on Star Point, I try to answer the question of whether playing faster games can have a positive or negative impact on your Go improvement.

This week, I talk about couple of things I wish I knew when I was a wee double-digit kyu player and discuss the multiple dimensions of learning in Go.

This week on Star Point, I go over the pros and cons of different time control systems used in Go!

This week, I talk about my visit to the Seattle Go Center and about the local Go club scene in Southern California. I also respond to some of your comments/messages in our first listener mail section!

Sometimes, when you're playing to win, it can stop you from playing because you care too much about the result. Listen to this week's episode of Star Point for one weird trick to motivate yourself to play more games!

This week, I plead my case: winning in Go is important! I also ask what makes a beautiful game, and talk about trying to escape my never-ending correspondence games.

This week on Star Point, I talk about all the stuff surrounding the surrounding game. That is, things like etiquette and time controls – things that don't have to do as much with the actual quality of moves played during the game, but the actions we take around the game.

In this episode of Star Point, I talk about different "styles" of play in the game of Go. What kinds of styles are there? Where does style come from?

Go is great! It's really great! Why don't more people see how great it is? Also, OGS also launched some really great updates! Here are the updates:

OGS Updates

The first episode of Star Point, a podcast about the game of Go! I talk about my experience overcoming language barriers and playing a simul with Kenro Osawa 4p and briefly go over the 2023 NAGF pro qualifications.

Have you ever considered getting a Go teacher? Sometimes we need that extra push from a stronger player to get to the next level. Here are seven benefits of getting a Go teacher and a short story about Korean Go legend, Cho Hunhyun.

https://www.britgo.org/bgj/bgj.html

Have you ever realized in the middle of a game that you and your opponent had wildly different perceptions of what was going on? You can find truth on the go board, but until then we are lost in our own unique storylines. Also, I propose a new kind of Go problem to assess our story evaluation skills. My Sample "Story" Problems on OGS

Hate doing life and death problems? Here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of your tsumego problems and perhaps even enjoy them!

Go Board from "Puzzled" in Albuquerque

Telegraph Go 101Weiqi Guide

Takumi Go 101Weiqi Guide