The Art of 9 × 9 Go

Board Reading

One of the most difficult skill to master is board reading. You need to have the right thinking steps and the true understanding of Go concepts applied to each step.

First, the game shoud be observed by focusing on all stones on the board, not on merely the previous move. Second, the board situation should be anlayzed by characterizing all of its major aspects: the strength, weakness, risk, and opportunity of both yours and your opponent's. Third, prioritize your problems. Fourth, have good move options in place, based on your knowledge, which comes from your experience. Fifth, visualize the move sequence that proceeds from each good move option, and evaluate its impacts on the game situation in the far future (on your long-term rewards, not just the immediate short-term gain). Sixth, trade off such impacts and select the most effective and efficient move.

This is board reading: situation assessment, move visualization, impact evaluation, and best move selection.

st=>start: Start|past:>http://www.google.com[blank] e=>end: End:>http://www.google.com op1=>subroutine: Observation|past:$myFunction op2=>inputoutput: Big move|current op3=>operation: Defensive search cond=>condition: Any risks?|approved:>http://www.google.com c2=>condition: Severe?|rejected io=>inputoutput: Urgent move|request para=>parallel: Aggressive search st->op1->cond cond(yes, right)->c2 cond(no)->para c2(true)->op3->io->e c2(false)->para para(path1, left)->op1 para(path2, bottom)->op2->e st@>op1({"stroke":"Red"})@>cond({"stroke":"Red","arrow-end":"classic-wide-long"})@>c2({"stroke":"Red"})@>io({"stroke":"Red"})@>e({"stroke":"Red"}) para@>op2({"stroke-width":6}) c2@>op3({"stroke":"Red"})@>io({"stroke":"Red", "stroke-width":6})

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