All About Go

If you haven’t seen it already, IgoLocal.net is a new website created by Chuck Thomas (the man behind Shodan Imports). IgoLocal is described  as “The Physical Go Server” and encourages players to meet locally to play games. In a time when many players are not going to local clubs and just playing online, I think this is a brilliant idea. I’m not the only one who thinks so: at the time of writing, just a few weeks after the launch of IgoLocal, the website already has 866 Go players from 51 countries signed up. Let’s take a closer look at the website and see why it is so successful.

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In an effort to build the All About Go Gallery, we are holding a contest in search of the best Go-related art, photography, digital images, poems, and stories.  The person who submits the winning piece in each category will receive a free teaching game from Csaba Mero, European 6-dan and former insei.

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At first I was hesitant to buy Toshiro Kageyama’s Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go, but now I regret not reading it years ago. The book immediately explains why players may experience barriers to their improvement in Go (a lack of understanding of “the fundamentals”) and goes on to remedy this in many easily understandable chapters, while also discussing the philosophy of the game and “the correct way to study.” Kageyama’s humour and writing style make the book not only an invaluable resource for Go players of all levels, but also a thoroughly entertaining read.

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If the first step to improving in Go is setting goals, then naturally the second step is focusing on the goals and maintaining them. Focus and concentration are important not just with goals, but in actual Go games as well. How many games have you lost because you lost concentration and made a silly mistake? How many games have you won only because your opponent did something similar? Just what is the secret to staying focused?

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I am continuously impressed by the abilities of young Go players worldwide. Where do these prodigies come from? What makes them so strong? Let’s look at some examples and see what can be learned.
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