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Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Strong fuseki, weak endgame?

I think my fuseki has undergone a serious improvement in the last two or three months, and is continuing to do so. Things are making more sense, and I feel confident. I have strategy and flair (I hope).

However, my endgame is letting me down in a fairly major way. Over and over again, winning positions crumble as the game wears on. Tactical shortcomings, perhaps. It has been a while since I've lost a game in the opening, but just last night, when I got hammered, it was in the same goddamned way. Endgame rout, and a twelve point loss. Series of vital moves missed.

I used to think that when one part of your game improves, other parts get weaker. This is not the case. What happens is that increased competence in one area highlights the relative weakness of others; you begin to comprehend how bad other parts of your game are, and, with mounting horror, realise for how long they have been so bad.

How, then, does one improve one's endgame? Any suggestions?

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2 Comments:

  • Too true (life and death in my case). If you haven't done so already, you can boost your endgame immeasurably by reading The Endgame (Ogawa Tomoko and James Davies), chapter 6 of Basic Techniques of Go, and Get Strong at the Endgame (Richard Bozulich). This is an area of the game where a small amount of relatively easily acquired knowledge goes a long way.

    If you've already read these I don't have further advice, except keeping your eyes open for those double sente plays and counting more often.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 2:26 pm  

  • Thanks Konrad. I've emailed SB for availability, etc.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 2:13 pm  

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