Go Update
I haven't posted about go in a while, and for good reason; I haven't been playing. I've had the odd pickup game here and there, but that is all. All my books are gathering dust, my set remains firmly on the top of the bookshelf, and I haven't been around to the club in a while. Oddly enough, given the amount of go I have played over the years, I'm okay with that.
Why? Well, changing life circumstances have meant that I often can't make tournaments and Tuesday night go anymore. While that is certainly true, I also don't have the same drive I used to. I've gotten tired and sick to my bones of playing this game competitively, searching for wins and points to get a promotion or go to the WAGC. I just couldn't care anymore. As for studying, I'd rather curl up with something peaceful like a Jim Thompson novel or Herodotus. The decline of the Johannesburg Go Club may also have something to do with it.
Maybe I'll get back into go in a more active way in a couple of months, maybe I won't. We'll see.
Why? Well, changing life circumstances have meant that I often can't make tournaments and Tuesday night go anymore. While that is certainly true, I also don't have the same drive I used to. I've gotten tired and sick to my bones of playing this game competitively, searching for wins and points to get a promotion or go to the WAGC. I just couldn't care anymore. As for studying, I'd rather curl up with something peaceful like a Jim Thompson novel or Herodotus. The decline of the Johannesburg Go Club may also have something to do with it.
Maybe I'll get back into go in a more active way in a couple of months, maybe I won't. We'll see.
Labels: Go
posted by Tristen at
10:09 pm
2 Comments:
Was the attainment of the 1dan objective after years of effort a major factor? I am wondering myself whether if/when I attain 1dan I will also largely abandon the game. Obviously this relates to the whole debate about playing the game for enjoyment vs playing the game to achieve some fundamentally arbitrary rank (the two goals are, of course, not totally different).
On the other hand, if it liberates you from an excessively all-consuming obsession, perhaps its a good thing, and just as well.
By
quantumf, At
3:35 pm
Hi Chris,
I think it was more the effort required to get to 1-dan than the actual attainment of the rank. Studying, playing lots, tournaments, etc.. In South Africa, the general level of play isn't that strong so it does require extra effort to reach dan (the circumstances aren't optimal). Somewhere along the way, I kind of forgot why I was playing in the first place. Getting to dan gave me a moment to reflect about what i was doing.
Was it worth it? Hell yes. Go is great training for the brain, and, you know what, I still get a kick out of saying I'm 1 dan.
By
Tristen, At
3:01 pm
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