Go ramblings

During my teenage years, my father and I played somewhere between 1-3 games of go every day in the summers. This meant that we both got to play a lot of games, but also that we were playing the games against the same person, thus neither of us improved. Slowly, over time, we became the same player, and the summer we realised we were just playing essentially the same game over and over again was, coincidentally, the summer we had the most strained relationship.

I moved away for college, during which I didn't play much go, nor did I communicate much with my father. When I returned and we had our first game after our long hiatus, I slaughtered him easily. I'd like to think that he realised that I learned things he couldn't possibly have taught me, and that if he were to keep up, he'd have to learn things on his own as well. However, I cannot get into someone else's head, and the emotional constraints of that situation means I'll probably never know.

In any event, I've started playing again, and learning, and reading, and playing. I don't think I'll ever be a dan-level player, but for the first time in years, I have something to work on in my go.

20 September 2013 00:45