So I'm focusing a lot on writing and I have less and less time to do tsumego problems and review professional games which makes up the bulk of my studying for Go. So, to try and stay in shape so I don't slip down any stones, I play a lot of blitz games on KGS. 10 seconds per move. I'm trying to experiment with it as a study tool, to see if it really can keep you in shape, or if you develop bad habits from it. I am not a slow player in the first place. I tend to instinctively slam down a stone after my opponent plays because I let my emotions guide me when I decide my next move. My teacher in Korea told me it was a bad habit, especially when there were plenty of games I could have won with careful decision making. One time when I was playing a kid, he walked over to our board, stood there for about five minutes and mustered all of his English knowledge into this beautiful sentence: "Fast, lose. Slow, win." Poetry.
Well I'm trying to see if he was really right. I did win against the kids when I thought about it and really made careful moves. However I can't get over the impulse to slam a stone down. I think blitz will not get rid of that feeling, but at the same time, I rely largely on my intuition and instinct, and I think blitz games train those just fine. You have to do a lot of quick calculation and use your gut to come up with the next move. Although the problem is when I'm at a loss for my next move I don't really know what to do and end up clicking a random spot.
Does anyone else play a lot of blitz, and if so, do you think it's helped your game at all?
comments
