I see people playing games, and they never review them. On the Fox server, it is common to see someone who has played over 40 thousand games but has been in the same rank for years. This happens because they play without reviewing their games afterward.
I see games as proof of what you know. You are just showing off all the skills you have practiced. The primary learning and growth happen in the review and other studies. You can test things out and see what you could have done differently. Doing this while playing a game is hard because you can only make one move. You also have the pressure of a clock running down and an opponent.
You can improve just by playing games, but eventually you’ll plateau. It’s similar to only “studying” by listening to the lectures in a class. You might remember some of it and even enough to pass the test. But it does not get absorbed into your long-term memory, and you forget it shortly after the test.
How I recommend you review your games
It is easier if you have an actual board, but it will also work if you can only do it with an sgf editor. First, you want to try and replay the game from memory. It will be hard at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. The first four moves are usually the hardest to remember, but after that, it gets easier. If you need to check where to play next, that is okay, but try to retain as much of the game as possible.
Reviewing helps with several things. It helps develop your memory for Go related things, enabling you to remember what you study more efficiently. It also shows where you may need to think more about your moves. If you can’t remember it, you didn’t think too much about it and just played it. Or you needed to think more about your opponent’s move.
20% on the opening
After you go through the game from memory or with help, go back to the beginning. Spend 20% of your time with the opening moves and joseki choices. You want to spend a little time here because the opening won’t lose you the game if you don’t die somewhere. Most of the time, game ending mistakes happen in the middle and endgame.
70% on the middlegame
Spend about 70% of your time on the middlegame. Going over when to invade, whether you should have just reduced, and other things. A good habit to build is to count and keep track of the score and who is winning. It makes it easier to decide whether I should have invaded here or reduced. Did I need to start this fight? During a review, you can count as many times as needed without the pressure of a clock. It makes counting during games easier because you get lots of practice. It also helps build your judgment, which will be tremendously helpful during your games.
10% on the endgame
Spend 10% of your time on the endgame, focusing primarily on the early endgame, where the big points are made. Endgame is the least studied part of the game, and if you can get good at it, it’s a huge advantage in your games. The endgame is best studied and practiced on its own. I recommend the book “Get Strong at the Endgame” by Richard Bozulich. It is on the GoBooks app if you have an iPhone.
Thoughts on AI
Review on your own first. Do not just open an AI program and start reviewing. It does not help as much as you think. After reviewing the game yourself, if you have questions, ask someone more knowledgeable for help. As a last resort, if you can’t find anyone to review with but have questions, then you could try using an AI program. But it won’t help too much. I only recommend it if you are at least around Dan level.
The people I see constantly improving are reviewing their games. If you would like more tips on how to play during the game, I wrote about that here. Please let me know if you have tried this and how it has worked out for you.
For tips on how to review pro games, I wrote about that here.
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