The Chinese Game Go - 5 Tips For Becoming Stronger!

The Chinese game of go is an interesting game that is growing in popularity throughout the world. Here are 5 tips for beginners on how to become stronger at the Chinese game go.

1. Play in the biggest areas. As written in the most ancient of go documents, playing in the big open areas is the most beneficial in the Chinese game go. Although it may look like you get more points by playing your stones close to each other, building a framework will pay off. Also know that the biggest areas on the board are the corners, then the sides, and the center last. This is because it takes the least amount of moves to surround the corner, and the most to surround the same amount of territory in the center.
2. Stay connected. This is a famous go proverb that can be hard to follow. Connecting your stones can often look very slow, and indeed sometimes they are. But remember that you should try to never have more than 4 separate groups on the board. It will then become very difficult to prevent all your groups from dying.
3. Remember to read. Reading out moves, that is visualizing how the board will look several moves ahead, is important for becoming stronger at the Chinese game go. Always remember to visualize what you think might happen before you place a stone on the goban. It is a great feeling to win by reading out sequences your opponent didn't see.
4. Always question the state of groups. If one of your groups looks like it might die, protect it, and if it's your opponents, attack it. This may seem a bit obvious, but it's very common to lose games by not paying attention to all of the groups on the board.
5. Don't follow your opponent. If you let the opponent dictate where you'll play, you will most likely lose the game. When your opponent places a stone, look at the whole board before deciding if responding to his move is the best. A common problem among beginners is that they don't pay attention to the whole board, and often play in the same area as the opponent without thinking.

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