Do you know the six basic killable eye-shapes? They’re one of the first things a beginner must learn. They’re shapes that hover on the line between life and death; whether they live or die depends on who gets the next turn. It’s critical to be able to recognize them at a glance, even when they’re not fully formed, and to know exactly where to strike to kill them or make them live.

I’ve posted some problems in the extended entry so you can quiz yourself.

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I’ve heard from some people who are interested in learning go but can’t attend on Sundays, but would be willing to run a regular Go meeting at Cool Comics and Games in Cape Coral. These would be during the week – probably Monday, Wednesday or Thursday. This would be in addition to our Sunday Fort Myers meetings which would remain the primary meeting night.

Post a comment if you’re interested in a weekday Cape meeting. I want to make sure there are enough interested parties before we move forward.

Just five members showed up today, but there were still a lot of interesting match-ups. Newcomer Josh K. lost his first 19×19 game at nine stones to Grant, but went on to force Rob down to five stones on the 9×9. Nate beat Grant in consecutive four and five stone handicap games earning four Grand Prix points before narrowly losing a seven stone game to me.

Meanwhile, Rob and I engaged in a titanic slug-fest. I put together a good opening and early middle game, breaking out into a huge lead which I naturally squandered. We both ran short of time and some mistakes in the endgame let me eke out a 1.5 point win. Our latest series is tied at four games apiece. I’ve posted the game record below the fold.

Remember, we meet every Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30. We had a couple people show up four hours late today, so they didn’t get to play! Also, we’re still planning on running a tournament in February, though the location still needs to be confirmed. Check back here for updates.

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Here are this week’s problems. I’ve included a fairly difficult problem adapted from a game a couple months ago that earned my 4 kyu rank on KGS. The novice problem is the first problem in the classical collection Gokyo Shumyo. Most of the problems in the collection are much more difficult, however!

Be sure to check back next Thursday for a new set of problems.

We had six people show for today’s meeting including three beginners. Rob beat Nate in a six stone handicap game and me in a fast game to earn four Grand Prix points. Nate went on to beat newcomer Josh in a very close 13×13 game while giving nine handicap stones, earning three GP points total.

Here’s the game between Rob and Nate.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas break. Here are some problems to start off the new year.

Remember, Grand Prix points start accumulating Sunday, January 3rd. Show up for as many meetings as you can to earn the most points.