The theme for today is: Proper attitude is important.
Here is something that came up with some friendly banter at KGS.
"This is Taisha, the most powerful 5-3-point joseki ever invented." "If you don't play the best moves, it will blow your stones clean off the board." "Now, you may be thinking to yourself: If I cut there, does he have five liberties or six?" "To tell you the truth, I am not so sure myself with all this excitement ... but you have to ask yourself: Do I feel lucky?" "Well, do you feel lucky, punk?"
I was watching a friend of mine play - someone who has, shall we say, a lively and aggressive style not much given to defensive plays, and was suddenly moved to produce a preliminary version as a piece of kibitz (nugget? morsel?). I regret that I haven't checked how authentic this later and much expanded version is to the original, but clearly there is some similarity between the movei character Dirty Harry and people who enjoy playing the taisha joseki.
Another good movie for go inspiration is _A Few Good Men_. You can find the ideal teaching method exemplified by the interrogation scene. If you have watched the movie, you should remember the scene where Tom Cruise interrogates Jack Nicholson's Colonel Jessep. Now, consider it in terms of a go lesson.
(I am not telling to whom this is dedicated, but he ought to know :) Besides, he was just a little drunk and must surely be excused.)
Sensei: You want answers?
Student (puts his stone back into the bowl): I think I'm entitled to them.
Sensei: You want answers?
Student: I want the truth!
Sensei: You can't handle the truth! Son, we play on a goban that needs walls. And those walls have to be build from stones one by one. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Mr Just-starting-to-play? I have greater responsibility than you can possible fathom. You weep for your corner group and you curse my tesuji. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know; that your group's death, while tragic, was not necessary. And my play, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, killed it... You don't want the truth. Because, deep down, in places you don't talk about over the goban, you want me to kill your groups. You need me to defeat you over and over again.
We use words like hane, ko, liberty .. we use these words as the backbone of a life dedicated to playing go. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who stays home and sleeps under his blankets while we play go all night at the club, and then questions the way in which we play. I'd rather you said thank you and resigned now. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a stone and play your move. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to.
Student: Did you play a trick move?
Sensei (quietly): I played what you wanted me to play.
Student: Did you play a trick move?
Sensei: You're goddamn right I did!
I believe that this exemplifies the proper attitude that a go teacher should have. The proper teaching method includes cowing your students into submission with sustained monologues, and sometimes patterning them after well-known shared models can reinforce the learning process. Hey, what's the fun of being a go teacher if you don't leave your students with lasting scars?
You don't want to end up with the zen master approach.
Student: I don't understand this move, master. Sensei (staring into distance): I don't understand myself...
There may have been some elements of jocularity involved in this posting. This really means that I'm not ever going to admit I actually posted this, but claim that someone hacked into my account while I was busy channel-surfing Finnish TV. They also show quality Hollywood movies, you know. (not these two lately, but some things stay with you for a long time)
-- Pekka Karjalainen Apparently every Hollywood movie is really about go. Who knew?
On Sun, 6 Feb 2005 15:50:32 +0000 (UTC), pkarj...@paju.oulu.fi (Pekka
Karjalainen) wrote: >"This is Taisha, the most powerful 5-3-point joseki ever invented." >"If you don't play the best moves, it will blow your stones clean off the >board." >"Now, you may be thinking to yourself: If I cut there, does he have five >liberties or six?" >"To tell you the truth, I am not so sure myself with all this excitement >... but you have to ask yourself: Do I feel lucky?" >"Well, do you feel lucky, punk?"
I love it! But please allow me to rewrite it with greater fidelity to the original:
"Uh-uh, I know what you're thinkin': 'Will he be able to get six liberties, or only five?' And to tell the truth, with all these variations, I kinda lost track myself. "But bein' as this is the taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki in the game, and if misplayed will blow your group _clean_off_ the board, you gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky today?' "Well, do ya, _patzer_?"
> "Uh-uh, I know what you're thinkin': 'Will he be able to get six > liberties, or only five?' And to tell the truth, with all these > variations, I kinda lost track myself. > "But bein' as this is the taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki in > the game, and if misplayed will blow your group _clean_off_ the board, > you gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky today?' > "Well, do ya, _patzer_?"
EXCELLENT!
I'd do something similar in reply, but "a man's got to know his limitations".
Which incidentally, would be a damn good proverb for Go!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Bill Taylor W.Tay...@math.canterbury.ac.nz --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Go ahead and cut - MAKE MY DAY! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
> > "Uh-uh, I know what you're thinkin': 'Will he be able to get six > > liberties, or only five?' And to tell the truth, with all these > > variations, I kinda lost track myself. > > "But bein' as this is the taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki in > > the game, and if misplayed will blow your group _clean_off_ the board, > > you gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky today?' > > "Well, do ya, _patzer_?"
> EXCELLENT!
> I'd do something similar in reply, but "a man's got to know his limitations".
> Which incidentally, would be a damn good proverb for Go!
Is there enough material for a full parody - Play Go like Clint Eastwood? :->
ian.da...@durge.org wrote: > Bill Taylor wrote: > > ro...@telus.net wrote
> > > "Uh-uh, I know what you're thinkin': 'Will he be able to get six > > > liberties, or only five?' And to tell the truth, with all these > > > variations, I kinda lost track myself. > > > "But bein' as this is the taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki > in > > > the game, and if misplayed will blow your group _clean_off_ the > board, > > > you gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky today?' > > > "Well, do ya, _patzer_?"
> > EXCELLENT!
> > I'd do something similar in reply, but "a man's got to know his > limitations".
> > Which incidentally, would be a damn good proverb for Go!
> Is there enough material for a full parody - Play Go like Clint > Eastwood? :-> >From _The Good, the Bad, the Ugly_
"There are two kinds of men, the ones who kill groups, and the ones who kill stones. You, kill those stones"
>ian.da...@durge.org wrote: >> Bill Taylor wrote: >> > ro...@telus.net wrote
>> > > "Uh-uh, I know what you're thinkin': 'Will he be able to get six >> > > liberties, or only five?' And to tell the truth, with all these >> > > variations, I kinda lost track myself. >> > > "But bein' as this is the taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki >> in >> > > the game, and if misplayed will blow your group _clean_off_ the >> board, >> > > you gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky today?' >> > > "Well, do ya, _patzer_?"
>> > EXCELLENT!
>> > I'd do something similar in reply, but "a man's got to know his >> limitations".
>> > Which incidentally, would be a damn good proverb for Go!
>> Is there enough material for a full parody - Play Go like Clint >> Eastwood? :->
>>From _The Good, the Bad, the Ugly_
>"There are two kinds of men, the ones who kill groups, and the ones who >kill stones. You, kill those stones"
"There are two kinds of groups in this game, my friend: those that have two eyes, and those that run. Yours run."
In article <42068018.13795...@news.telus.net>, ro...@telus.net wrote: > I love it! But please allow me to rewrite it with greater fidelity to > the original:
Yes, thanks! I didn't remember how it went exactly, but you fixed that.
ro...@telus.net wrote: > On Sun, 6 Feb 2005 15:50:32 +0000 (UTC), pkarj...@paju.oulu.fi (Pekka > Karjalainen) wrote: >>"This is Taisha, the most powerful 5-3-point joseki ever invented." >>"If you don't play the best moves, it will blow your stones clean off the >>board." >>"Now, you may be thinking to yourself: If I cut there, does he have five >>liberties or six?" >>"To tell you the truth, I am not so sure myself with all this excitement >>... but you have to ask yourself: Do I feel lucky?" >>"Well, do you feel lucky, punk?" > I love it! But please allow me to rewrite it with greater fidelity to > the original: > "Uh-uh, I know what you're thinkin': 'Will he be able to get six > liberties, or only five?' And to tell the truth, with all these > variations, I kinda lost track myself. > "But bein' as this is the taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki in > the game, and if misplayed will blow your group _clean_off_ the board, > you gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky today?' > "Well, do ya, _patzer_?"
That's still not as faithful to the movie as you can make it:
"Ah-ah, I know what you're thinking, patzer. You're thinking, "Will he be able to get six liberties or only five?" And to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself with all these variations. But being as this is a taisha, the most complicated 5-3 joseki in the game, and if misplaced would blow your group clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, PATZER?"