Go Lessons

Playing an attachment at the bottom of a shimari is the classic probe, a move we play to simply test out how our opponent is going to react and then act accordingly. The probe is used in this case to decide how the lower right should progress to head off an invasion. AI does throw a wrench into the mix, but this opening is really cool to learn to understand aji and probe timing.

Target Rank: 5 kyu to 1 dan

15 min audio

Ever since Alpha Go beat Lee Sedol the influence of AI on Go has been extraordinary. After the match between Lee and Alpha Go a version of the AI played dozens of professional players under the moniker "Master." It's been many years since then but let's explore how AI has challenged our thinking of the game. What josekis are basically gone? What styles are better? How should we be approaching this game?

Target Rank: 9 kyu to 4 dan

17 min audio

The 5,4 point isn't commonly played in modern Go, but don't worry, many amateur players love it because it can lead to some pretty interesting fights and sequences. Let's learn a really basic standard sequence beginning with White's approach to the takamoku and see how two players can split up the board peacefully.

Target Rank: 14 kyu to 8 kyu

12 min audio

Is the "3 Linked Stars Formation" or the Sanrensei as it is known in Japanese, still playable in the modern AI era? Well, I think it's very useful to us as beginner Go players to learn some fundamental concepts about how the game is played, namely in terms of building frameworks and attacking our opponent. Let's learn the basics of this formation and maybe even try it out in your own games!

Target Rank: 15 kyu to 10 kyu

13 min audio

In this game between Xie Yimin (Black) and Hane Naoki, what begins as a pushing battle on the right side quickly spills across the entire board. Instead of resolving cleanly, the fight keeps expanding, leaving multiple groups unsettled well into the middle game. Both players are forced to constantly balance offense and defense, switching between attacking and stabilizing at a moment’s notice. Tesuji appear throughout, but what really stands out is how the direction of play evolves as the fight spreads. We’ll focus on the key moments and ideas you can actually apply in your own games, so you can learn from the chaos without getting overwhelmed by the fact that this is a high-level professional match.

Target Rank: 9 kyu to 4 dan

21 min audio

As a beginner it's easy to miss opportunities to snag our opponent's stones. Let's train your eyes to spot opportunities to nab stones, and your opponent won't even know what hit them!

Target Rank: 30 kyu to 18 kyu

8 min audio

Sharpen your instincts. Strengthen your direction of play. Let's do a series of problems to test your intuition about where on the board you should play. Don't get too hung up on sequences or joseki, let's develop intuition about which part of the board is the most important. You'll try out a series of 4 problems and get explanations. This will level up your Opening Power.

Target Rank: 10 kyu to 5 kyu

20 min audio

There are so many new variations to the 3,3 invasion it'll make your head spin. Let's focus today on White's knight's move to get out ahead and what happens when he tenukis, multiple times!

Target Rank: 8 kyu to 1 kyu

12 min audio

When I started playing Go again, one of the biggest new things was the "early" 3-3 invasion now being standard, as well as the new variations. Let's explore them together!

Target Rank: 7 kyu to 1 kyu

14 min audio

Our opponent's don't have to follow the plan. Let's talk about some instances where a player did not follow the typical 3,3 sequences and let's see how to punish.

Target Rank: 12 kyu to 6 kyu

16 min audio

We're going to introduce the 3,3 invasion and man is there a lot to talk about. In modern Go the 3,3 invasion shows up all the time, even in older games it was a big deal. How does each side handle it? Let's start on the journey together

Target Rank: 12 kyu to 6 kyu

17 min audio