Pair Go was a new adventure for me last year. I had never even considered this variation until the 2007 tournament. So when this year rolled around, I still couldn't help feeling like a newbie.
This variation is ever intriguing and challenging for both players. I am in the
interesting position of having a partner of a much higher skill and rank than myself. There
will always be a trade off of skill in a game like this. One must accept that a move is a
move. You cannot be upset that your partner did not pick up on the sequence you planned,
and you can't worry about not seeing where you think they think you should move. See how
confusing that can get? Each move must be taken in stride.
I tend to suffer from the latter problem. I think I fail to see the important move that needs to be made. I frequently am the weakest link in the game. It is not all bad, because I learn so much simply by observing the flow of the game. It forces me to slow down since I am playing an internal guessing game as to where my partner will move, but also still trying to read out all the combinations that may come with the other moves between my next turn.
All in all this is a really fun tournament. The players are all enthusiastic and it has been well organized. I look forward to it next year.
(Editorial Note: Since you can't see the game in the first picture, I added a picture that you can see it in to the Photo Gallery.)
Back to the Te wo Tsunaide '08 index.