Playing against an app and improving your skills
First off, I just want to say that I'm ranked around 8-10 kyu, so this advice might not be super helpful if you're a stronger player.
I've tried a bunch of Go apps, but I always come back to Crazy Stone Deep Learning Pro ($17 on the App Store). You can check it out here. Yeah, it's old and was released before AlphaGo shook up the Go world. But what I love about Crazy Stone is its unique rating mode. It lets me play against AIs close to my level, and I get this nice sense of progress. Plus, the variation it offers is great. If it thinks I'm around 10 kyu, it'll sometimes give me slightly stronger 9k or weaker 11k opponents, and tweak things like komi or "vorgabesteinen" (handicap stones). For me, it's way better than getting destroyed by KataGo over and over.
Also, the AI strength is very well implemented - a 13k opponent will blunder ladders, a 7k opponent plays a ruthless game that really challenges me. No other Go app I came across offers such nuanced opponents.
Here are some screenshots showing key features - the app in action, the overview of your matches in rating mode, and my progress there.
The downside? Crazy Stone’s analysis feature is pretty weak. But that's where another awesome app steps in: A Master of Go ($12 on the app store). Not only can you challenge top-tier AIs (if you're into that kind of thing), but it has an amazing analysis feature. You can try out different moves, play out variations, and see how the game could've gone if you had made different decisions. And the best part? It integrates smoothly with Crazy Stone Pro.
Here’s how:
- After finishing a game in Crazy Stone, export it to your clipboard.
- Switch over to A Master of Go, and hit "Paste SGF for study"
- Let a pro-level AI (I use the KataGo option) analyze your game and enjoy all the awesome insights A Master of Go provides.
The final screenshot shows a position in "A Master of Go", my move marked by a black outline (my winning chances 50.9%) and the blue-colored optimal move (with winning chances of 53.8%), showing me that KataGo believes my move cost me nearly 3% winning chances. I can then just click on the blue move and play a variation with AI suggestions or whatever I want to try out. Very very cool.
Yes, the apps will set you back 30 bucks, but they are totally worth it. Give them a try, and have fun improving!
Learning from Go books, pro games, Go puzzles
Another great way to improve your Go skills is through Go books, pro games, and Go problems. For iOS users, the app SmartGo One (Pro) is perfect for all of this. You can check it out here. The basic features are already quite solid, but if you're serious about improving, the $15 pro upgrade is worth it. It adds the KataGo engine (a pro-level teacher and opponent), an awesome guessing feature, and more.
- Go books: Unlike traditional paper books, you can easily replay, change, and explore all the variations on a digital board. It’s super helpful for studying.
- Pro games: The app includes tons of pro games spanning centuries for you to replay. One of my favorite features is the "guess mode." At each move, you try to guess what the next move will be, and the app gives you hints, narrowing down the location. Plus, it tracks how well you're guessing with statistics!
- Problems: You also get classic life-and-death problems (222 of them included in the pro version). There are additional problems available for purchase, but honestly, with so many other sites and apps out there, I probably won’t need to buy more.
Here are a few screenshots: one showing books, another with books and settings, and two featuring pro games.
The first Go board shows a game between KataGo (black) and a 9p professional player (white). The pro player had a 5-stone handicap but still lost. In other games, the human managed to win against KataGo with a 6-stone handicap. So, if you mindlessly crunch the numbers, that would put KataGo’s rank somewhere around 14p. Incredible, right?
The final screenshot shows the guessing feature. I guessed the next move 20 would be below move 19, the app showed me green dots where the next move actually was to guide me in my guessing.
While the app lets you play against AI, even the weakest setting (SmartGo--) is too strong for me 😅. That’s why I prefer how Crazy Stone handles it.
Go books I found valuable:
- Michael Redmond: AlphaGo to Zero. A very thoroughly commented walk through the matches of AlphaGo vs. Lee Sedol. Not sure if I don't like the youtube live commentary more, which taught me so much and re-ignited my Go passion. But still a great read.
- Yuan Zhou: Single Digit Kyu Game Commentaries.Very detailed analysis of 4 games of people like me, showing where mere mortals err.
- Yuan Zhou: Deep Thought: Extremely Thorough Commentaries on Pro Games. similar to above, but with pro games. Often pros make moves that you just don't get as an amateur, so it helps tremendously if another pro explains them. (applies to Redmond's book as well).
