Joseki

I went to the local go club here in Birmingham. I feel good about my progress. There are some players I could never imagine beating right now but everyone is friendly. I played two three stone handicap games against an 11k (on KGS) opponent. I barely lost both of them. Afterwards, one of the members who is very, very good gave us both a lesson on joseki. We replayed some that we had played and asked for some comments which he gave.

Right now in my development, I understand the concepts in almost all beginning Go books. I haven't looked into any books on a specific topic like joseki or life and death problems. I asked him if joseki were comparable to chess openings. Should I just buy a book and memorize positions, moves, counters, etc.? He told me that was absolutely wrong. They are different because they have different objectives.

In chess you are trying to gain a positional advantage over your opponent. You are trying to play to gain superiority. In joseki, and Go in general, the point is to come to a mutually agreeable arrangement. If both sides play perfect Go, every game should be decided by half a stone. The point is not to kill groups but to come to agreement and divide territory.

This is a zero sum game that encourages cooperation. It is blowing my mind.