I think people forget how many levels of skill there are. I think I share this experience with many others, but the first time I encountered serious chess players at a chess club, I expected to "clean up" because I always beat casual players I might play. I simply came to think I was good when I wasn't.
I got humbled pretty quickly. I went from thinking I was quite good to realizing I was one of the worst players in the club. I worked my way up to being one of the better players in the club, but realized I still sucked because the club itself was composed mostly of "mediocre" players (we had 1 master who rarely showed up and a couple of 1900+ players and then lots of 1400-1700 players.) There is a seemingly unlimited number of players better than you, no matter how strong you get unless you are truly one of the elite. - Don On Thu, 2008-09-11 at 15:43 +0200, Magnus Persson wrote: > I know a 4-Dan player who told a story that goes something like this: > He and his friends who were all very strong chess players at the time, > discovered the rules of go and played a bunch of games against each > other until they thought they mastered it. Later they met a player who > gave them a 9-stone handicap and beat them easily. They were shocked > and told him he must be a master player but he just replied: "No I am > just a beginner". > > -Magnus > > Quoting Mark Boon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 8:53 AM, Adrian Grajdeanu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> I read that story in a book, just after Bobby Fisher's death. Don't > >> remember > >> all details, save that he was astonished he got beaten. > >> Adrian > > > > Hehe. After I learned the game (from a book, playing with my father > > who brought a set from Japan for my birthday) I was also astonished to > > be beaten by the first other person I met that knew the game. And he > > gave me 9 stones handicap! But rather than putting me off it made me > > even more intrigued by the game. Now I know this person was probably > > not even 15 kyu. > > > > Mark > > _______________________________________________ > > computer-go mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://www.computer-go.org/mailman/listinfo/computer-go/ > > > > > _______________________________________________ computer-go mailing list [email protected] http://www.computer-go.org/mailman/listinfo/computer-go/
