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by Aria von Elbe
August 4, 2004
Immersed in this week of on-stop go, I’ve been wondering what it means to be a good go player Do you have to have a high rank? Do you have to be a pro? As an 18 kyu, I often daydream about what it's like to be a 3 dan like my sensei, or even a pro, but I always end up laughing at myself. If I want to get there it’s obvious I have to work, but what's not so clear is just how long it will take to get there.
People tell me "It only takes a year of intense study to get to single-digit kyu," or "You could make shodan by January if you wanted it enough, you just have to get your priorities straight." But with my upcoming junior year in high school packed with studying for AP and honors classes, not to mention the impending SATs, go will most likely be relegated to Thursday nights at the club.
It's not like I don't want to study. Quite the contrary; I came to this Congress with the plan of learning all I could, not just to have a fun time. Why else would I have stayed at the hotel on the day off today so that I could get some of the stronger players to play some teaching games? And that’s why I was bold enough to ask a Japanese pro to be my partner for Pair Go Thursday night. With all the games that I've been playing and watching, there's got to be some improvement in there somewhere, right?
I’m trying to accept my slow progress: I may be far down on the ladder, but I'm okay with that. I keep on trying and now I’m not losing all my games anymore, so I must be getting better. But how long until I break out of the double-digit kyu ranks? And then how long until I make it to shodan? Probably not anytime soon, but I guess I can handle that. After all, they say go takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. I think that's a good thing.
-16-year-old Aria von Elbe
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