I was peaking in KGS at 1d playing 5min 30s byo years ago just before the alphago 2015 match. But i admit i stopped trying to improve long before that time, same way as it happened in chess.
¿Why?
In 2013 2014 you could already see 5d-6d-7d experimental bots in the KGS Computer Room lobby. I couldnt beat them as i did with GNUGo, so, at that point i knew that trying to improve would be pointless as in chess so i just grabbed the popcorn bag and waited to see the equivalent of go DeepBlue beating Kasparov. It happened faster than i though. Then i quitted go. Even tho sometimes i prey into some kyu casual in OGS but, as in chess, the will to improve at go or chess is gone forever.
My philosophy is to reach your natural strenght rank and then move on (or keep playing if you have nothing better to do), since bots will always be lot better than any human, even one with a huge talent spending all his life into that game (like in go a Honimbo Shuushaku or a LeeSeeDol).
@clutchnutz My 6d/IM was an estimate that 6d is roughly ekvivalent. To degree any such comparison can be made. I would sayd 1dan pro is clearly GM. Becoming pro is really, really hard. In Nihon-Ki-In 3-4 players per year gets pro rank. Only Finn who got pro-rank got after second try. Which would not have granted to Japanese players - they have make it before age of 18.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antti_T%C3%B6rm%C3%A4nen_(Go_player)The whole point of pro organizations is keep good control over who gets to call himself pro. Closed circuit is great for maximazing income as there one organization discussion with sponsors.
@petri999 The getting into profesional ranks in go were lot more harder to the westerners since you first had to move to Japan, Korea or China intern into a go-baduk-weiqi school, arduous train and compete there and pass or fail one year later. An obsolete system compared with chess FIDE that imo contributed to the loss of popularity of go in the world.
Nowadays go servers are like ghost towns compared with the pre-alphago age.
Chess seems to be nerd oriented. Chessplayers do everything they can to make it even worse by memorising long theoretic openings and even the whole chess board (would you believe it), so that they can play blindfold to impress kids. The game of go is like art, and therefore for a chess player who wants to have 10 games in 10 minutes is of no interest at all.
obviously there is lot of problems for foreigners. But it is not limitted to one year. Antti for instance tried twice before gaining acceptance. At the age japanes player would have quit. Also politics plays part. Korean association promoted few russing probably to gain publicity.
Go is less popular than chess just because it has always been exclusive to few countries. Attempt to spread it started really only in -70. And even in Japand Shogi is more popular.
@petri999 @monosapiens Thanks for the insight and info. It's been years since I played and I was only an average player.
On an unrelated note, I just noticed that there are now electronic go boards with leds under each point with strong AI software capable of beating top pros. Very tempting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-kI9Ncq_U Natasha Regan would be EGF 1k (call that a japanese or american 1 dan) and WIM
http://www.europeangodatabase.eu/EGD/Player_Card.php?&key=12301146I remember reading about a 2450 chess player I think was mid-dan or higher, but I can't seem to find where I saw them. Probably not titled, only playing online though.
This thread on reddit (
www.reddit.com/r/baduk/comments/8l5ype/to_the_go_players_who_play_chess_do_you_feel_you/) has several people claim to be ~2200 and dan-level. Boris Mitrovic checks out to be 2200 and 2d.
The thing is, strong chess players who also know of go have better things to do than to go after FIDE titles.
somewhat related Elliot Winslow is an IM and plays professional backgammon
Bill Robertie chess NM and two times backgammon worldchampion. Lot simpler game though
Somewhat related Rashid Nezhmetdinov, grandmaster in both chess and draughts.
It seems go is much more different and much more complicated.
