[computer-go] professional knowledge

[forrest curo]

> The gap between a professional and, say, a 1-dan amateur is all to do
> with tesuji knowledge, life/death knowledge, and (to a lesser extent)
> tactical reading skill, accurate endgame counting and joseki knowledge.
> All except joseki-knowledge is board-size independent.
There's also what you might call the meta-knowledge of joseki: "Which 
joseki will accomplish worthwhile goals for me in this position vs which 
joseki might (while giving perfectly balanced results in a generic 
corner) entirely fail to make the best of this situation?"

That is a separate type of knowledge, as in the proverb "Learn joseki, 
lose ten ranks in strength."

The chief difference between a 9X9 game and a 19X19 is in the demands 
the larger board makes on our _strategic_ reading ability.

And that is not merely another board-size-dependent skill, among many. 
That is the most significant difference between a competent player and a 
strong one.

Forrest Curo
San Diego