Being a Go player, I’d have to agree. However, be aware that most Go players advise against playing computer programs for any length of time, as this is said to instill bad playing habits.
For owners of Windows PCs I’ve found IgoWin a really nice learning tool.
A quicker way of establishing one’s rank is an online server like KGS. Get a registered account, play a few rated games with random opponents, and in a short time you’ll get a statistically reliable rating (though valid only within KGS, you can’t compare across rating systems directly).
Warning: I’ve found Go to be an extremely addictive game, playing a major role in my akratic episodes, especially online blitz games. I managed to quit once, fell off the wagon, and have now managed to quit online playing again, with some difficulty. I’m not saying that Go causes akrasia, but it certainly doesn’t help if you already have that sort of issues.
Being a Go player, I’d have to agree. However, be aware that most Go players advise against playing computer programs for any length of time, as this is said to instill bad playing habits.
For owners of Windows PCs I’ve found IgoWin a really nice learning tool.
A quicker way of establishing one’s rank is an online server like KGS. Get a registered account, play a few rated games with random opponents, and in a short time you’ll get a statistically reliable rating (though valid only within KGS, you can’t compare across rating systems directly).
Warning: I’ve found Go to be an extremely addictive game, playing a major role in my akratic episodes, especially online blitz games. I managed to quit once, fell off the wagon, and have now managed to quit online playing again, with some difficulty. I’m not saying that Go causes akrasia, but it certainly doesn’t help if you already have that sort of issues.