Nordic Go Championship Day 2

I didn't post yesterday because I was way too busy. Now is the time to make up for that.

I had a pretty poor day game-wise. I lost to the reigning Nordic champion, a Helsinki 3 dan. What I can conclude from that game is that I should take up playing against bots to get up to speed on modern openings. Alphago as totally changed the openings in the last four years. With the intruduction of superhuman level AI players, there have been major changes in what kind of opening sequences are played in the corners. It is possible to stir up insanely complicated shit right from the start from position that were once considered well-known and relatively simple.

The white hane on top of the second black stone after the 3-3 invasion is considered a mistake these days. My opponent showed me why. We had a most instructive post mortem. I got crushed here. Oh well.

My second game against a Finnish 3 dan. I lost this one too, although, my chances were much better.

This is the terrace of Sivistys Sauna in the adjacent building. The main area indoors and this terrace were so large that we could hold any tournament in the premises these days. Financially, though, it wouldn't make any sense.

A view of Mechelininkatu towards the north form the terrace (there is another one under the open sky).

The fifth round is still going on despite most games have ended as I'm writing this. After the second day and four rounds, Matti Siivola, 5 dan, was leading followed by Aleksi Savolainen, 5 dan, and Pål Sannes, 3 dan, from Norway.