Battling Liberty

With experimentation late last night, I found one of the weaknesses of the LibertyBot (23k) in KGS's Beginners' Room. It is understandibly strong in tactics but has no strategy. As I had mentioned to g0d0t (26k), the bot is unlikely to follow you around when you tenuki into the corners as opposed to responding to its first attack. This, of course, allows you to quickly define a large moyo and settle your bases while the bot tries to kill an isolated and abandoned stone. It will waste up to five moves with this objective, thus giving you the equivalent of a handicap.

Having said that, does that mean the the LibertyBot is useless as a training tool after you have understood this flaw?

My opinion is that it probably still has value if you practice to fight its strengths. It is still reasonably good (for lower kyus) in tactical play and it is also fast. As mentioned in my last post, I think it would be good to train myself not to react to its fast play. It would also be good training if I can win regional battles against it at the tactical level.

The KGS system promoted me to 24 kyu last night after a couple of victories (one of them against the LibertyBot). The latter seems a bit like a hollow victory but I should probably give myself credit at least for discovering one of LibertyBot's weaknesses.

yoyoma (3k) had once said that he believed my current true strength is about 24k. Well, I'm now there; so it's on my shoulders to prove that I've earned the rank and can move on upwards.