Dear Guo Juan

I have noticed that the way players use their time in Go games sometimes contributes significantly to the outcome.

For instance, sometimes I feel that fully using the main time against an opponent who plays quickly can result in a decisive advantage. On the other hand, using up the main time can sometimes trigger byo-yomi blunders, and poor judgement due to pressure. Deciding to resign in byo-yomi risks handing over victory unless the position is completely clear.

Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman argues in his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" that fast and slow thinking are governed by two systems that behave very differently - System One is fast, intuitive but prone to errors and biases, while System Two is slow, deliberative and logical. System Two is probably best-suited to winning at Go but when we run out of time, System One takes over. Perhaps Alpha Go is so strong in part because it is like a fast System Two and never needs to resort to impulsive or intuitive decision-making.

How do you manage your time when you play tournament games? Do you have any recommendations?

Kind regards

Alex Mitrani

Master Guo Juan kindly answered here.