What Are Weiqi Problems and How Do You Train With Them?

Weiqi problems (also called go problems, baduk problems, or tsumego) are short, self-contained board positions with a correct sequence of moves to find. You train with them by solving sets matched to your rank, on a schedule that mixes untimed reading practice with timed drills, and by tracking which problem types you keep failing. On GoProblems.com, for example, problems are organized by difficulty from 30 kyu up to 1 dan and beyond, grouped into themed collections, and served through daily sets, time trials, and tournaments.

What counts as a weiqi problem

A weiqi problem gives you a position and a goal: live, kill, connect, cut, capture a race, or find the best local move. The solution is usually a short forced sequence, so the whole exercise is a reading drill rather than a full game.

The main categories you will see in a problem database:

GoProblems.com's collections reflect this spread — for instance, Semeai / Capturing Race, Connect, Cutting, Snapback, Ladder, Squeeze Tesuji, Under the Stones, and an Encyclopedia of Life and Death series.

Why solving problems improves your game

Problem solving builds three things that show up directly in real games:

• Reading depth. You calculate a sequence to a conclusion instead of stopping at "this looks fine."
• Shape recognition. After enough repetitions, weak and strong shapes become visible without conscious counting.
• Calculation speed. Timed practice compresses the time you need to verify a sequence, which matters under clock pressure.

The mechanism is repetition with feedback: you commit to a move, the problem tells you whether it works, and the correction sticks. Guessing defeats this, because a lucky guess teaches nothing about why the other move failed.

How to pick problems at your level

Difficulty is expressed in kyu/dan ranks, and the right zone is problems you can solve but not instantly. If you solve everything on sight, the set is too easy; if you fail most attempts, it is too hard to learn from.

GoProblems.com labels its daily set by rank, for example:

• 30 kyu — Beginner
• 19 kyu — Easy
• 9 kyu — Medium
• 1 dan — Hard

A practical rule: work mostly at or one step above your current rank, and keep a smaller share of clearly easier problems for speed drills. The site also lists recommended problems by rank (30 kyu, 29 kyu, 26 kyu, 23 kyu, 22 kyu, and so on), which gives you a starting ladder if you are unsure where you sit.

Training modes and how to use them

GoProblems.com exposes several modes, each suited to a different purpose.

Problems of the day

A daily set split by rank. Use it as your baseline habit — solve the set for your level, then check whether your accuracy or speed changed from previous days.

Time Trial

Timed solving at three settings: 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and untimed. The page shows a "today's best" figure per mode (for example, 3 min: 28, 5 min: 21, untimed: 22), so you can compare your own count against the day's benchmark.

• 3 min / 5 min — trains speed and pattern recognition. Accept lower accuracy here.
• Untimed — trains depth. Take as long as needed and read to the end.

Recommended problems

A rank-ordered list that fills gaps in your level. Good for a structured session when you do not want to choose.

Collections

Themed sets with visible progress. Collections progress on the site includes large sets such as Semeai / Capturing Race (3091 problems), Connect (973), Encyclopedia of Life and Death - Easy (741), Cutting (707), Local Choice (583), Snapback (509), Ladder (487), Squeeze Tesuji (487), GuanZiPu (432), and Under the Stones (373). Pick one theme at a time when you notice a repeated weakness.

Tournaments

Scheduled competitive solving, listed with status, time, ruleset, and entrant count. The site shows formats such as "Solving royale" with a countdown and a winner recorded for completed events. Use these if you want external pressure and a score to compare.

Adding and discussing problems

The database is community-driven: you can add new problems, search, and comment. The newest-problems list shows submissions with an estimated rank and the contributor's name, so you can see how fresh material enters the pool.

A simple routine you can keep

1. Warm up (5–10 min). One timed set — 3 or 5 minutes — to wake up pattern recognition.
2. Main work (15–30 min). Untimed problems at your rank or one above. Read each to a definite result before answering.
3. Theme block (10–15 min). One collection that matches a weakness, for example Ladder or Snapback.
4. Review. Note the problems you missed and why: wrong first move, stopped reading too early, or miscounted liberties.
5. Track. Record your daily counts and accuracy so you can tell whether a change in routine helped.

Consistency beats volume. A short daily session with honest reading produces more improvement than a long session of guessing.

Common sticking points

• Guessing instead of reading. If you answer in a few seconds on an untimed problem, you are probably pattern-matching, not calculating.
• Only easy problems. Comfortable sets feel productive but stop teaching.
• Only hard problems. Constant failure without understanding the refutation does not build skill.
• Ignoring the failure reason. The value is in the correction, not the score.
• No timed work at all. Reading depth without speed leaves you short of time in real games.

FAQ

Are weiqi, go, and baduk problems the same thing? Yes. Weiqi, go, and baduk are names for the same game, and problem sets are labeled interchangeably — GoProblems.com uses all three terms.

Do I need an account to train? The site describes interactive solving, search, commenting, and adding problems. Whether an account is required for specific features is not stated in the available material, so check on the site.

How long should a session be? Long enough to complete a focused set with real reading. The modes above are built around 3-minute, 5-minute, and untimed blocks, which is a reasonable frame to build from.

Which problem type should a beginner start with? Life and death and basic capturing races, at beginner ranks (the site's daily set starts at 30 kyu). Add tesuji and cutting once basic reading is reliable.