What's the fun of having amateur games here?

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Bloemen
What's the fun of having amateur games here?

My interest in replaying games is to enjoy the intricacies of games played by the strongest players, as far as I can see the hidden threats, and to enjoy the high level drama. I guess I am not alone, at the moment the games replayed most are those by Ke Jie and Lee Sedol. I will not replay every game, there is only so much time to spend on it, so games by the strongest players would suffice for me.

Do others share this view, or are there other arguments by the replayers here? Is there a reason to show those amateur games at this site? Of course every reaction is welcomed by me, hopefully there is a lively discussion!

Kind regards,
Paul

macelee
Re: What's the fun of having amateur games here?

Go4Go is mainly a professional game collection. However I do sometimes include games by very strong amateur players, in particular those from China and Korea. There are several reasons. Some of these top amateurs, in particular those younger ones, have very good chance to become professional later. So it is an interesting idea to keep track of their early careers. Others are very strong and chose not to become professional. The quality of their games are often as high as ordinary professional games.

Today I've added several games from the Chinese Wanbao Cup. This is the highest-level amateur tournament in China. Just have a look at some of the top finishers of the previous Wanbao Cup: Shi Yue, Zhou Ruiyang, Tang Weixing, Liao Xiao, Fan Yunruo...... They all competed in amateur tournaments before becoming professional.