What is this thing called "Go"?
If you like puzzles and logic games, you'll love Go.
The game's origins are subject to myth and debate, but it seems certain to have been played for thousands of years.
It took root in the Far East where there are millions of players in countries such as Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan.
Many players there are professional and compete for titles and big prize money in highly publicised tournaments.
Go is actually the Japanese name and the game is also known as Igo there. In Korea it is called Baduk and in China it is Weichi.
The game's spread to the West has been slower but many countries have thriving populations of Go players. Among younger people, much of the game's popularity has been attributed to a Japanese anime series called "Hikaru no Go"
How is Go played?
The
full-size board is normally made from wood and is ruled with grid of 19
x 19 lines. Sometimes games are played on smaller boards such as 13 x
13 or 9 x 9.
The pieces are known as stones. One player has
a supply of white stones while the other has the black stones. Stones
are commonly made from glass or plastic, but the best ones are made
from slate and shell.
At the start of a game, the board is empty. Players take it in turns to place a stone on one of the intersections of the grid lines (NOT on the squares, as you would in draughts/checkers). Once on the board, stones do not move.
The
object is to lay claim to territory by surrounding it with walls.
Vacant intersections inside your walls each count as a point. At the
end of the game, the player with the most points wins.
Above,
on a 9 x 9 board, Black has surrounded eight points on the upper left
and three on the lower right, making 11 points. White has eight on the
upper right and three on the lower left, making 11. If there were no
prisoners, this would be a draw (not common in Go).
Simply
constructing walls would be very dull. What brings Go to life is the
ability to capture your opponent's stones. Each prisoner adds a point
to your score.
The tension between capturing stones and
building territory produces an exciting game of subtlety and skill at
least equal to Chess. In fact, many Go players do or have pursued Chess
seriously, some to a high level.
Is Go for you?
Don't get the idea that you have to be 'clever' to play Go.
The
game has its geniuses, child prodigies and meteoric talents. However,
its survival down the centuries and huge popular following in the Far
East show that Go is a fine game for the rest of us too.