Taliesin
11-30-2009, 02:26 PM
I have been to these forums for quite some time. I haven't read most of the topics recently (i.e last two years) but I haven't seen people mention the noble game of go yet on the threads I have read, which, while explainable by the fact that the game isn't very popular in the Western countries, is still rather sad.
A lot of people consider go to be the intellectual game par excellence, surpassing even chess. So, if you like chess (and even if you don't), keep reading, you might discover another profound and interesting game to enjoy.
Go is an ancient (at least 2500 years old) board game with Chinese origins. The rules have stayed almost the same for all that time with only a slight adjustment in score counting. Black and white player take turns placing stones (which cannot be moved after placing, but may be removed if they are "taken") on a 19*19 grid. In fact, there are only three rules - if you surround a group of enemy stones, you may remove them from the table; the main goal of the game is to get territory - at the end of the game you get points for the areas of board you have surrounded with your stones, (you also get points for the enemy stones you have taken but that's usually not a very efficient way of gaining points). The third rule, the rule of ko (eternity) is there to prevent infinite loops. It says that you aren't allowed to make a move which would produce the board situation you had after the previous time you played. It is a bit complicated, I know, but you don't need to know it in the beginning and it is easier to comprehend it on a board.
Here (http://www.playgo.to/iwtg/en/) is a quick and easy to understand tutorial of go. Heartily recommend it.
The rules might sound simple, but actually the game can be devilishly complex - more complex than chess, for example. (in chess, computers beat human grandmasters easily while strong amateurs in go win the best computer-programs). Another positive aspect of go is that it has an in-built system of handicaps which allows players with very large skill differences to enjoy an equal game.
While being little known about in the Western countries, go is quite popular in Japan, China and Korea, having a similar position there as chess has in West.
As for myself, I started playing the game about 2 years ago, more seriously in the beginning of this summer. At this moment, I am 11 kyu on Kiseido Go Server using the name P6hjakonn.
Here's a picture of a go-game
http://www.collegedegrees.com/wp-content/uploads/Go(1).jpg
Any other go-enthusiasts here?
A lot of people consider go to be the intellectual game par excellence, surpassing even chess. So, if you like chess (and even if you don't), keep reading, you might discover another profound and interesting game to enjoy.
Go is an ancient (at least 2500 years old) board game with Chinese origins. The rules have stayed almost the same for all that time with only a slight adjustment in score counting. Black and white player take turns placing stones (which cannot be moved after placing, but may be removed if they are "taken") on a 19*19 grid. In fact, there are only three rules - if you surround a group of enemy stones, you may remove them from the table; the main goal of the game is to get territory - at the end of the game you get points for the areas of board you have surrounded with your stones, (you also get points for the enemy stones you have taken but that's usually not a very efficient way of gaining points). The third rule, the rule of ko (eternity) is there to prevent infinite loops. It says that you aren't allowed to make a move which would produce the board situation you had after the previous time you played. It is a bit complicated, I know, but you don't need to know it in the beginning and it is easier to comprehend it on a board.
Here (http://www.playgo.to/iwtg/en/) is a quick and easy to understand tutorial of go. Heartily recommend it.
The rules might sound simple, but actually the game can be devilishly complex - more complex than chess, for example. (in chess, computers beat human grandmasters easily while strong amateurs in go win the best computer-programs). Another positive aspect of go is that it has an in-built system of handicaps which allows players with very large skill differences to enjoy an equal game.
While being little known about in the Western countries, go is quite popular in Japan, China and Korea, having a similar position there as chess has in West.
As for myself, I started playing the game about 2 years ago, more seriously in the beginning of this summer. At this moment, I am 11 kyu on Kiseido Go Server using the name P6hjakonn.
Here's a picture of a go-game
http://www.collegedegrees.com/wp-content/uploads/Go(1).jpg
Any other go-enthusiasts here?