Board game Go: the quintessence of the East – description, history, rules of the game

A board game with simplicity and depth, go has enthralled players for centuries. This game, which has its roots in ancient China, is frequently seen as a mirror of Eastern philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of strategy, patience, and balance in achieving success.

With a history spanning more than 2,500 years, the game is among the oldest board games still in play today. Its origins are profound in East Asian culture, where it is regarded as a mental exercise as well as a game.

Go is renowned for its intricate strategic play, even with its straightforward rules. Placing black or white stones on a grid in turn, players try to outwit their opponent and take control of territory. There are countless opportunities for learning and development in this game, which can be played either recreationally or competitively.

With its rich Eastern cultural heritage, the board game Go is an engrossing strategy game that offers players a special fusion of simplicity and complexity. Originating in ancient China thousands of years ago, go has come to represent academic pursuit and discipline in the East. Although the game’s rules are simple, mastering it takes years of skill and practice. This article examines the lengthy history of go, outlines the fundamental principles of the game, and emphasizes why go is still a popular game across the globe.

Board game with black and white stones on a checkered board – the game GO

Go is not a novel board game, nor is it one that is easily forgotten. Instead, it could be said that while many people are aware of this game, not many actually play it. Meanwhile, even a preschooler can understand its rules because they are so straightforward. Conversely, though, the tactic is so intricate that not even a victor feels assured. To put it another way, you and your child can both enjoy playing this game, and it will never get old!

We’ll go over the game’s rules again and walk you through how to get started right away.

The most intricate game in the world, based on a number of indicators, is thought to have started in China and was created to sharpen the strategic thinking and mental faculties of an imperial descendant who was prone to arguments and did not appreciate the elegance of well-reasoned arguments. The game of black and white stones on a board spread throughout Asia over several centuries, and its modern name, GO, has Japanese origins. Whether or not this helped the young man is unknown.

Regarding ancient China, they held the following beliefs: a deserving individual should be able to write in hieroglyphics, sketch, play the lute, and play the go. The first three skills appear to be far more challenging than being able to play a board game. But this is a deceptive simplicity that, incidentally, cost many lives. For instance, in Japan, a samurai who lost a game of go could easily return to his ancestors in accordance with the Bushido code.

Of course, things are looser now, but playing go still requires skill. Just in case, though.

Rules of the game in GO

The objective of the game is to fence off as much territory for oneself as possible. The rules are straightforward and easy to remember: two players take turns placing stones at the intersections of the playing field’s lines. This is how simple things can get.

The standard field consists of 361 stones (181 black and 180 white), plus 19×19 lines. However, you can begin with a field of 9×9 or even 5×5 lines to make it less frightening.

Everything according to our preferences: begin by drawing lines on a piece of paper and removing buttons from your grandmother’s box.

Depending on how many crosshairs are present, you will require fewer chips if the playing field is smaller. You will only need 25 chips if the field is 5×5, and there is one extra black chip (12 white and 13 black). The reason for this will become clearer to you in a moment.

First surprise: right away, even before the first move. Black is the color of aggression in the East, so it goes first. White people have a 6.5 point handicap to make up for this annoying fact. This is the first Eastern trick: these half-points will never, ever let the game end in a draw. Gorgeous!

Thus, black initiates and prevails.

The fundamental idea and principle of go is territory—those unoccupied intersections that the player has fenced in.

Each line intersection represents a unit of territory that players must play in when the game starts, and the board is empty.

In order to enclose a portion of the field with their stones—either enemy stones or an empty crossroads—players alternately place stones on the board according to color.

Another fundamental idea is Dame, which means "breathing" in Russian. On the game field, there are two to four DMEs, or outgoing rays, at each crossroads. If a stone is at the crossroads and is breathing, it remains alive; otherwise, it is taken off the board.

"Suicidal" maneuvers are forbidden: you cannot place a stone at a crossroads if there isn’t a breath of one. When you successfully encircle a stone or a group of opposing stones, preventing them from breathing, these stones are eliminated from the boards, and the freed area becomes Yours.

Another fundamental rule is that it’s not allowed to repeat moves that result in a game loop.

The player loses a turn if there is nowhere to set the stone. The game is over if not even the enemy can move. The internal crossroads of the fenced areas are computed to determine the winner.

For instance, this potent white formation only gains them one point.

Additionally, this combination gives black up to eight points.

There are unwritten rules in go that make up its own etiquette, as any decent player will tell you. It is the stronger player’s obligation to play white. The weaker player typically gets handicapped, or komi. You can either put more than one stone on the board at once or just say, "I surrender," in the event that you lose. The other player shouldn’t object if you ask the winner to review the match and point out the moves that, in his opinion, were incorrect after you lose.

Philosophy of the game of GO

The ancient Taoist principle, "achieve great things with little effort," is demonstrated in the game of Go, which has its own philosophy despite its simple rules. Go imparts the knowledge that staking on "everything" will rob you of everything; instead, you should take what you can handle and give away the remainder. Every player eventually realizes that engaging in multiple simultaneous battles in various areas of the map wears him out. Understanding the fundamentals of planning and effort optimization is the path to mastery.

Mathematics of the game of GO

Many people laugh when they compare Go to chess because it has simple rules and some silly stones. On the other hand, individuals who find it humorous should particularly familiarize themselves with the background of the conflict between artificial and human intelligence in the game of Go.

Fan Hui, a three-time European Go champion, was defeated by the AlphaGo artificial intelligence system in 2016. The system was developed by the Google DeepMind team and was based on deep machine learning principles. Deep Blue, the chess program that beat Garry Kasparov, is 1000 times less powerful than computers that run AlphaGo and MoGoTitan, another potent go program. According to what was written at the time, this was the first instance in history where a computer program defeated a skilled go player. This was also the final case at the time.

The game’s algorithm isn’t ready yet. A big board, no winning openings from the beginning, and you can’t win by just experimenting because there are more options than there are atoms in the universe. Since all of the stones are the same, you can only assess where they go on the board and within the formation; you cannot determine the potential of the formations.

The media made jokes that Go might hold the secret to artificial intelligence, and that once the machine beats a human consistently, it will say, "Hey, maybe that’s enough? Since I am a sensible person, let’s talk about my rights.

The game of Go and psychology

Though go is becoming more popular worldwide, the finest players are still Asian natives. Why is that the case?

On the one hand, go is a game that calls for precise situational analysis, quick counting, and abrupt shifts in strategy and tempo. These are the hallmarks of European culture and education, which have long fostered the development of the left, analytical hemisphere of the brain, which is in charge of speech, logic, and counting.

However, it’s not that easy; in any game of go, you must first comprehend and assess each component before connecting them to form a larger whole. In this regard, Asian culture, which emphasizes that the particular is only a part of the whole, is stronger. Meditation, calligraphy, hieroglyphics, and tonal languages all help to develop the right hemisphere of the brain, which is in charge of intuition and non-logical skills.

Interesting fact: In the classic version of go, the sides are related in a ratio of 15:14, even though the board should be square in theory because this arrangement places the board perfectly in the player’s perspective. The elongated side compensates for the inevitable curvature of perspective, which makes it difficult for players to see the position clearly.

As a result, while the Asian patiently completes the picture after observing it in its entirety, the European starts to become disoriented in tasks and solutions and rushes around the field.

Unlike chess, which is a left-hemisphere game, go is the most right-hemisphere game in existence. Go is thought to halt or possibly prevent common senile dementia. Go can also lessen the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Naturally, it also offers a great deal of developmental potential for kids!

Go is a board game, but it’s also a window into Eastern strategy and philosophy. Its straightforward rules conceal a deep complexity, which makes it a favorite among players looking for growth and mental challenges.

With its origins in antiquity, go has endured through the ages, growing from an emperor’s game to a global favorite. Its simplicity combined with strategy keeps drawing in new players from generation after generation.

Playing Go offers a unique and rewarding experience that encourages patience, planning, and creativity, whether you play for fun or delve into its more complex strategic elements.

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