Playing Igo: The ideal playing environment

Different people have different personalities. This is a constant of our condition as social and political animals. Hence, each go player has a different playing style that suits his own personality and way of life. Whether it is a gentle, yet solid style, or a warlike, aggressive style, go offers the exciting possibility of attempting to discern our opponent's personality without exchanging a single word.

Being an abstract strategy game, which requires extraordinary concentration, it would be quite natural to assume that most people play Igo shrouded in silence and deep contemplation. But, as of late, I've heard the following question being asked quite often: "What musical genre do you prefer while playing Go?". Non surprisingly, the question generates a number of different, sometimes peculiar answers. In a game of Go, the player seeks to relax in order to read as far as possible and deliberate upon the best possible move: this is difficult to achieve when our mental states are in upheaval, for whatever reason. I've heard some people saying that their musical tastes (while playing go) vary according to the situation. Some like to listen to death metal while playing go. I found this answer quite amusing (in a good way), for my personal taste is quite different when it comes to playing go.

Personally, I enjoy sipping tea while listening to Japanese and Chinese traditional music. As a long-time student of both cultures, I could provide a number of arguments to justify my personal choice, from the clearly obvious (and subjective) aesthetic argument to the fact that the simplicity and complexity of go is derived from a cultural matrix that is equally present in the far eastern music styles.

There are some occasions when I burn some incense. Concerning this, I express my clear preference for indian incense. Lately, I've been enjoying chinese gunpowder tea (chinese: 珠茶, zhū chá ) while going through the few matches I managed to play so far. I could say that those elements converge to create, in my view, an ideal environment.

I'd like to hear everyone's opinions regarding this topic.

Lessons in the Fundamentals: Ji (地)

Dia.1 - Territory

The ultimate goal of the game of Go is to surround territory (地, ji). All the empty intersections that stand surrounded by your stones count as points (目, moku). In order to effectively surround territory, a basic understanding of shape and how to deploy effective shapes must be achieved. In Diagram 1, you can conclude that white 9 points of territory using 6 stones, while black surrounds only 4 points of territory, using the same number of stones.The edges of the board are, in principle, the best place to start acquiring territory: the edges form a natural border that makes it much more difficult for any invasion to succeed. Additionally, playing a stone into secured territory will decrease your score by one point and waste an otherwise valuable move.

Effective ways to secure territory in an actual game

As a beginner, you should bear in mind that it is easier to make territory on the corners, and from there, stake a claim on the sides. Many beginners find it tempting to open a game at Tengen (天元 ), the centermost point of the board, which is usually not beneficial for those that have not developed a firm grasp of the game. Tengen surrounds no territory, and either allows the opponent to calmly take the corners and sides for himself, or invites direct fighting. Situations arising from playing at tengen can be quite difficult for experienced players to manage, let alone beginners.

Lessons in the Fundamentals: Atari (当たり)

Dia.1 - Liberties

When a player places a stone on the board, and assuming for the sake of simplicity that the board is empty, the newly placed stone has four liberties. In the picture above, each liberty is marked with a triangle. During the game, each player may capture a stone by filling all the adjacent intersections, thusly, capturing the stone. A stone that stands alone in an intersection may be compared to a fugitive standing at an intersection of a city. The man can see four streets. He remains free as long as one of those intersections is open for him to flee. But if all of them are blocked by those intent on capturing you, then you have no choice but surrendering. The same applies to the lone stone standing on the board. If you allow the black stone to be surrounded, it will run short of liberties, and be captured by your opponent.

Dia.2 - Atari

When a stone has only one vacant liberty, it is in atari. Atari means that under the current circumstances, this specific stone may be captured in the opponent's next turn.

Dia.3 - Capture

When the vacant point is filled, the stone is captured and removed from the board. White gains one point of territory and one point due to the capture of the black stone. White scores two points with the capture of the black stone.

Dia.4 - Liberties on the edge of the board

Because the edge acts as a natural barrier, when a single stone stands at the edge of the board, it has 3 liberties. On the corner, the stone is restrained by two edges, and has only 2 liberties.

Dia.5 - Liberties at the corner

Liberties are the most fundamental aspect of the game of Go. Remember to always count your liberties, and play accordingly, lest your stones are captured, thus providing your opponent with a valuable advantage.

Lessons in the Fundamentals: The Goban (碁盤)

General characteristics

Go (碁) is played by two players, one taking Black and one taking White. The typical Go board (碁盤 Goban) is 19x19. Unlike Chess, the go stones (碁石 goishi) are played on the intersections, not on the empty squares. Other board sizes are acceptable, and sometimes, smaller boards, such as 13x13 and 9x9 are used to teach the game to beginners, or to play quick games, while 17x17 was an accepted standard far in the past. The most remarkable characteristic is the 9 star points (星 hoshi), a visual aid to orientate the player and mark the spot for the handicap stones.

hoshi (星) point at D4 and D10

An Epic Review

Last night, Singer 10k appeared on KGS Teaching Ladder requesting to review a game. I accepted, and loaded a game to the room, for him to review. It was a match against Masahiro, played some time ago when my conceptual notions of go were even fainter than they are today. The match is filled with mistakes that only two complete beginners can make, a festival of weak and dead groups spanning the board. Although the kifu is quite ugly, lacking strategic and even aesthetic depth, it sparked a number of interesting and rather deep discussions. kurikuri 5k eventually took over the task, delivering an equally outstanding review of the situations that arose from this particular match. From the first to the last move, the review went for almost 4 hours, with comments from many players, experienced and beginners alike. Sigilus 22k described it as 'epic', and I'm inclined to agree.

My path to Go [Watashi no Kido]

To the beginner, the game of go appears as a jungle of confusion, full of pitfalls past which only Providence could possibly guide him.

With this blog, I intend to keep a public register of the path I clear for myself with my go stones. A difficult and tortuous path in order to achieve the summum bonum that all go players seek: the flow of the stones on the goban, unhindered by anything else but the purpose of finding the best move for each situation, the solution for each problem that arises as each player exposes his views, silently, on the board.

I am a lowly 30k, that can barely solve the easiest tsumego, and stand perplexed by the complex patterns that stretch across the board. I know very little about connecting techniques, and where and when to apply them. I forget to count liberties, and watch in calm despair as my group stands surrounded, dead. I have no sense of shape. I can't open a game properly, let alone understand the patterns that arise from joseki. I can't effectively counter invasions. I can barely find my way through the 19x19 lines.

Still, I feel the calling of the game. I grasp the fundamentals that underlie the philosophy of Go, that inform and provide meaning for each move, be it a move played by a weak amateur or one played by a strong dan player. I stand in awe as each stone is placed in the board, working together with every other stone to delineate and carry on a strategy.

This blog intends to serve the purpose of a public register as well as glossary and a study tool.

To everyone who decides to stand beside me in my journey, I hope to learn much from everyone who walks the same path as I do, and to teach as much as I can to those who stand behind me.