Waching daily Oct 28 2017

THE GAME OF GO: PHILOSOPHY ON A BOARD PART 2: HOW TO PLAY

Like life, go easy and difficult both. Understand, really, what it is

the game takes some time; but in a few minutes you can explain and learn

you need to start playing.

To understand how to play, we could imagine the board is a vast virgin territory.

In this territory they come two pioneers who try to seize him.

At first all the land is free,

and everyone will start putting their stones as if they were cairns

to indicate areas; after they are formed territories, until finally all

the board is divided between the two players. Who has more territory wins.

This is a very simple example on a board 9x9. There is not even captured stones,

but it serves to show the ultimate goal of the game.

We can see that the black territory

It has 30 points and 26 white territory; Black wins by 4 points.

Therefore, it is using fencing territory stones, hence the Chinese name of the game:

Weichi, which means "fence". Can It seems very simple, but as the

stones are entering the board arise complications, because both players are

trying to do the same, in the same place at the same time.

GAME RULES The rules are so simple, logical

and natural that we can be summarized in three: 1st) Rule alternating plays,

which means that both players are taking turns in putting stones on the board one at a time.

2nd) to capture Rule: Does not lives, she dies.

3rd) Rule counting points: Who does more territory wins.

With these few rules and you could start to play. And this is perhaps one of the experiences

more fun and exciting that can provide the go: From ignorance, discover the game,

Playing!. At first one is confused, does not know

where to put the stones and only sees cuadraditos and black and white circles around the board.

And in the chaos that was produced, no choice but to learn to

bring clarity and order. If this experience It is shared with another beginner, fun

and excitement are duplicated, although the initial learning could become very slow.

Therefore, it is generally better to play with someone who already knows something, and receive some explanations more

Start of the game:

The game starts with an empty board, and starting using black stones,

both players will take turns placing its stones, one by one, at any intersection

free on the board; ie not You can put a stone at an intersection

where another lost already is in place, and Once placed, the stones no longer move,

except when they are captured.

catch:

When a stone or stones group are surrounded and lose all their freedoms, or spaces

breathing, they are captured and removed board, standing apart place,

to be counted at the end of the game.

Freedoms or breathing spaces:

freedoms or "breathing spaces" are called a stone-free intersections

adjacent to the stone. In the middle area of ​​a stone board

It has four freedoms. On the edge of the board he has three freedoms.

And in the corner just two freedoms. When a stone or group of stones have

only one liberty, or breathing space, It is said to be in atari, Japanese word

which means "threat", similar to checkmate chess.

Groups of stones: Two or more stones of the same color, connected to each other

They form a group.

The ultimate goal is to besiege the biggest

number of free intersections or points territory, and the game ends by mutual agreement

when there is no more territory to conquer.

Once clogged intersections neutral, worthless, the player who used the stones

Black removes the white stones that have been imprisoned within its territory

and binds to the captured during the game; and the player who uses white stones ago

the same with black.

Each player enters the total of stones

and prisoners captured in the territory the adversary, reducing their number

Free intersections.

Finally there are the number of intersections

free or points in the territory of each player, and having more is the winner.

How does the game start? The game begins with an empty board, and players can

place the stone wherever they want. In any site? Anywhere.

And what is the goal of the game?

The aim of the game It is to make territory. And how forms the territories?

To form a territory must be formed as a kind of wall, a wall, a wall formed

with stones, for example, in this territory we have six points, if I put a stone

inside, I no longer have six, I have five. ah !, I made an eight-point territory.

I think the stones are also caught during the game ... If, to capture a stone

you have to go around, so it is in atari position, if you put here, this

Stone has to come out, and what happens to the chips captured? They are saved to the

end of the game, when the game is finished, return the captured stones

the board, then my territory eight now only seven points, exactly.

As already said, the game ends by mutual agreement between the players.

This is because sometimes, especially among beginners, can occur not easy to find

when no more territory conquer, or because it is not easy to know if

a group of stones is alive or dead. If there are no more territories to conquer

but one of the two players do not see it that way, You can keep playing, while the other,

If desired, you can pass your turn without playing. In this case, the player who has continued to play

He has lost a point for each stone, for He had only two possibilities: Playing inside

own territory, which this diminishes, or play on the territory of the adversary,

increasing the number of prisoners. The endgame, the stones are prisoners

which can not form a living group, and removed the board without cover all

freedoms. Therefore, capturing prisoners equates to play within their own territory.

It can also happen that yes there is more territory to conquer or points at stake, but one

both players do not see it; for example, it could be necessary to defend some point

weak in the territory, or could reduced enemy territory ...

Pass the turn without playing in such cases is and let the opponent play twice

followed, with the loss involved. Before agreeing to the endgame, there

Be careful with the points that seem neutral but they are not. We see an example

where if White plays at point "A" They earn a point, but lose if it is the turn

Black. In any case, if there are doubts about

the final moment of departure, as recommended it is to play, especially if put in

danger the opponent's territory and this You must respond, because in that case there is no loss.

Furthermore, it can be very educational, the end starting, look for weaknesses in

stone formation.

We now see an example on the big board.

This game was played between Honinbo Dosaku and Yasui Shunchi in 1683, and appears commented

in the book "The Go, an oriental ancient game (history, philosophy, rules ...)"

Before you start counting the territory first

neutral spots are filled, in Japanese, gimme points. They are the intersections in

the graph are marked with a square.

Then the prisoners are removed.

Then introduced total stones prisoners and captured

in the territory of each color.

Then, being careful not to move

the stones that make limit or boundary, the stones are arranged generally in forms

rectangular, with the sole purpose of easier to count.

the points of each player are counted and expires who has more.

There is still a small detail. Black made the first move of the game,

with the advantage that this entails.

Therefore, the end offset this advantage 5'5 giving white points.

In Japanese, this award is called Komi.

DEPARTURES WITH HANDICAP

Two players from different category may

play a game on equal terms thanks to a grant system advantages

or handicap. This system results an added excitement to the games, when

expert and novice players face and the game begins with the difference

offset, or balanced forces.

From all these explanations are

It will logically deducing how to play, and all situations that arise on

the board have a logical answer. The a rule that solves many doubts

beginners is that there is full freedom to put the stones where you want, with

only two exceptions: 1st Play at a point where there is no space

breathing, because it is not allowed "the suicide "of stones.

2nd Immediate captured in a ko situation.

And what have we here? This is the situation Basic ko, we see a black stone

It threatened in atari, then white could take indeed.

The situation is repeated

but conversely, is now black which can take, and white could re-take and

ad infinitum, to avoid this ko rule states that before returning

to take a player has to play in another part. Here again we have a situation

ko, at this time is black which could take, and on the corner also, white here

I could drink.

Ko rule is the only artificial rule

game, and it serves to prevent recurrence endless movement could occur.

It applies when a stone is captured, and the stone that has made the catch can,

in turn, be captured immediately.

Ko rule says that the position of the

stones on the board should never be As in a previous situation. By

Therefore, this rule prevents the other player's capture on the next play, since it would occur

a repeat of the previous situation, must perform an "intermediate" play elsewhere

board before you can capture again.

Here we see another situation ko, which It depends on the survival of these six stones

black which are surrounded by white stones, being black shift could take

ko, and white could no longer take, would to seek a threat to be black

to answer, such as here, actually, This threatens to fill the vital point and take

all this black, black group is bound defend, and he has not been able to finish the situation

ko, which fail to take white, is now black who has to seek a

threat to white can not fill ko, for example .... it is now the turn

white, let's assume that white decides stay with the six black stones in place

to defend these four, which, white He decides to end the ko.

Ko 'means' eternity' in Japanese, and is if it were not for the rule of ko

the game would be eternal.

So far the basic rules with this

you can start playing. From now on We see more complex situations

produced during the progress of a game