Go

Introduction

Wei Qi (also spelt Wei-Ch'i) or Go, as it is commonly known outside of China, is considered by most Oriental game experts to be the worlds greatest strategic skill game, far surpassing Chess in it's complexity and scope. Most people who have played it would agree with this conclusion and, unlike chess, no computer program has yet been written which has been able to compete with the best Go players. Wei-Ch'i means "surrounding game" or "surrounding chess" and the object is simply to capture as territory by placing down counters on the board.

Wei Qi is the most sublime of board games from several perspectives. Of all the serious board games described on this site, Go has the fewest rules and yet, the game itself is is the most intellectually challenging. The mathematical elegance of the rules is complemented by the great beauty of the boards and stones - of all board games in the world, Go has been raised by the Japanese to a pinnacle of aesthetic beauty. The Japanese have whole schools where people devote their entire life to the game and a grading system akin to the martial arts systems.

History

According to Chinese history, Wei-Ch'i was invented by Emperor Shun (2255 - 2206 BC) to help develop the intelligence of his son, Shokin. A alternative version attributes the invention to U, who lived during the reign of Emperor Kieh Kwei several hundred years later. Under non-Chinese history, it is thought more likely that the game originated in central Asia from where it spread eastwards through Nepal and Tibet to China. The earliest written reference is found in the works of Mencius around 400BC. The first books were written about Wei Ch'i during the T'ang dynasty between 618 - 906 AD and there are enough poems and other literature written during the 10th Century BC to deduce that the game must have been well established by then.

In 754 AD, the Chinese Emperor Hinan Tsung gave a Wei-Ch'i game to Kididaijin, a representative of the Japanese Emperor Koken Tenno. It had already reached Korea by that time where it was called Pa-tok (or Badok). The Japanese called the game 'Igo', (phonetically - 'Go'). As in China, at first is was played by the aristocracy only but it gradually filtered down to the educated lower classes over time. In the 17th Century a ranking system was introduced and the feudal government issued a sponsorship to help with studies of Go in special schools. Run by Buddhist priests, the four major Go schools were Honinbo, Hayashi, Inoue and Yasui. Top players from these schools competed in competitions, sometimes in the presence of the Shogun at his castle. A leading player in the 17th century was Honinbo Dosaku, the inventor of the pincer play concept, another was Shusaku (1829 - 1862) who invented an opening pattern still used today. After the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the restoration of the Emperor in 1868, the sponsorships dried up and Go's popularity waned. However, by the beginning of the 20th Century there was a resurgence and people from all classes were playing the game.

In 1924, the first Go organisation, the Nihon Kiin, was created in Japan under the influence of Baron Okura and managed to recruit the last of the great Honinbos, Shusai. His great rival, Karigane, joined another new smaller group called Kiseisha and there was fierce competition between the two clans which culminated in the famous match Shusai v. Karigane. Victory by Shusai assured the victory of Nihon Kiin which went onto dominate the scene. In 1938, Honinbo Shusai retired and directed the Nihon Kiin to stage a tournament of all the leading players to decide who would take his title. Of the other important tournaments which are currently played, the two most major ones are the Meijin tournament which is sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and the Kisei tournament.

The Modern Game

Shown on the left is a Katsura Go-ban from the author's collection. Central is a classic example of Ko. Any group of stones with two 'eyes' is permanently safe from attack and bottom right is shown such a group - it is impossible for black to capture the white group. Bottom left shows an example of 'Seki' where neither player dare play in the central space. At the top right is black group demonstrating why a group with a single eye is vulnerable. If white plays in the centre of the black group, the black stones are taken and the pattern that results is shown top left.

The Go board can either be a flat table board or the more traditional floor-board with legs (Go-ban). The most traditional and expensive wood for a board is Kaya, a softwood of the Yew family. Kaya boards can cost a fortune; the very best Kaya come from trees in Miyazaki, Japan that are more than 700 years old. Other cheaper woods are Hiba which looks very similar to Kaya, Agathis, a yellow durable Indonesian wood or the softer Sinkkaya Alaskan Spruce. The most popular wood is Katsura which lacks the colour and brightness of Kaya but is hard and long-lasting. The quality of the grain of the board and how the grain is oriented is also of prime importance. Most common are Itame boards in which the grain is bent or irregular. Better boards are Masame which means the grain runs straight across the top of the board. Best of all are Tenmasa Masame boards that have grain running from bottom to top as well as straight across the top.

The picture on the right shows the author's 9.2mm jitusyo slate and clamshell stones in cherry wood bowls.

The best Go stones are made of slate and clamshell and the quality and the grain on the clamshell matters. There are two grades of stone based on the white pieces, Yuki - snow white and jitusyo - ordinary. The thickness of the stones varies according to personal taste but they are usually between 9mm and 10mm. There is a knack to playing a stone - it should be held between the index and middle fingers and placed with an audible click. The Go bowls which hold the stones should also be of good quality wood with straight grain.

Links

An iceberg tip of links to start you off - surf onward.

Andrew Grant's Go History Pages The last 400 years history of Go in Japan
British Go Association
The European Go Federation
European Go Cultural Centre
Go Variations

How to play

Games Club Go Rules and History has a good description of the rules for the Japanese and the Chinese game

Game rules can be obtained for free from Masters Games, quality traditional games shop.