GO

[John Dolva]

W - J 8

Edited October 16, 2010 by John Dolva

[Norman Pratt]

B - K 9

[John Dolva]

W - L 9

edit add : typo in editing of next move

Edited October 28, 2010 by John Dolva

[Norman Pratt]

B - G 8

[John Dolva]

W - L 9 atari

edit: disregard.

Edited October 28, 2010 by John Dolva

[John Dolva]

Newsflash : A problem has crept into the game. We are working on a fix and will soon resume.

[William Kelly]

Newsflash : A problem has crept into the game. We are working on a fix and will soon resume.

Is there a reason or rule for the game board to have 19 squares in each direction, or is that arbitrary?

BK

[John Dolva]

Hi BK, there's a reason but not a rule for the 19 intersecting lines.

The game is so old its origins are lost. There are hypothesis' but nothing everyone agrees on. IOW it's OLD.

Therefore it's undergone a long evolution.

The early boards were smaller but always with an odd number so there is a centre.

Over time lines were added and the possible permutations of moves grew and the game became more and more complex to master.

At 19 the game can still be mastered but the complexity compared to chess is enormous. Add 2 lines, to 21, and the possible moves makes for such a dramatic increase in complexity that 19 has beeen settled on as the limit of what the human can manage. Adding two lines has been attempted by Japanese players but abandoned.

edit typo

Edited October 19, 2010 by John Dolva

[John Dolva]

There may have been an error early in the game as well as one in the last few moves. The reasons are not quite clear yet and therefore what to do is not clear. In the meantime. For me this has been another dive into a game I learnt some 24-25 years ago and have played across australia in spurts as players can be hard to find and even though the rules are remarkably simple they are very easy to misunderstand by a western mind that has grown up with games like chess etc. A lot of concepts or ways of perceiving something is hindered by this mindset. The game is based on cultural ways that are often missing from western games. The lack of hierarchy for example. the strength in unity not individualism, simple regular points to play, not squares, the consideration of shape and relationship, and formalities of honor.

So whatever way the current ceasefire turns out it has been a great honor to play Norman, as it would have been to play anyone.

Always keep in mind that the first to play should win so it is not a matter of learning the rules but rather to understanding often foreign concepts.

[Norman Pratt]

Thank you, John, for explaining the game, for your amazing commentaries on our game as it progressed, and, above all, your time ... I do actually read your other conributions! I am now hooked on Go.

[John Dolva]

Fantastic, Norman. It's a great game that demands a shift of focus. I remember watching my first game played by a couple of friends and I just couldn't get it. It went on for a couple of hours and I had little opportunity to ask anything because of their intense focus. Suddenly something clicked and I was hooked. When I travelled I'd put up notices on shop windows seeing if there are any GO players around and often there were, all of us very much in the same situation of finding other players. I hope we can resume this game soon. For a few days I have some preps for our long hot summer down under outback to attend to, but I think this rest is a good thing.

Yoy might want to contemplate the flow of play from my perspective. Keep in mind a feint to one direction while actually building for an attack in the opposite direction.

Best, John.

[John Dolva]

OK, I think we got it sorted. If I have understood correctly, Norman, this is where we are at now. Let me know.

W - K 8 atari

[Norman Pratt]

Yes, that's where I think we are. I am much reassured by your comment that Black always wins. B - D 7

[John Dolva]

I think I meant should win, given that every move is a knifedge move and starting first is always a handicap point. White is immediately a step behind. Therefore the less experienced player plays with a greater degree of handicap points as a first move. When the stage is reached that the handicap is only the first move, then it remains the privelige of the player of black to start. If the Black player wins (conventions vary) 3 games ina row he then has demonstrated a mastery where he* becomes the second player and the other plays black., Anyway, something like that,

W - D 9

* for some reason I find a bit hard to understand this is not a game that is readily popular with women.

Edited November 3, 2010 by John Dolva

[Norman Pratt]

B - C 10