1 Hour Go Lecture

chonas · #1

If you could talk for just one hour on Go to a random assemblage of people with interest in the game, what would you say? I'm guessing rules/basic tactics take 15-30 minutes, 10 minutes for questions. That leaves at least 20 minutes and at most 35 minutes open.

DrStraw · #2

It would have to depend on the audience. There really is no such thing as a random collections of people. They have to be recruited by some means.

If it were a group of game-oriented people I would emphasize the contrast to chess. If it were a group of people interested in Japanese culture I would emphasize some of the historical stuff. Likewise for various other groups.

Bill Spight · #3

IMO one hour is too long for a group of non-players who have some interest in the game. I would spend a few minutes (up to 5) on go being an ancient oriental game with simple rules. I would explain the rules briefly, show capture, show a ladder, show an immortal group, show a ko (around 5 minutes). Then I would go over a famous game, making sportscaster comments (around 20 - 25 minutes). E. g., "Black stakes out a base in the corner. The corner is the easiest part of the board to make a base." I would not explain what a base is in technical terms. Just let them get the general idea. Or, "In this corner Black has gotten secure territory while White has gotten outside strength. Will White be able to use that strength to make territory elsewhere on the board?" Or, "White cannot afford to let Black make such a huge territory, so he invades. Black attacks. Can White live?" Or, "White has made a living group, but is that good enough?" Or, "Things look black for White." Etc., etc. My aim would not be to teach them more than they need to know to follow the game. It would be to generate some excitement.

EdLee · #4

chonas, to a "random" audience, when we describe Go (or chess, checkers, Warcraft, GTA, Minecraft,
Youtube, Facebook, nanotechnology, quantum mechanics, carpentry, martial arts, etc.),
the following features (criteria) of the presentation can be helpful:

Presentation must be feasible impromptu. Any time, any place.
which means zero Go equipment required: no board, no stones, no grid,
no computer, not even pencil & paper, no videos, no drawings, no other physical "props" whatsoever, etc.
all presentation, all visualization done verbally.
Zero jargon. All the following terms are forbidden: ⁽¹⁾
stones, liberties, intersections, points, capture, atari, ko, eyes, false eyes, komi, ladder, illegal moves,
vital points, groups, snapback, throw-in, miai, etc. Sente and gote are out of the question.
Presentation must be such that not only will the audience get a sense (general ideas) about the subject,
but that they in turn can convey it to the next audience (meme-like).
This is one reason that jargon in particular must be out.

This approach is nice because it means we can talk about Go
to any person at random at a coffee shop, bus stop, etc. at any time,
without any Go equipment.

Analogies are key. ⁽²⁾ Good for a few minutes' introduction to complete novices.

After that, it is up to the audience. If they want to see
the actual equipment and a game in action, then of course
it would be nice to have a set to continue the presentation.

The more you know about the audience (as you talk and get feedback from them),
the better you can tailor your presentation to that particular group.

Otherwise, there are enough stories about the history and cultures
of Go to easily fill an hour, especially if the audience is receptive
and has lots of questions.

Hint: if you can talk about Go in the above manner (zero equipment) for 3 hours,
then 1 hour is a piece of cake.

⁽¹⁾ Of course, later on, to discuss more, we naturally would need the terms.
But for the 5-minute introduction presentation with no equipment, zero jargon.

⁽²⁾ For the novice introduction, it took me about 6 to 7 years to remove all the jargon;
2 years later, removed the grid itself (happened in an instance);
and within the past year, finally got rid of all equipment (also in an instance).

Like Go itself, you need to practice. Practice. Practice. Start talking about Go
to your friends, to strangers at the coffee shop. Zero equipment. Zero jargon.
You'll be amazed the colorful and exciting analogies you can come up with. Start now.

moyoaji · #5

I once went to a month long leadership training conference. One of the days we discussed vision casting - including how to give a 5-minute or 15-minute vision cast. The difference between a vision cast and an announcement is that a vision cast gives an idea of the future that others are interested in and then shows them how it can be achieved.

So I would talk to them and explain there there exists an activity that is exciting, engaging, and thought-provoking. One that will let them meet new people from across cultures, but still allows them to communicate a common message. One where they can see themselves grow and get better over time. Something that offers hours of fun that doesn't feel mind-numbing, but exhilarating.

I would tell them not so much how to play go, but why I play go. I would bring in my personal experiences with the game. Talk about how much fun the game was in middle school even when I had no clue what I was doing. I'd talk about how I found friends through local clubs and how exciting the games could be once I tried to improve. I'd talk about how it has given me greater insight into Asian cultures and how I can use it to connect with international students at my university. I'd tell them about my own progress and how as you learn the game you appreciate it more and more. I'd explain that even the most exciting video games and role playing games can't compete with the elegance and complexity of go.

Then, I would tell them how they can have a similar experience. I would tell them about how to find clubs. How to find out more about the game. And give them a taste of a 9x9 game to show them how interesting the experience can be without using so much time to get technical.

Finally, I would give them an invitation. I would ask them to come to my local club (if that was feasible for them, depending on just how random this group is) and encourage them to go and play the game with their friends who came with them (again, depends how random this group is).

I'm not sure the technical "this is how you play the game" lecture is needed because I don't think most people are just looking for a fun game. I think they are looking for an experience. Go has the potential to be a lifelong experience, so I would present it like that and see if people want that.

Boidhre · #6

I've had some luck talking to tabletop wargamers in military terms about go. Certain things like "stay connected, keep your opponent divided" make intuitive sense to them because of their background and need little explanation once you draw a few parallels between what they know and the game. They also seemed to grasp the difference between playing in your opponent's area of influence and your own very quickly, though the obviously lacked the reading to really make this kind of thing count.

Mathematicians I found enjoyed shape the most of the start. They seemed to be far more sensitive about small local differences than most beginners I'd played with. Semeai were another thing they seemed to enjoy, maybe it's a proof thing (Black always dies after this move by White, try to see why etc).

I think you badly need a context. I'd talk to my father (engineering background) about rather different things than I would with my father in law (languages academic background). We'd cover the same things, I'd just be using different analogies and concepts starting off.

1 Hour Go Lecture

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