Many of us are enchanted by the flow of stones on the goban. Governed by a few simple rules go has been obsessed over for thousands of years. It is hard to define what go really is, a game, art, sport, mental exercise? I think go exceeds all of these labels and represents our closest attempt at creating a life. When two competent players go at it on the goban a symphony is created one of ups and downs full of tension and harmony. A story of the human spirit unravels, our ability to adapt and survive, grow and thrive. After watching a good game we should honestly applause as before our eyes an epic has been told, both players forging it with a part of their souls.
Go is able to accomplish this because its rules are in harmony with nature. Simple rules within a large terrain allowing for infinite possibilities. Through go's simplicity comes its complexity.
Go's rules are as follows:
1. Black places one stone first, and then white, repeat.
2. Players can only play a stone on the intersections of the board.
3. When a stone or group of stones is absent of liberties it is removed from the board, these stones are given to the player who captured them and constitute one point.
4. When a Ko is created the next player is not allowed to recapture the stone until the following turn.
5. When a player has made all of the moves they want to they say "pass" and their turn ends, when both players consecutively pass the game ends.
6. At the end of the game enemy stones without life are removed as prisoners and the player that controls the most intersection points wins.
The game is not perfect as komi is necessary to create a more balanced game and there are different ways to interpret the score and slight variations in rules. Yet, these six basic laws govern all of go's complexity and beauty. All other happenings on the board are just consequences of the rules and form the nature of the game.
Go is amazing and I hope we can all continue to enjoy it.
"The board has to be square, for it signifies the Earth, and its right angles signify uprightness. The pieces of the two sides are yellow and black; this difference signifies the Yin and the Yang -- scattered in groups all over the board, they represent the heavenly bodies. These significances being manifest, it is up to the players to make the moves, and this is connected with kingship. Following what the rules permit, both opponents are subject to them -- this is the rigor of the Tao".
Pan Ku, 1st century historian
