Life In 19x19

Another possibility is that Yofa is aware of trends in China and Korea, but his statement about pros was referring to Japanese pros.

Kirby wrote:Another possibility is that Yofa is aware of trends in China and Korea, but his statement about pros was referring to Japanese pros.

Absolutely. I just wasn't expecting the professional go world to be insular and was struck by the possibility that it was. You'd think a game like go would be rather Darwinian and that the pro who did look to game records overseas would have an advantage. Regardless, I fear I've diverted the topic of the thread too far already. Sorry, John.

Thirty years ago, when go was waking up in Korea and China, most pros from Korea and China had a useful knowledge of the Japanese language. How many Japanese pros now can read Chinese or Korean?

Absolutely. I just wasn't expecting the professional go world to be insular and was struck by the possibility that it was. You'd think a game like go would be rather Darwinian and that the pro who did look to game records overseas would have an advantage.

I have likewise been struck, quite often, by how insular some pros can be. It seems to be mainly a Japanese quirk. Insofar as pros do try to keep up with trends (not all do because not all expect to win tournaments), study groups seem to be the main medium rather than database research, and I can see good reasons why they find their traditional methods of study more in their comfort zone.

But the Korean and (especially) the Chinese pro organisations have for quite a few years kept information flowing by other means, one of which is inviting foreign pros to play in their leagues. This may help explain why the current ordering of the go world is 1. China, 2. Korea, 3. Japan (or maybe even Taiwan). So Darwin rules after all!

gowan wrote:Thirty years ago, when go was waking up in Korea and China, most pros from Korea and China had a useful knowledge of the Japanese language. How many Japanese pros now can read Chinese or Korean?

Some of the younger players in Japan have now been spending more time abroad in Korean schools. The last new star winner in Japan spent a significant time in Korea studying go. I think reading is probably less important than reviewing games together and you can often see in videos players from all the countries discussing the games without much need for translating.