Teaching the game of Go.
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:32 am
Since taking up the game of Go, I have taught it to countless others who have been willing to learn. Every time I present the game to someone, I think of a better way to explain it or demonstrate something. The following is where I’m at now in my presentation of the game of Go to a brand new player. The idea is for it to be as strait forward and simple as possible and go into strategy very little at first. I don’t say the following verbatim but pretty close. Also, I start people out on a 13x13.
The game is called Go. It comes from the Japanese word Igo which means “the surrounding game.” So the fundamental idea of the game is to surround your opponent as well as surrounding areas of the board.
The way it works is that both players take turns consecutively placing one stone at a time on the board. Black goes first and the stones are to be placed on the intersections where the lines meet, not inside the squares. Every intersection on the board is equal and at the start, you may play any one of them. The start points are only there to help you visually navigate the board, they’re not special though.
The game has three basic rules that govern play; all three being different types of rules.
The first rule is called the rule of “liberties” which determines where you may place your stones.
[I place a black stone somewhere in the middle of the board]
The rule of liberties states that every stone, in order to be placed on the board, and in order to remain on the board, has to at all times enjoy at least one vacant liberty. A stone’s liberties are the intersections directly adjacent to it (not the diagonals).
[I then Atari the black stone]
If your opponent takes up all of your liberties that you have except for one, then you say that that stone is in “Atari.”
If your opponent takes up your last liberty then the stone gets captured and goes back in the bowl.
If you don’t want the black stone to be captured than you can extend it. Now these stones are treated as one single entity and therefore share liberties. These stones together have six liberties total, three of which are already taken by white and so your opponent must take up all six in order to capture. If your opponent does this then he captures both stones (or however many are surrounded).
Note that this stone is surrounded but remains on the board because it still enjoys a vacant liberty.
[I then play a quick game of first capture-go with the student]
The second rule is called the rule of control which determines how you win the game.
[I lay out the following example]
You won’t understand it right now but know that there are certain formations that you can make with your stones that make them impossible to capture. This is one such formation. When a group of stones is unable to be captured, it is said to be a “living group”. When you have living stones that surround in area, they are said to control this area. To control an intersection means that you either have a living stone there OR you may play a living stone there but your opponent cannot. If your opponent plays a stone in your area of control then that stone would not be able to avoid being eventually captured. When a stone can’t avoid capture, it is said to be a dead stone or group. In order to win the game, you need to control more than half of the board, or rather more of the board than your opponent. So, there are 361 intersections on the board; you need to have control of 181 of them to win the game (komi comes later).
The third rule is called the rule of ko which guarantees that the game remain finite and have a definite end. However, I will wait to demonstrate this when it becomes relevant in our game.
[Once it appears in a game]
The rule of ko states that never at any time in the game is either player allowed to play a move that would repeat a board position that had been previously seen in the game. This means that you cannot immediately take back the stone which was just captured. Instead you have to play somewhere else on the board and if your opponent doesn’t fill the ko, then you may recapture. If you’re smart and you really want the ko in your favor, then look for a move somewhere that if your opponent doesn’t respond, it will cost more than losing the ko. That way he’ll have to respond to your move and you can then retake the ko. This move is called a “ko threat”.
Those are the rules that govern the game. Now I’ll show you the most basic strategy to get started. You see these stones? How many stones are they’re in the corner? How many are there on the side? And how many are in the center? But yet, all three groups control only one point of territory. This analogy demonstrates that it is most efficient to make territory in the corners, then on the sides and lastly in the middle. This being said, most games will tend to start the same way: One player will choose a corner (usually the top right), the next player will choose another corner, the first player will take the third corner and the second player will take the fourth. At this point the game can then go in endless different directions but the general idea is to establish the corners, proceed down the sides and finish in the center (but this is very much open to variation.)
So what do you think?
The game is called Go. It comes from the Japanese word Igo which means “the surrounding game.” So the fundamental idea of the game is to surround your opponent as well as surrounding areas of the board.
The way it works is that both players take turns consecutively placing one stone at a time on the board. Black goes first and the stones are to be placed on the intersections where the lines meet, not inside the squares. Every intersection on the board is equal and at the start, you may play any one of them. The start points are only there to help you visually navigate the board, they’re not special though.
The game has three basic rules that govern play; all three being different types of rules.
The first rule is called the rule of “liberties” which determines where you may place your stones.
[I place a black stone somewhere in the middle of the board]
The rule of liberties states that every stone, in order to be placed on the board, and in order to remain on the board, has to at all times enjoy at least one vacant liberty. A stone’s liberties are the intersections directly adjacent to it (not the diagonals).
[I then Atari the black stone]
If your opponent takes up all of your liberties that you have except for one, then you say that that stone is in “Atari.”
If your opponent takes up your last liberty then the stone gets captured and goes back in the bowl.
If you don’t want the black stone to be captured than you can extend it. Now these stones are treated as one single entity and therefore share liberties. These stones together have six liberties total, three of which are already taken by white and so your opponent must take up all six in order to capture. If your opponent does this then he captures both stones (or however many are surrounded).
Note that this stone is surrounded but remains on the board because it still enjoys a vacant liberty.
[I then play a quick game of first capture-go with the student]
The second rule is called the rule of control which determines how you win the game.
[I lay out the following example]
You won’t understand it right now but know that there are certain formations that you can make with your stones that make them impossible to capture. This is one such formation. When a group of stones is unable to be captured, it is said to be a “living group”. When you have living stones that surround in area, they are said to control this area. To control an intersection means that you either have a living stone there OR you may play a living stone there but your opponent cannot. If your opponent plays a stone in your area of control then that stone would not be able to avoid being eventually captured. When a stone can’t avoid capture, it is said to be a dead stone or group. In order to win the game, you need to control more than half of the board, or rather more of the board than your opponent. So, there are 361 intersections on the board; you need to have control of 181 of them to win the game (komi comes later).
The third rule is called the rule of ko which guarantees that the game remain finite and have a definite end. However, I will wait to demonstrate this when it becomes relevant in our game.
[Once it appears in a game]
The rule of ko states that never at any time in the game is either player allowed to play a move that would repeat a board position that had been previously seen in the game. This means that you cannot immediately take back the stone which was just captured. Instead you have to play somewhere else on the board and if your opponent doesn’t fill the ko, then you may recapture. If you’re smart and you really want the ko in your favor, then look for a move somewhere that if your opponent doesn’t respond, it will cost more than losing the ko. That way he’ll have to respond to your move and you can then retake the ko. This move is called a “ko threat”.
Those are the rules that govern the game. Now I’ll show you the most basic strategy to get started. You see these stones? How many stones are they’re in the corner? How many are there on the side? And how many are in the center? But yet, all three groups control only one point of territory. This analogy demonstrates that it is most efficient to make territory in the corners, then on the sides and lastly in the middle. This being said, most games will tend to start the same way: One player will choose a corner (usually the top right), the next player will choose another corner, the first player will take the third corner and the second player will take the fourth. At this point the game can then go in endless different directions but the general idea is to establish the corners, proceed down the sides and finish in the center (but this is very much open to variation.)
So what do you think?
