Welcome to the World of GO
Wood,shell and stone, circles,lines and rectangles. Starting from these simple elements a game developed with growing popularity along more than 40 centuries. This game is so simple that is deep. In fact it is so deep that many people devoted their lives to dominate the potential of this game completely. A game of the Chinese emperors' court, of Shogum, of the samurais and monks in feudal Japan. The aesthetics of this game was developed a lot besides any other game. A good game that will improve its appreciation of this old but always current and fascinating oriental tradition. Perhaps this game will strengthen its perception and cognitive habilities. The learned people's education in old Japan would not be considered completed without a certain knowledge of this milenar board game. The game of Go (it is pronounced Gô) had its origin on China some 4.000 years ago. Its introduction in Japan dates of more than 1.300 years ago. During these centuries, the old form of Go was modified and improved a lot by the Japanese. The main fascination of this game consists of the simplicity of the rules and in the complexity that the game can reach. The game of Go is a dispute for territory conquest and the traditional board of game is portrayed below in the image.
In this game two players confront each other trying to
maximize its territory at the same time that tries to minimize the opponent's territory.
Internationally known by the name Japanese name of Go, this game has the name wei-chi in
China and baduk in Korea, which are the three world potencies of this game.
In Go it is used a classification that allows the players to establish a handicap
that turns the the game competitive for both. This system has for the beginners the classification of
30th kyu. This classification rises as the player becomes more experienced.(30 k is weaker than 25k ,etc.)
When arriving to 1st Kyu the player turn close to reach the classification of master, where it is ranked 1ºDan.
Just as in the martial arts, there are later classification for the masters. The first dan is weaker than the second Dan,etc. The seventh Dan is the stronguest position an amateur player can reach. Professionals reach the 9th Dan. However there is a big difference between a 1st Dan amateur and a 1ºDan professional.
There are some computer programs that can play Go, although these are still very far away from master's degree (1ºDan). This is due to the complexity involved in programming a computer to play well this game.
The game of Go is played in a square board, where are drawn 19 crossing of vertical and horizontal lines.
Habitually the board has the dimension of 9x9, 13x13 or 19x19, being this last one the official size for tournament games.
The game begins with an empty board (exception on handicap games-where the weaker player receives some stone as handicap), being the point drawn in the middle of the board used for orientation and for placing the handicap stones. THE objective of the game of Go is to conquer a larger part of the board (territory) than the opponent. The territory consists in the points (intersectionsor crossing lines) that are surrounded enclosured by the wall created by each player with their stones.
In the example (in a board of 7x7 for didactic ends) we have that the black ones have 16 points, while the white ones have 11 points. Therefore in this example the black stones are winning by 5 points.
The moves are enumerated from 1 to for 22.
Kindly note that the sides of the board also count as territory.
Starting position-> End game position ->
One of the charms of the game of Go when compared to other board games, as the chess, is that two players of different levels can play in terms of equality through the handicap system described above.
This system already gives to the weakest player a number of stones placed in the board
(in the points marked in the board - hoshi), being that proportional number of stones to the difference among the two players.
For further information on the game of Go check the links given below:
In Portuguese 1 2
In Spanish 1 2
In English 1 2 3 4
There is an association with the objective of globally divulgate the game of Go.
It is the NIHON-KIIN. They are present in Brazil.
To enter in contact with them in Brazil uses the data given below:
address: Street Dr. Fabricio Vampré,116 Ana Rosa São Paulo Tel: (011) 571-2847
Nihon Kiin of Brazil with a building in São Paulo possesses a wide room of games, specialized library and tapes showing professional games.
In São Paulo there is a group of friends of GO that weekly meets in a restaurant near the Subway AnaRosa. Where basic explanations on Go can be obtained as well as commented games. The group meets on Wednesday between 20:00 and 23:00h. The creation of the group is due to an enthusiast of Brazilian Go, Mr. Miguel Flusser that have been trying to divulgate this fascinating game for a long time. The bar's address is Rua Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves,382 The tel number is 0xx11-5539-1501
For e-mail cantacts use:
Miguel Flusser = miguel@matrix.inf.br
5 amateur dan (classif.Nihon Kiin Brasil)
Wang Seng Feng = wang@prontmed.com
7 amateur dan (classif.Nihon Kiin Brasil)
André Cimbalista = andre@folder.com.br
5 kyu (Clasif. IGS)
Didier Levy Sousan = didiersousan@aol.com 12 kyu (classif. IGS)
Rafael = rafael_caetanoXXX@yahoo.com (sem o XXX) 3 kyu (classif. IGS)
Adalberto Duarte = duarte@directbr.com.br 9 kyu (classif.IGS) (North and Northeast)
Roberto Petresco = rpetresco@yahoo.com 9 kyu (classif.IGS) * -) webmaster
Lyu Shuzhi (China) =lshuzhi@playgogame.com
In United States there is an entity that actively divulgate the game. It is AGA-American Go Association.
AGA publishes a magazine quarterly about novelties of the world of Go.
In one of these magazines was commented that The President of the former Citibank Mr. John Reed (today's Citigroup but without John Reed ;-) ) motivates his executives to learn and practice this game as a training or way of developing the thinking hability. The
tradition tells that in the military academies of medieval Japan (500 years ago) they also teached this game with the purpose of sharpening the student's thinking skills
Nowadays to program a computer so that it can play Go with a level of reasonable game it is an incredible feat. In fact a pool of companies exists in Asia that offers a reward of Us 100.000,00 for anyone able to develop a software that can beat the best existent software nowadays. More about programing Go in computers see below (in the News section just below) the article goneura. We left here our challenge for the team of Deep-Blue, that computer that won of the best chess player of the present time. Will these programers be able to programe their computer to win a professional Go player ?? To know more on the subject visits the site of AGA (see links given above).
Last but not less important, if you have a personal computer and have access to the internet you can play Go with a partner in almost any place of the planet. Just play throught internet.
Check the site of igs.joyjoy.net for playing throught the internet. (see more on this on link nbr.1) On IGS download the client/software that will allow to play throught the net.
Further details on how to play on the net are given on the links given above.
A basic kit to play Go can be bought through Internet in
Ishi Press sites or still in the link nbr 3 given above.
For additional information about the GO set of equipment please go to the page
GO EQUIPMENT
For additional information about GO books please go to the page
GO Books for Free Downl
If you wants a commented game on 13x13 size boardas well as a software that will play with you in a board of 9x9 (for beginners)
just download the softer igo.zip. If you want to play in a board of 19x19 download TurboGo. This is a shareware program that can be configurated in six different languages.
TurboGo
Adalberto from Brazil sells a very good quality Go board wodden made and with thickness of 2.5 ". He also sells the Go bowls to store the stones.
You can even choose different quality of woods for these Go bowls. Below a picture showing Adalberto's products.
If you are interested send an e-mail to:
Adalberto Duarte
NEW - Just included links to interesting sites
Joseki Dictionary
Josekis.zip needs *.sgf viewer
SGF and MGT viewer http://igs.joyjoy.net
Article about neural network and programing Go on computers
What do you think about 191 professional commented games ?
Interested ?? Just download the goscri.arj
This file is arj compressed. It has 191 games in the ishi format (.go files) They can be seen with the goscribe softer (sorry it is still for DOS) or you can convert it to .sgf files (by using the winmgt83.zip [or newer version] option tools ishi2sgf. After that just use the winmgt softer to see the game.Goscribe.arj
Use this formulary to anotate go games Tabule.pdf
Softer with 1050 die or live tests dieorlive.exe
Other Go softers szsoftware
Java Go client -plays via internet and view sgf games
javaclient
have your internet games commented by a stronguer player -
visit the site http://gtl.jeudego.org The coments are in english but you must send them your game in the .sgf format-
your game reviewed by a stronguer player
A FANTASTIC INTRODUCTION TO GO INCLUDING RULES AND STRATEGIES -
visit te site http://www.garrisonmedia.com/wwgo.html
An animated FLASH presentation of the GO GAME
Solve several Go problems on-line at http://www.goproblems.com -
Go problems online
A server to play Go games a move each day or so -
Go games that can last for days
A site selling high quality Go equipment -
High quality Go equipment
Want to join the
Game of Go ring?
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