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4 <head>
5 <title></title>
6 </head>
7 <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0">
8
9 <p><hr>
10
11 <br wp="br1"><br wp="br2"><a name="HOW TO PLAY Go">
12 <p><strong>how to play Go</strong>
13
14 <p>&copy; 2007 Milton N. Bradley
15
16 <p> If you've gotten this far in my web page it's reasonable to assume that your interest in Go has
17 been kindled, but perhaps not yet to the point of making Go a permanent part of your future life -
18 something that probably will only occur after you've actually begun to play and have
19 experienced its exquisite pleasures and fascination first hand. Until that desirable moment
20 arrives, you will be able to obtain at least a preliminary idea of what delights await you from
21 reviewing the illustrative game presented below.
22
23 <p> Go is most often compared with chess in our society because that has been long considered the
24 western world's standard of strategic depth and complexity, and I, too, follow that model in this
25 web page. But Go is startlingly different from chess because it is a game of accretion rather than
26 of depletion - beginning with the board empty and then filling up rather than the converse. And
27 in Go the playing implements (called stones) are placed on the board intersections instead of the
28 squares and never move thereafter, although they may be captured and removed from the board.
29 Part of the mystery of Go is that it would seem that this lack of physical movement should
30 produce a slow, static game, but in reality the exact converse is true, and a well played Go game
31 has a powerful feeling of cut-and-thrust!
32
33 <p> Another major difference between Go and such games as chess and checkers is that the latter
34 produce a "winner take all" result, whereas Go is really a game of "market share" in which it is
35 only necessary to outscore the opponent by a single point in order to win!
36
37 <p> To ease your understanding, I now provide a brief introduction to some of the fundamental ideas of Go. Please understand that this exposition is not intended to be either complete or definitive, so that it may therefore leave some unanswered questions in the minds of some readers. A much more complete exposition is provided by my primer GO FOR KIDS, while the on line presentations of other authors are spelled out in some detail in the web pages referenced at the end of this section.
38
39 <p> We begin with a few key definitions:
40
41 <p><strong> Unit = Any number of adjoining stones of the same color which are solidly connected by board lines.</strong>
42 <p> Diagonally adjacent units are <u>not</u> connected!
43 <p> All The Stones In a Unit Live Or Die Together Indivisibly.
44
45 <p><strong> Group = Any number of spatially related, cooperating units of a single color.</strong></p>
46 <br>
47
48 <p><strong>Units & Groups</strong></p>
49 <p><font color="#0000ff"><img src="Playimg10.gif" align="left"></font></p>
50
51
52 <p> The separate units in a group may later become connected to form a single unit, or permanently disconnected by the opponent to live or die independently.
53
54 <p> The White group consists of units marked "a" containing 4 stones, and "b" containing 2 stones. The Black group consists of units marked "c" and "d" of one stone each, "e" 2 stones, and "f" 3 stones.</p>
55 <p>Under normal circumstances neither of these groups is ever likely to be separated in subsequent play, although that's not impossible.</p>
56 <br>
57 <p><strong> Liberty = An immediately adjacent unoccupied intersection to which a unit is <u>connected by a board line</u>.</strong>
58 <br>
59 <p><img src="Playimg11.gif" align="left"> <strong>Liberties</strong></p>
60 <p>A single stone in the corner has only 2 liberties ("a"), one on the edge has 3 ("b"), and one in the center
61 has 4 liberties ("c").</p>
62 <p>The White two stone unit has 6 liberties (marked "d"), and the 3 stone Black unit
63 has 8 liberties (marked "e"), but </p>
64 <p>Although the White 3 stone unit also consists of 3 stones it only has 7 liberties (marked "f')! The difference between it and the Black "e" unit is its shape!</p>
65 <p>And that's a vitally important characteristic that strongly influences viability.</p>
66 <br>
67 <br>
68 <br>
69 <br>
70
71 <p><img src="Playimg13.gif" align="left"><strong>Shared Liberties</strong></p>
72
73 <p>Liberties may be shared by stones of one color or by both, but each liberty only counts once for each unit that shares it.</p>
74
75 <p> - Liberties solely possessed/shared by White stones are marked "w".</p>
76 <p> - Liberties solely possessed/shared by Black stones are marked "b".</p>
77 <p> - Liberties shared by both Black and White stones are marked "s".</p>
78
79 <br>
80 <br>
81 <br>
82 <p><strong> Eye = One or (sometimes) more unoccupied intersections entirely surrounded by stones of a single color.</strong></p>
83 <p><img src="Playimg12.gif" align="left"><strong>Eyes</strong></p>
84 <p>Eyes may contain one or more points. "a" and "b" are typical one point eyes, while "c" is a two-point eye.</p>
85 <br>
86 <br>
87 <p><strong>Eyes may be real or false.</strong></p>
88 <p><img src="Playimg14.gif" align="left"><strong>False Eyes</strong></p>
89 <p> </p>
90 <p> </p>
91 <p> </p>
92 <p>"a" is a real eye, but "b" is false because when "c" is filled by White it will be the last liberty for three Blacks!
93
94 <br>
95 <br>
96 <br>
97 <p><strong> Territory = The unoccupied intersections contained withn a safe group.</strong>
98
99 <p><strong> Safe Group = A group containing at least 2 separate and distinct real eyes.<p></strong>
100 <p> Control of a given territory is achieved when the defender either already has or cannot be prevented from making 2 eyes, and any of the opponent's stones already inside that space or that may later be entered therein cannot either make their own 2 eyes or achieve Seki (a local stalemate).
101
102 <p><strong>Only safe groups take any territory.</strong></p>
103
104 <br>
105 <p><img src="Playimg15.gif" align="left"><strong>Minimal Safe Groups</strong></p>
106
107 <p> This shows two cases of the minimum possible territory within any group - the 2 eyes that make it safe ("a" and "b" on the left and "c" and "d" on the right.) There is no maximum except that imposed by the physical limitations of the board.
108 <br>
109 <br>
110 <br>
111 <br>
112 <p><img src="Playimg16.gif" align="left"><strong>A Safe Group</strong></p>
113
114 <p>In this well known Joseki (analyzed sequence) position, the Black corner stones are safe and take a territory of approximately 10 points. (The exact final dimensions will be determined by later play around the borders.)
115 <p> Any open space bordered by safe stones of <u> both </u> colors is neutral, and doesn’t count as territory for either side.
116 <br>
117 <br>
118 <br>
119 <br>
120 <br>
121 <p><strong>Seki = A local stalemate in which opposing groups with less than 2 eyes are nevertheless mutually safe from capture.</strong></p>
122 <br>
123 <br>
124 <p><img src="Playimg17.gif" align="left"><strong>Seki - Neither Side Has An Eye</strong></p>
125 <p>The key to Seki is the 2 shared liberties, on which neither side can play without putting itself into atari.</p>
126 <p>The reason that neither side in a Seki can afford to put itself in atari by approaching the other is that when the opponent captures those stones it would be provided with a live (two eyed) shape.</p>
127 <p>But if the capture does not provide a live shape, it is feasible to sacrifice your own stones and then play back on the opponent's key eyemaking point(s) to kill his group!</p>
128
129 <p><img src="Playimg18.gif" align="left"><strong>Seki - Both Sides Have an Eye</strong></p>
130 <br>
131 <br>
132 <p>In this position, Black may capture the marked White stone to gain one point, without affecting the Seki.</p>
133 <br>
134 <br>
135 <br>
136 <br>
137
138 <p><img src="Playimg19.gif" align="left"><strong>Seki - Only One Side Has An Eye</strong></p>
139
140 <br>
141 <br>
142 <br>
143 <br>
144 <br>
145 <br>
146 <br>
147 <br>
148 <p><strong> The Mechanics Of Play </strong>
149
150 <p><strong>- Go is a 2 player game, one side using the Black stones, the other the White.</strong>
151 <p> Go stones are lenticular disks, about 5/8 inch in diameter and from about 6 to 10 mm. thick.
152 <p> The stronger player traditionally plays White, and equal players alternate colors in successive games.
153
154 <p><strong>- Black plays first.</strong>
155 <p> Since this confers a sufficient advantage to insure a Black victory against an equal opponent, to equalize each player's winning probability a number of points (called Komi) is added to White's final score. In our sample game, Komi was a higher than usual 8 points.
156
157 <p><strong>- The 19 x 19 line board starts empty</strong>
158 <p> Exception: In handicap games, Black's handicap stones constitute his first move.
159
160 <p><strong>- A move consists of entering one stone from the player's supply upon any unoccupied board intersection in accord with the 2 rules of Go</strong> stated below. (Each player always has as many stones as needed to finish the game.)
161
162 <p><strong>- If a move fills the last liberty of any opposing stones, <u>all</u> of those stones are Captured and immediately removed from the board by the capturing player.</strong>
163 <p>This means that a player may enter a stone on a point at which it <u> appears</u> to have no liberties IF that stone captures some opposing stones, because the removal of those captives from the board will produce the required liberties.
164
165 <p><strong>- The opponent may not respond until that removal is completed.</strong>
166
167 <p><img src="Playimg20.gif" align="left"><strong>Atari And Capture Of A Single Stone</strong></p>
168 <p>A - Atari, B - Capture, C - Result.</p>
169 <p>A player who has a unit "in atari" is not required to protect it, nor is the opponent ever required to capture.</p>
170 <p> Stones may remain "in atari" indefinitely!</p>
171 <br>
172 <br>
173
174 <p><img src="Playimg21.gif" align="left"><strong>Multiple Stone Capture</strong></p>
175
176 <p>A - Atari, B - Capture, C - Result.</p>
177
178 <p><strong>- The captives are held as prisoners by the capturing player, and after the game's end are filled back into territories of the same color, thereby subtracting from the opponent's score.</strong></p>
179
180 <p>Each captive is worth 2 points - one point for the open intersection exposed when it is removed from the board, and a second point when it is filled into the opponent's territory to count the score after the game has ended.</strong></p>
181 <p>The result is that a capture can sometimes be quite productive on a direct point basis, but that should <u>not</u> deceive you into making capture a major objective!</p>
182 <p>If the opponent errs and an important capture can be made without significant offsetting detriment you should, of course, accept that gift, but in most cases capture is best only threatened, as the mechanism for achieving more important strategic objectives. Remember that, especially in the early stages of the game, there's usually far more territory available to be enclosed than stones to be captured!</p>
183
184
185 <p><strong>- There are no mandatory moves in Go </strong>(unlike the response to check in chess), so the opponents are always free to play anywhere that they wish in accord with the rules.
186
187 <p><strong>- At each turn, a player may chose to enter a stone or pass.</strong> (In practice, no one ever passes unless they have decided that there is no way to improve their position.)
188
189 <p><strong>- When both players pass in succession, the game ends</strong>, prisoners are filled in, and the score is counted. (This process is performed automatically by the on-line Go servers.)
190
191 <p><strong>- There are no draws in Go.</strong> If the final score (including Komi) of both sides is the same, White wins!
192
193 <p><strong>- Tournament games are invariably played with clocks</strong> (essentially identical to chess clocks, although the time limits used are quite different.)
194
195 <UL>
196 <LI><p><strong>Games may be won (and lost) in 3 ways:</strong></LI>
197 <UL>
198 <LI><p><strong>normally, by final count, or </strong></LI>
199 <LI><p><strong>abnormally, either by </strong></LI>
200 <UL>
201 <LI><p><strong>resignation, or </strong></LI>
202 <LI><p><strong>overstepping the time limits.</strong></LI>
203 </UL>
204 </UL>
205 </UL>
206
207 <p><strong> The objective of a game of Go: To gain control of more territory than the opponent.</strong>
208 <p> In keeping with Go's ancient heritage this objective is extremely simple, although achieving that goal can
209 become staggeringly complex and difficult in the face of intelligent opposition. And that's why Go is so intriguing!
210 <p>Although at least some direct acquisition of territory will always occur, for the most part in high level games such efforts usually serve only as the substrate upon which the major battles which actually decide the outcome are fought!
211 So the key to making the appropriate strategic decisions in Go lies in understanding that its fundamental nature is conflict!
212 <p>One of the more common major strategems is for one player to threaten to enclose a sufficiently large territory that, if it can be consolidated, will give that player an insurmountable lead! That, in turn, leaves the opponent with no viable alternative but to immediately act to try to prevent that consolidation
213 before it can be completed, by either invading deeply and trying to make his own live group in its midst, or by "nibbling at the margins" to reduce the territory sufficiently that his own acquisitions can match or exceed it. The resulting battles frequently spill over into adoining board areas, and almost invariably
214 decide the game's outcome.
215
216 <p><strong> There are only two simple rules that govern all play in the game of Go:</strong>
217
218 <p><strong> Rule 1. To remain on the board, every unit must possess at least one liberty.</strong>
219
220 <p> Each Unit Shares The Sum Of The Liberties Possessed By Its Individual Members, But Each Liberty Counts Only Once For The Unit, No Matter How Many Stones Share It.
221 <p> (This means that stones inside a large unit need not be themselves directly connected to a liberty if <u>any</u> of their friends on the outside edge have a liberty!)
222 <p> A non-obvious but absolutely critical implication of this simple basic rule actually dominates much of actual Go play: In order to be certain that they always have at least the one liberty necessary for them to remain on the board, each discrete group of stones must completely enclose <u> two separate
223 liberties</u> on which the opponent can never play!! (And that's why 2 separate and distinct eyes are necessary for safety!)
224
225 <p><strong> Rule 2. No full-board position may be repeated.</strong>
226
227 <p> Local positions not only can but often do repeat, in the pattern called Ko (="eternity").
228 <p><img src="Playimg22.gif" align="left"><strong>Ko</strong></p>
229
230 <p>This diagram shows the 3 conceptually identical forms that Ko can take.
231
232 <p> - A is the basic form of Ko.</p>
233 <p> - B shows the Ko cut off by the edge of the board.</p>
234 <p> - C results when the Ko is moved into the corner.</p>
235 <br>
236 <p>When White captures the marked Black stone, White's capturing stone will itself be in atari! But the "No Repetition Rule"
237 requires that Black must first make a move elsewhere before a legal recapture is allowed! If that recapture is important, it
238 means that Black must find a threat elsewhere (a "Ko threat") important enough to White to compel his reply there. Then Black
239 is permitted to recapture the Ko, and now it will be White who must find a Ko threat to compel Black's response so that he can
240 recapture the Ko. And this series of threat, response, capture, and threat will often continue for many moves and frequently
241 becomes decisive in determining the game's outcome - either as a direct result of which side "wins the Ko", or not infrequently
242 as a result of what happens elsewhere as a result of the Ko threats and the way that they were answered.</p>
243
244 <p>Because a Ko involves the capture and recapture of only a single stone, taken out of context it appears trivial, but in actual play it's anything but!
245 A Ko will be created and fought only when its result will determine the fate of one or more significant groups of stones, because of
246 the confirmation (or killing) of a needed eye, or the establishment or severing of an important connection. It is therefore unquestionably the
247 single most important tactic in Go!</p>
248
249 <p>Ko typically occurs at least once in almost every game and several times in most, but the fighting of a Ko may not even begin until many, many moves after it's established,
250 and its resolution is frequently not defined until after a long series of Ko threats, responses and counter threats has been fought.</p>
251
252 <p>Ko is the primary situation in which "The No Repetition Rule" is expressed, but far from the only one.
253 Even when considering only Ko itself there are strange and interesting variants like double and triple Ko
254 with and without outside dame. And there are also even more unusual non-Ko repetitive positions like Chosei and "Eternal Life". But because most of these other repetitive
255 patterns occur only infrequently, it's possible to play Go on a quite sophisticated level with little more than a
256 realization that such things exist. For that reason you can make their acquaintance whenever you feel ready and inclined
257 to do so.</p>
258
259 <p> Everything else about how to play Go (except for the mechanics of play, ending the game and counting the score) can be deduced from just these two simple rules .
260
261 <p><strong>Caution!</strong> The deceptively simply stated objective of Go conceals one of the most devilishly complex intellectual activities in all of human history! To understand how this can possibly be true, consider some other well known games with similarly simple appearing objectives:
262
263 <p>- Golf: Just hit the ball into the cup in as few strokes as possible. (But how many can achieve par
264 or less?)
265
266 <p>- Tennis: Just be the last one to hit the ball over the net and into the opponent's court. (But how
267 difficult this is to do successfully against a fast, hard hitting, fit opponent over 3 or 5 sets!)
268
269 <p>- Chess: Just catch the opponent's King! (Difficulty/complexity too well established to require
270 further comment or explanation.)
271
272 <p>- Football (American): Just move the ball downfield and over the opponent's goal line. [But doing
273 that successfully requires a good strategy (maximize your team's assets, minimize its defects,
274 and exploit the opponent's), the right tactics (call the right plays), and execution (block, tackle,
275 pass, etc.) . Spectacularly difficult to do against strong opposition.]
276
277 <p><strong>What's Involved In Playing Go</strong>
278
279 <p>Playing Go requires the integration of these same three vital elements of strategy, tactics, and
280 execution, and failure in any of them will make a favorable outcome impossible to achieve
281 against competent opposition. But the level of complexity involved in Go is many orders of
282 magnitude greater than in football, so playing Go well remains a challenge to the best and
283 brightest even after a lifetime of play and study!
284
285 <p>Much of the tension in playing Go results from the compromises and tradeoffs required in
286 achieving the simply stated objective of enclosing and securing territory. Although some direct attempts to
287 sketch out and secure territory are both natural and necessary, in high level play that's only a sub text. The major thrust
288 of play usually devolves about the identification of potentially weak groups on both sides, followed by their subsequent
289 attack and defense, during which the final shapes of each side's territories actually become defined. If a player tries to be overly conservative and either initially loosely encloses too small
290 a territory or consolidates what he has sketched out too soon, the opponent will be presented with the opportunity to
291 gain dominance over a larger area elsewhere. But if too large an area is loosely sketched out initially or if it is not
292 consolidated in timely enough fashion, the opponent may either separate (and sometimes kill)
293 some of its stones, reduce it substantially, or even play within its confines to make a small
294 territory of his own there, effectively wiping it out almost completely. And, of course, if any mistakes in the fighting occur,
295 that not infrequently leads to instant resignation when a key group dies. So what primarily
296 distinguishes the best players from the merely mediocre is the quality and execution of the delicate
297 and precise positional and tactical judgments and timing that motivate these moves.
298
299 <p> The initiative (Sente) is the "natural birthright" of Black at the outset by virtue of his moving
300 first, and if this initiative could be maintained throughout the entire game White would have no
301 chance at all to win. But it cannot! As a natural consequence of the normal interactions which
302 inevitably occur in every Go game, each player will of necessity from time to time have to make
303 moves which are primarily defensive (of stones and/or territory), so Sente naturally switches
304 back and forth. And of course if either player makes even a small error which the opponent is
305 alert enough to exploit, Sente can switch sides even in situations in which it normally would
306 otherwise not. In the final analysis, other things being equal and major blunders excepted, the
307 side which retains Sente for the greater proportion of the game will usually win! In the
308 illustrative game presented below the key to Black's victory is his early seizure of Sente,
309 followed by its relentless maintenance throughout a long series of subsequent moves.
310
311 <p> The opening of a game of Go is its most difficult phase because these early moves not only
312 provide its unique structure but also influence the feasibility of everything that follows. For that
313 reason the most detailed explanations will be provided for these early moves, and then we will
314 sketch more and more broadly as the game develops and becomes intensely tactical. Especially
315 during the Fuseki (full board opening) but throughout the game as well, the immensity of the
316 decision making problem confronting the players arises from the need to trade off conflicting
317 objectives (e.g. territory vs. "influence", attack vs. defense, etc.) coupled with the need for
318 efficiency (getting "the maximum bang per buck" for each stone played). And of course, each
319 player is not only trying to achieve his own objectives but is also trying to frustrate his opponent!
320 So the decisions on how to best proceed at each turn are surpassingly difficult! And even the
321 "detailed" explanations provided herein are therefore necessarily much simplified.
322
323 <p> It is easy to see that making eyes and sealing off territory are easiest to accomplish in the corners
324 because there the board edges form natural barriers to enemy incursion in two directions. So the
325 corners are the "theoretically correct" places to begin the game - and in fact that's what occurs in
326 this and most other Go games. But the reader should be aware that it is feasible to utilize a more
327 subtle, indirect approach, starting instead with center moves which have no immediate territorial
328 implications, but which offer fighting "potential" instead whose later proper exploitation is
329 expected to produce at least an equivalent amount of territory. The problem with such an indirect
330 strategy is that it places an increased premium on proper followup else the final return from these
331 initial moves may be insufficient, because in the final analysis only the balance of territory at
332 game's end counts! So such an initial center strategy has historically quite rarely been used,
333 although more experimentation with it is being seen recently.
334
335 <p> Over the many millennia that Go has been played, the best locations for initial corner moves
336 have been fully developed, resulting in simple patterns for uncontested corner enclosures (=
337 Shimari) and far more complex ones when the corner is contested (= Joseki, each of which is
338 fully comparable to a complete chess opening). Integral to this, the optimal distance from the
339 board edges for these early moves has also been established, so if you check what follows you
340 will see that none of the early moves in this game is any closer to the edge than the third line!
341
342 <p> The Go board diagrams presented below utilize algebraic notation similar to that used in chess,
343 since that makes it easier to refer to alternative moves without the necessity for creating a
344 variation diagram. As in chess, these numbers and letters do not appear on the actual boards the
345 players use, but can be (and usually are) displayed by the "clients" (software programs) used to
346 play by computer on the internet, and of course appear in books and presentations like this one.
347
348 <p><strong> Illustrative Game</strong>
349
350 <p> Because the protagonists in this game were top flight professionals, a complete understanding of
351 the strategy and tactics displayed is far beyond the unaided ability of even the strongest amateur
352 player - and I'm not even in that modestly exalted category. So even if it was my objective to do
353 so, providing a detailed explanation of their subtle maneuvering would be infeasible. But that's
354 not the objective here. Our much more basic intention is merely to sketch out the game's main
355 strategic and tactical themes in broad terms that can be readily comprehended even by a rank
356 beginner.
357
358 <p> This game was contested between two professional Go players, Michael Redmond, 8 Dan
359 (Black) and Yilun Yang ("rabcat"), 7 Dan (White), April 10, 1999 on the Internet Go server
360 (IGS), in the second qualifying round of the 1999 North American Masters Championship
361 Tournament (NAMT). These professionals are both the approximate Go equivalent of
362 Grandmasters in chess so their level of play is exceptionally high, although neither is quite of
363 world championship caliber (although there is not at present any such recognized title or
364 individual in Go).
365
366 <p>The explanations of the game moves provided are intended to illustrate the almost unbelievable
367 beauty, strategic depth and mind-bogglingly complex tactics of Go in a manner comprehensible
368 to persons who don't know more than its few simple rules of play. Although this would seem an
369 impossible task, it is feasible because the unique qualities of Go are so self evident that even the
370 complete neophyte will not only be able to follow the game's flow but appreciate it, albeit only
371 on a very general level in which all of the more intricate strategic and tactical nuances are
372 necessarily glossed over or omitted.
373
374 <p>Hopefully, at least some of you readers to whom this represents a first look at Go will be kind
375 enough to email me after you finish reviewing this game to let me know just how well or poorly
376 I've succeeded in this daunting task! It would be most appreciated.
377
378 <p><img src="Playimg.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 1</strong>
379
380 <p><strong>B1-W4</strong> are each played in an open
381 corner, and this is the most usual
382 way to begin. The exact point in the
383 respective corners occupied by each
384 stone is the result of a very careful
385 analysis of their subtle interactions.
386
387 <p>Once each corner has a stone in it,
388 an important decision regarding the
389 placement of <strong>B5</strong> must be made. W2
390 is on the 4-4 point, so with it the
391 Lower Left corner is temporarily
392 "finished". But B5 could rationally
393 be played at any of C15 or D15 in
394 the Upper Left, Q5 or R5 in the
395 Lower Right, or P16 or P17 in the Upper Right corner, each of which will produce a completely
396 different game!
397
398
399 <p>From a theoretical perspective, playing in the UR corner is slightly best for reasons we will
400 discuss in a moment. But the decision between the chosen location at O17 and the alternatives of
401 P17 and P16 is not so simple. As played, the Shimari formed by B1,5 exerts the strongest
402 influence down the board toward B3 in the LR, and that is the reason it was chosen. But in return
403 this positioning has the detriment that it encloses the UR corner more loosely than the more usual
404 P17, leaving it more vulnerable to a possible later White invasion. On the other hand, it protects
405 its left flank better than would P16. This kind of tradeoff is typical of Go and one of the things
406 that makes playing it so very intriguing! Because, <u>unless the opponent has made an absolute
407 blunder which you are exploiting, every move has both assets and detriments</u> - i.e. "There is no
408 such thing as a free lunch". So the art of playing Go is to try to "Give a little, take a lot", and not
409 be greedy.
410
411 <p><strong>W6</strong> prevents a second Black Shimari, as expected, but then (in accord with his plan in playing
412 B5), <strong>B7</strong> combines an ideal extension from his Shimari in the UR corner with a Joseki squeeze
413 play in the LR corner! And this is a considerable advantage for Black, as it should be if he has
414 played correctly! Why?? Because at the moment Black has played one more stone than White
415 and still retains Sente (the initiative) as his "birthright" from playing first - and that's the reason
416 that White gets Komi (in this game, 8 points) added to his score at game's end!
417
418 <p>Next, <strong>W8</strong> and <strong>B9</strong> are both popular Joseki moves. This means that the resulting division of the
419 available assets (e.g. territory, influence) in this corner is dynamically (not statically) equal. The
420 degree to which the selection of this particular Joseki was appropriate in the global context is one
421 of the many factors that not only determine the future course of the game but which also strongly
422 influence the prospects for each side, and constitutes one of the more important and difficult
423 decisions to be made.
424
425
426 <p><img src="Playimg1.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 2</strong>
427
428 <p><strong>W10</strong> After B9, White is faced with
429 a dilemma. If he plays at O5 Black
430 will respond at N4, running along
431 the 4 <sup>th</sup> line and getting too much
432 potential territory along the LR
433 edge as a result. But running out at
434 P7 or O6 won't affect Black at all
435 and will also leave White without
436 sure eyes in this corner, so he
437 decides to attach at the key 3-3
438 point to secure eyespace.
439
440 <p><strong>B11</strong> reduces the liberty count of
441 W10 and threatens to continue at
442 S3, so <strong>W12</strong> on this same point is
443 forced. But this makes Q4 an ideal
444 "shape" point for White, so <strong>B13</strong> there is necessary. This in turn makes the threat of a Black play
445 next at Q5 to split the white formation apart, so <strong>W14</strong> on this same point is also forced. The result
446 is that this sequence has formed an unusual but feasible Joseki pattern, after which White is
447 virtually assured of making 2 eyes in this corner because he has S2 and S8 (to enlarge his space)
448 as alternatives (miai).
449
450
451 <p><strong>Important:</strong> Contact via <strong>W10</strong> was made here, but not with the intent of capturing opposing
452 stones! Rather, its intent is to produce a shape capable of making 2 eyes if and when needed!
453 Note also that <strong>B11</strong> and <strong>W12</strong> are the first moves on the second line, but this is acceptable because
454 both are essential in this position for producing a shape capable of generating 2 eyes if needed!
455 Now that both sides have at least temporarily achieved a local formation capable of making eyes
456 or running away into the safety of the open center, further contact and attempts to capture locally
457 come to a halt - to be resumed later only if and when required to assure the safety of the opposing
458 stones!!!
459
460 <p>So Black next played the totally unexpected and surprisingly strong <strong>B15</strong> - a move that none of
461 the many observers anticipated, but which after-the-fact everyone agreed was magnificent!
462 Although this stone is quite close to B7 its shape is ideal, it inhibits White's expansion in this
463 direction, and begins the process of turning the space between these 2 stones and the Black UR
464 corner Shimari into a large potential territory (Moyo).
465
466 <p>Since White's LR corner stones are quite safe for the moment, <strong>W16</strong> combines an extension from
467 White's LL corner stone with a squeeze play which inhibits the expansion of Black's LR corner
468 stones to their left. Because this threatens to follow next at N6 to close Black in, <strong>B17</strong> moves him
469 smoothly out into the open center while slightly weakening W16.
470
471
472 <p><strong>Note:</strong> Black does NOT make contact with W16 because that would induce White to strengthen
473 that still weak and potentially exploitable stone! (This is the exact converse of the beginner's
474 mistaken instinctual behavior.)
475
476 <p>After B17, White can still flee into the open center with O6 or P7, but, perhaps influenced by the
477 slightly higher than usual 8 point Komi in this game, he opts instead to secure eyespace in the
478 corner via <strong>W18</strong>, which threatens to make one eye immediately via playing at Q2 to catch B11.
479
480 <p>Since saving B11 now would be both small and too localized, Black instead opts for <strong>B19</strong>, which
481 squeezes W16. But instead of defending W16 directly, <strong>W20</strong> strengthens it indirectly by counter-squeezing B19 with good coordination with White's LL corner stone, in the typical thrust-and-counter thrust of high level Go play!
482
483 <p><img src="Playimg2.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 3</strong>
484
485 <p><strong>B21</strong> A simple, but surprisingly
486 effective move! Not only makes
487 perfect use of the subtle B15 to
488 create a vast Black moyo on the
489 Right side, but also locks-in the
490 White LR corner stones and forces
491 them to make eyes immediately.
492
493
494 <p><strong>W22-24</strong> With the capture (and
495 removal) of B11 White makes one
496 eye immediately and with the easy
497 prospect of making a second eye if
498 and when needed becomes
499 absolutely safe here, but because
500 these moves have no other effect on
501 the global position Black retains
502 Sente with which to play elsewhere. (This is a key difference between high level and weak Go!
503 Strong players make the globally largest move, often switching to a completely different board
504 area, as here. Beginners tend to fixate upon a local situation and continue to play there long after
505 the incremental value of the added moves has fallen far below that of potential alternative plays
506 elsewhere.)
507
508 <p><strong>B25-31</strong> With this Joseki sequence, both sides become locally stable, with White having virtually
509 assured eyes and Black with good shape enclosing enough space and with center access to be not
510 only also safe for the moment, but in better position to wage any future center fighting. At the
511 same time, Black's position here is a lot less secure than White's, so the result is dynamically
512 "equal" (as it must be in order for the sequence to be Joseki).
513
514 <p><strong>W32</strong> For the first time in this game White finally has Sente, but in a position in which it is
515 surpassingly difficult to see how best to proceed. White thought for a long time before making
516 this play and it evidently was a compromise, but the result is that it is "neither fish nor fowl". He
517 clearly couldn't decide upon the best place to invade Black's right side moyo, but this move
518 seems too unfocussed to be truly effective even as a preparatory play for a following invasion.
519 The result is that this was almost certainly the losing move, although proving that required all of
520 the skills of a top professional on Black's part!
521
522 <p><img src="Playimg3.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 4</strong>
523
524 <p><strong>B33</strong> The natural way to expand/
525 virtually secure this corner, and the
526 point at which one would logically
527 have expected W32 to have been
528 played if he wasn't confident of the
529 result of a deeper invasion.
530
531 <p><strong>W34</strong> Regrettably, something like
532 this deep invasion is now necessary,
533 because Black simply can't be
534 allowed to consolidate all of his
535 vast moyo here if White is to have
536 any chance to win this game.
537
538
539 <p><strong>B35</strong> Well played! If White was
540 allowed to play here next the
541 strange W32 would suddenly become a fine play, assuring that the White invaders can safely
542 escape. So B35 quashes this possibility, and now White must "live small" on the edge.
543
544 <p><strong>W36-44</strong> White struggles for eyespace, while Black builds outside strength while threatening to
545 kill the invaders (recognizing that it's not really possible).
546
547 <p><strong>B45</strong> Threatening to follow at S12 to isolate and catch W34. But if White plays there himself
548 now, Black will play at S7, severely damaging the LR White corner territory as well as making
549 it extremely difficult for the 7 White stones here to live, so <strong>W46</strong> is forced!
550
551 <p><strong>B47</strong> Another fine move by Michael Redmond! The logical followup in the UR would be to play
552 this stone at S12 to create a
553 substantial Black UR corner
554 territory, but Black correctly sees
555 that White can't afford to play there
556 now to save W34 because he has no
557 effective followup that's large
558 enough to play at this still early
559 stage of the game. So Black takes
560 Sente again! It is non-obvious,
561 subtle judgments like this that
562 distinguish top players from
563 ordinary ones, and which win
564 games against really strong
565 opponents.
566
567 <p><img src="Playimg4.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 5</strong>
568
569 <p><strong>W48 - B63</strong> This is the sequence that sets the stage for all of the remainder of this game! White
570 makes the logical decision to respond to the squeeze play of <strong>B47</strong> by trying to connect his stones
571 to make a live group locally, so (in accord with the Go principle "to defend, play close") with
572 <strong>W48</strong> he attaches to the Black K4 stone (B19).
573
574 <p>But Black's clever response not only prevents White from becoming settled (assuring 2 eyes),
575 but also makes a small Black territory in the LR. This forces White to flee for safety into the
576 center with <strong>W58</strong>. But this makes a subtle threat of its own to continue at F7 to enclose the weak
577 Black 3 stone group, so ...
578
579 <p>With <strong>B59</strong>, not only have Black's own weak stones been led out into the center but White's LL
580 corner has become vulnerable to invasion, so <strong>W60</strong> is necessary to protect against this. Then B61
581 again threatens to invade, forcing <strong>W62</strong>. But this leaves black with Sente, so ....
582
583
584 <p>The "capping" play of <strong>B63</strong> once again threatens the life of the White stones below by blocking
585 their easy center egress, maintaining Sente for Black. But because the 4 Black stones squeezed
586 between the White groups here are also still unsettled this is a fair fight, in which victory will
587 only be gained (if at all) by a continuing series of good moves and not by any one or two
588 especially incisive plays!
589
590 <p>From this point on, the game becomes intensely tactical, within the context of the major strategic
591 motif of Black's attack on the unsettled white group and White's attempts to settle it or escape
592 encirclement. Of course, within this broad framework other subsidiary strategic motifs are also
593 invoked and played out, as each side attempts to enclose and secure territory in the attack/defense
594 process. And other local battles are also initiated and carried on within this broad context as well,
595 and this is typical of the complex interactions that make Go so intriguing.
596
597 <p>The details of these many complex tactical threats, counter threats, and secondary strategic
598 motifs are well beyond our present interest, so they will not be explored in any depth. But be
599 advised that they are not only present but must be fully accounted for by the players if their
600 moves are to be successful in the overall game context.
601
602 <p><img src="Playimg5.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 6</strong>
603
604 <p><strong>W64-70</strong> In a carefully calculated
605 interplay of threat and counter
606 threat, first White and then Black
607 threaten to escape into the center
608 and prevent the opponent from
609 doing so.
610
611 <p><strong>B71</strong> Safely completes Black's
612 escape process, at least for the
613 moment.
614
615 <p><strong>W72</strong> White tries to duplicate
616 Black's safe egress, but once again
617
618
619 <p><strong>B73</strong> throws a roadblock in his path.
620
621 <p><strong>W74</strong> Threatens to capture 2 Black
622 stones, forcing the bad shape <strong>B75</strong> to preserve them.
623
624 <p><strong>W76-88</strong> In the subsequent play, the 2 White stones on L4, M4 are trapped and at least
625 temporarily left behind in Black's grasp, while after more complex tactical cut-and-thrust with
626 <strong>W88</strong> the still eyeless White stones finally emerge into relatively open board area and temporary
627 safety.
628
629 <p>Overall, the current situation at this moment is as follows:
630
631 <p>- White has about 15 points of solid territory in the LR, about the same in the LL, and perhaps 10
632 more in the UL.
633
634
635 <p>- Black has about 15 points in the UR (and perhaps 25 if he can play at S12 before white does),
636 perhaps 10 to 15 more in the UL (20-25 if he can play at B17 before White invades), and perhaps
637 10 in the Right Center.
638
639 <p>So with Komi White is comfortably ahead in relatively secure territory at the moment. BUT, and
640 this is the key theme of this game, White has a large weak group for Black to exploit, and it is in
641 the process of cleverly harrying this group that Black intends to secure more territory and/or
642 perhaps even score a coup if White falters in his defense!!
643
644 <br wp="br1"><br wp="br2">
645 <p><img src="Playimg6.gif" align="left" >
646
647 <br wp="br1"><br wp="br2">
648 <br wp="br1"><br wp="br2">
649 <p><strong>Game Record 7</strong>
650
651 <p>In the process of trying to entrap the
652 fleeing White group, Black must
653 also be mindful of the safety of his
654 own still unsettled stones, lest
655 White trap some of them and
656 thereby save his own. That's the
657 primary meaning of <strong>B89</strong>, which
658 prevents the potentially dangerous
659 cut at K9.
660
661 <p>As White struggles to escape and
662 connect to some of his already stable stones (like his UL corner), he also collaterally increases
663 his territory there via <strong>W96, 100, and 106</strong>. But the combination of <strong>B93, 99, 103, 107, and 115</strong>
664
665 keep White from making that highly desirable connection, and at the moment of the forced
666 <strong>W120</strong> White is still confined and vulnerable. Finally, <strong>B121</strong> essentially destroys White's potential
667 for making an eye in this area so he
668 is left seeking both of the still
669 elusive two eyes he needs to
670 survive.
671
672 <br wp="br1"><br wp="br2">
673 <br wp="br1"><br wp="br2">
674 <p><img src="Playimg7.gif" align="left" ><strong>Game Record 8</strong>
675
676 <p>Throughout the remainder of this
677 game, White struggles to attain
678 safety by making the needed 2 eyes
679 for his ever larger center group of
680 stones, while Black tries to frustrate
681 him at every turn.
682
683 <p>The clever and incisive tactics involved must be meticulously calculated in advance by both
684 players, because once embarked upon a particular line of play there is only rarely available a
685 satisfactory fallback line if a miscalculation heads toward impending disaster!
686
687 <p>The key finishing sequence in Black's attack begins with the "push through" of <strong>B141</strong> followed
688 by the cut of <strong>B143</strong>, but its success was only made possible by the non-obvious earlier response
689 of the "solid connection" of <strong>B137</strong> to the attachment of <strong>W136</strong>. This move was especially brilliant
690 because the resulting inefficient shape of the string of 4 Black stones that it created would
691 ordinarily be something to avoid, but in this case was actually best because after <strong>B143</strong> it offered
692 White no "wiggle room" here in which to create mischief. This is the kind of foresight and
693 creative thinking that characterizes Go and distinguishes its better players.
694
695
696 <p>After <strong>W156</strong> White has one secure eye, but is still desperately short of prospects for making the
697 needed second. Note especially how the 2 "abandoned" White stones on L4,M4 are still useful
698 because they necessitate <strong>B157</strong>, giving White Sente with which to play <strong>W158</strong>. Much as Black
699 dislikes having to play <strong>B157</strong>, if this stone was mistakenly omitted then a White play at N3 would
700 capture 5 Blacks and save the entire beleaguered White group!
701
702 <p>The clever <strong>W158</strong> seems finally to offer the chance of making his needed second eye, but after
703 <strong>B159</strong> it is clear that Black will rescue his almost trapped 6 stones by capturing either the White
704 stone on R12 (W34) or by escaping via attaching to <strong>W136</strong> at P14, so this attempt fails. <strong>W160</strong> is
705 his last desperate attempt to cause complications, hoping for a Black response at F1. But when
706 Black simply connects with <strong>B161</strong> it is clear that White can neither capture the 4 Black stones nor
707 connect out, so <strong>WHITE RESIGNS</strong> because with this failure to secure his needed second eye the
708 entire vast White center group is dead!
709
710
711 <p>Brilliantly played throughout by Michael Redmond, and exemplifying all of the attributes that
712 make Go the greatest strategic board game in all of human history!
713
714 <p><strong>Go Playing Tutorials</strong>
715
716 <p>If you're not "a games person" or if you're a teacher not interested in Go for its own sake but in
717 how it can be used in teaching vital REASONING SKILLS to children, you might want to stop
718 with just what you've learned so far and just enjoy the other material provided in the remainder
719 of this web page. But if what you've seen of the depth and beauty of Go in this game has
720 captured your imagination, thoroughly learning its rudiments is the next natural step.
721
722 <p>A number of other Go enthusiasts have already produced their own versions of its basic ideas in
723 pages on the web, so rather than "reinvent the wheel" here I shall merely reference the best of
724 those efforts below. Although I do not find any one of these presentations fully satisfactory, in
725 sum they do provide enough of the rudiments of Go to get a beginner started. Of course, much of
726 this material necessarily repeats what you've already seen in my brief introduction above, but
727 most go well beyond it so unless you are an especially "quick study" their perusal will prove well
728 worth your time.
729
730 <p>But be advised that even the best possible short introduction to a subject with the depth and
731 complexity of Go can reasonably do little more than present its fundamental notions. Of
732 necessity, any in-depth discussion of the three key elements of strategy, tactics, and execution
733 must be left for a much later time at which the beginner has acquired sufficient background to
734 begin to integrate and appreciate them. So please do not expect even the totality of these
735 introductions to do much more than provide a few key insights and a basis for further study.
736
737 <p>The few simple ideas presented in these introductions can be learned in a few minutes, even by
738 young children, and all of Go's spectacular tactical magic and profound strategy can be (and
739 actually were) derived from them and nothing more! It was just this modest amount of
740 information (sans "the Ladder" and "Geta") that then World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker
741 had in 1907 (see <a href="America.html">How Go Came To America</a>) when he played his first game of Go and
742 immediately grasped its immense potential. And it is theoretically possible for anyone to not
743 only begin to play Go but to become a strong player using no more formal instruction than this.
744 But in practice, that would mean trying to learn from your own personal experience all of the
745 tricky tactical nuances and profound strategic ideas that have been developed by hosts of superb
746 players over the many centuries that Go has been played - clearly a daunting and ultimately
747 infeasible task. Far easier and better to avail yourself of all the accumulated wisdom codified in
748 the many excellent Go tutorial books now in print.
749
750 <p>Unfortunately, IMHO none of the extant beginner's books, in common with the web page
751 tutorials, is completely adequate, and my own complete and incisive introduction THE FIRST
752 BOOK OF GO is now out-of-print. However, I'm pleased to announce that its derivative and
753 successor, GO FOR KIDS, is scheduled for publication by <a href="http://www.yutopian.com/go/">Yutopian</a>, a major publisher of Go
754 books in English by summer 2000, as soon as its unique art work is completed. Although this
755 book has been specifically designed to be "child friendly", it is distinctly not simplistic and can
756 be profitably and pleasurably read by adults as well! Check with Yutopian for the latest
757 information by clicking on their highlighted name above.
758
759 <p>In reading the other author's web introductions to Go referenced below (which all basically cover
760 the same material in slightly different fashion), please remember that they present only a few
761 highlights of the most basic ideas, and that there not only is far, far more to Go but that most of
762 the things that place it on a plane far above all other strategic board games can only be, at best,
763 vaguely glimpsed from them. What they contain is perhaps analogous to learning simple
764 arithmetic, with all of the immense power and application of advanced mathematics still to be
765 discovered! But as Confucius said "The journey of 1000 miles begins with but a single step", so
766 don't be afraid to begin. You'll never be sorry that you did!
767
768 <p><strong><a href="http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/~bate/MyGoPage.html"><font
769 Color="#0033FF">John Bate's Introduction</font></a></strong>
770
771 <p><strong><a href="http://www.cwi.nl/~jansteen/go/"><font Color="#0033FF">Jan van der Steen's
772 Introduction</font></a></strong>
773
774 <p><strong><a href="http://www.joy.or.jp/nihonkiin/howto/htm-e/howto1.htm"><font
775 Color="#0033FF">The Nihon Kiin Introduction</font></a></strong>
776
777 <p><strong>The next introduction is especially recommended for children!</strong>
778
779 <p><strong><a href="http://www.sainet.or.jp/~mori/howto/HowTo.html"><font
780 Color="#0033FF">Hiroki Mori's Introduction</font></a></strong>
781
782 <p><strong><a href="InternetGo.html"><font Color="#0033FF">Continue</font></a></strong>
783
784 <p><strong>Click Here To Return To</strong><a href="index.html"><font Color="#0033FF"><strong> Milt's Go
785 Page</strong></font></a>
786
787 <p><hr>
788
789 </body>
790
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