Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players, where the goal is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was discovered in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game that continues to be played to this day. In mid-2008, there were over 40 million Go players worldwide, the majority of them living in East Asia. In December 2015, the International Go Federation has a total of 75 Member States and four Association Membership organizations in several countries.
Although the rules are relatively simple, Go is very complex. Compared to chess, Go has larger boards with more playing space and longer games, and, on average, more alternatives to consider per movement. The lower limit on the number of legal council positions on the Go has been estimated at 2 x 10 170 . In a simple and anecdotal way to explain Go's rules, a teacher simply tells a student "You can put your rock (game piece) at any point on the board, but if I circle the stone, I can remove it."
Go is considered one of the four important arts of the cultured Chinese aristocrats of antiquity. The earliest written reference for the game is generally recognized as the annals history of Zuo Zhuan (c) 4th century BC).
Video Go (game)
Simple rules
The pieces of play are called "stones". One player uses white stone and the other one is black. The players take turns placing the rocks at the empty intersection ("dots") of the board with 19 â € "19 line lines. Beginners often play on boards 9ÃÆ'â € "9 and 13ÃÆ'â €" 13 smaller ones, and archaeological evidence indicates that the game was played in the previous century on board with a 17ÃÆ'â € "17 grid. However, boards with 19-19 grids have been became standard when the game reached Korea in the 5th century and then Japan in the 7th century.
Once placed on the board, the stone may not be moved, but the stone is removed from the board when "taken". Capture occurs when rocks or rock groups are surrounded by opposing stones at all orthogonal borders. The game lasts until no player wants to make another movement; the game does not have an end condition set outside this. When the game ends, the area is counted along with the stones and combo taken (points added to the player's score with white stone as a compensation for the second play, which is usually either 6.5 or 7.5 depending on the rules used) to determine the winner. The game can also be terminated by resignation.
Maps Go (game)
Etymology
The word "Go" comes from the full Japanese name igo , which comes from the Chinese name weiqi (Middle China "hjw" J-gi "), which is roughly translated as" surrounding board games "or" circular games ". To distinguish games from common English verbs to go , "g" is often capitalized, or, in an event sponsored by the Ing Chang-ki Foundation, it is spelled "goe".
The Korean word baduk is derived from the Central Korean word Badok , the controversial origin; More reasonable etymologies including the "-ok" suffix added to "Bad" create the meaning of "flat and wide planks", or join "Bad", meaning "field", and "Doc", meaning "rock". Unreasonable Etymologies include the derivation of "Badukdok", referring to game pieces, or derivatives of Chinese ?? , which means "to set pieces".
Overview
Go is a hostile game with the aim of circling the larger total area of ​​the board with someone's stone rather than the opponent. As the game progresses, players place rocks on the board to map potential formations and territories. Contests between opponent formations are often very complex and may result in expansion, subtraction, or wholesale arrest and loss of formation rock.
The basic principle of Go is that a group of stones must have at least one "freedom" to stay on board. "Freedom" is an open "point" (intersection) that limits the group. Closed freedom (or freedom) is called "eye", and a group of stones with two or more eyes is said to be unconditional "life". Such groups can not be captured, even if surrounded. A group with one eye or no eye is "dead" and can not withstand the eventual arrest.
The general strategy is to expand one's territory, attack the opponent's weak group (a group that can be killed), and always stay concerned with the "life status" of one's group. Group freedom can be calculated. The situation in which opposing groups must catch each other or die is called catching race, or semeai . In a catch race, a group with more freedom (and/or a better "shape") will eventually be able to capture the opposing rock. Capturing races and elements of life or death is a major Go challenge.
A player can pass on determining that the game does not offer any further chances to play profitable. The game ends when both players pass, and then are scored. For each player, the number of stones taken is subtracted from the number of controlled points (surrounded) in "freedom" or "eye", and players with a larger score win the game. The match can also be won by the opponent's resignation.
Smoother points
At the opening stage of the game, players usually assign positions (or "bases") in the corners and around the sides of the board. This base helps quickly develop a strong form that has many options for life (self-worthiness for a group of stones that prevents capture) and builds formations for potential areas. Players usually start around the corner as it builds the territory more easily with the help of double-sided boards. Sequences of establishment of established corners are called "joseki" and are often studied independently.
"Dame" are the points that lie between the black and white boundary walls, and thus are considered to be of no value to both sides. "Seki" is a pair of white and black groups living together where they have no two eyes. A "ko" (Chinese and Japanese: ? ) is a recurring-position form that may be contested by forcing to move elsewhere. After the forced movement is played, the ko can be "taken back" and return to its original position. Some "fighting fights" may be important and determine the life of a large group, while others may be worth just one or two points. Some ko fight is called a "picnic boarding" when only one side has many losses. The Japanese call it hanami (flower-see) ko.
Playing with others usually requires knowledge of the strength of each player, shown by the player's rank (increased from 30 kyu to 1 kyu, then 1 and 6, and 1 and pro to 9 and pro). Differences in rank can be compensated by defects - Black is allowed to place two or more stones on the board to compensate for White's larger power. There are several different rules (Japan, China, AGA, etc.), which are almost entirely equivalent, except for special positions.
Aside from the play sequences (alternating moves, Black moves ahead or picks up defects) and scoring rules, there are basically only two rules in Go:
- Rule 1 (freedom rule) states that any remaining stones on the board must have at least one "dot" open (intersections, called "freedom") directly orthogonal adjacent (top, bottom, left, or right) , or should be part of a connected group that has at least one such open point ("freedom") next to it. The stone or rock group that lost its last freedom was removed from the board.
- Rule 2 ("co order") states that the stones on the board should not repeat the previous stone position. Moves that will do so are forbidden, and thus only move elsewhere on the board which is allowed to turn.
Almost all the other information about how this game is played is heuristic, meaning it is information learned about how games are played, not rules. Other rules are special, because they appear through different set of rules, but the two rules above cover almost all games played.
While there are some minor differences between the set of rules used in different countries, especially in Chinese and Japanese score rules, these differences do not significantly affect game tactics and strategies.
Unless otherwise noted, the basic rules presented here are independent of the scoring rules used. The assessment rules are explained separately. The term Go does not have an English equivalent ready to be called by their Japanese name.
Rules
Basic rules
Two players, Black and White , take turns placing their own color rock (game) at the point empty (intersection) from the grid on the Go board. Black plays first. If there is a big difference between players, weaker players usually use Black and are allowed to place two or more stones on the board to compensate for differences (see Go handicap). The official grid consists of 19 Ã- 19 lines, although the rules can be applied to any grid size. Boards 13ÃÆ' â € "13 and 9ÃÆ' â €" 9 are a popular choice for teaching beginners, or for playing fast games. Once placed, the stone may not be moved to a different point.
The vertical and horizontal rocks adjacent to the same color form the chain (also called string or group ) that can not be subdivided and, in effect, into a single larger stone. Only stones are connected to each other by the lines on the board creating chains; the adjoining stone is diagonally unconnected. The chain can be expanded by placing additional stones at adjacent intersections, and can be connected together by placing stones at adjacent junctions with two or more chains of the same color.
An empty point adjacent to the rock is called freedom for the stone. The stone in the chain shares its freedom. A stone chain must have at least one freedom to stay on board. When the chain is surrounded by opposite rocks so that it has no freedom, it is captured and removed from the board.
Ko rule
The player is not allowed to move that returns the game to the previous position. This rule, called the ko rule, prevents endless repetition. As shown in the example image: Black just plays the stone marked 1 , captures a white stone at an intersection marked with a red circle. If White is allowed to play at the marked intersection, the movement will capture the black stone marked 1 and recreate the situation before Black makes a motion marked 1 . Allowing this can result in an unrestricted capture cycle by both players. Therefore, the rules forbid White to play at an immediately marked intersection. Instead White must play elsewhere, or pass; Black can then terminate the ko by filling in the marked intersection, creating a black chain of five stones. If White wants to continue ko (a certain repetition position), White tries to find a game elsewhere on the board that should be answered Black; if Black responds, then White can retake the ko. The repetition of such exchanges is called the fight ko .
While the various set rules agree on a co rule that forbids returning the board to the position immediately beforehand, they are dealing in a different way from a relatively unusual situation in which the player can recreate the last longer position. deleted. See Go Rules: Repetition for more information.
Suicide
A player can not place a stone in such a way that or his group soon has no freedom, except doing so immediately seizes the enemy group from its ultimate freedom. In the latter case, the enemy group is captured, leaving a new stone with at least one freedom. This rule is responsible for a very important distinction between one and two eyes: if a group with only one eye is completely surrounded on the outside, it can be killed with a stone placed in a single eye.
Ing rules and New Zealand do not have this rule, and there are players who can destroy one of their own groups - "suicide". This game will only be useful in a limited number of situations involving a small interior space. In the example to the right, it may be useful as a threat ko.
Komi
Because Black has the advantage of playing the first step, the idea of ​​giving White White a compensation came into being in the 20th century. This is called a committee, which compensates 6.5 white points under Japanese rules (number of points varies by rule set). Under the defect game, White only receives 0.5 point commissions, to break the possibility of a tie ("jigo").
Scoring rules
Two types of rating systems are commonly used, and players decide which one to use before playing. Both systems almost always give the same result. Region record counts the number of blank points surrounded by player rocks, along with the number of rocks captured by players. Area division calculates the number of points that are controlled and surrounded by players. It is associated with contemporary Chinese games and may have been established there during the Ming Dynasty in the 15th or 16th century.
After the two players have passed in sequence, the stones are still on the board but can not avoid the arrest, called dead stone , removed.
Area division (including Chinese): Player score is the number of rocks owned by players on the board, plus the number of empty intersections surrounded by the player's rock.
Data collection in the region (including Japanese and Korean): During the game, each player retains the stone they capture, called a prisoner . Dead stones are thrown at the end of the game into prisoners. The score is the number of blank points covered by the player's rock, plus the number of prisoners captured by the player.
If there is any disagreement as to which stone is dead, then under the territory appraisal rules, the players just continue the game to solve the problem. Scores are calculated using positions after the next time the player passes in sequence. Based on a territorial assessment, the rules are much more complicated; However, in practice, players generally play, and, once the status of each stone has been determined, return to the position when the first two successive runs occur and release the dead stone. For more information, see Go Rules.
Given that the number of stones a player has on the board is directly related to the number of prisoners their opponent has taken, the result of the net score, is the difference between Black's and White's score, identical in under both rulesets (unless the players have gone through different amounts of time during the game). Thus, the net result given by the two scoring systems seldom differs by more than one point.
On and off
Though not really mentioned in the Go rule (at least in simpler set of rules, like those in New Zealand and the US), the concept of a living rock group is necessary for a practical understanding of the game.
When a group of stones are mostly surrounded and have no option to connect with friendly stones elsewhere, group status is live , dead or not quiet . A group of stones is said to live if it can not be caught, even if the opponent is allowed to move first. Instead, a group of stones are said to be dead if they can not avoid capture, even if the group owner is allowed to take the first step. Otherwise, the group is said to be uneasy: the defender can make it live or the opponent can kill , depending on who will play first.
"Eye" is an empty point or a group of dots surrounded by a one-player rock. If the eye is surrounded by a Black stone, White can not play there unless such a game will take the last freedom of Black and capture the Black stone. (Such a move is prohibited by "suicide rules" in most sets of rules, but even if not prohibited, such actions would be useless suicide of the White stone.)
If the Black group has two eyes, White will never be able to catch it because White can not remove both freedoms simultaneously. If Black has only one eye, White can capture the Black group by playing in a single eye, removing Black's last freedom. Such a move is not suicide because the Black stone was removed first. In the "Eye-eye" diagram, all the circled points are the eyes. Two black groups in the upper corner are still alive, as both have at least two eyes. The groups in the lower corner are dead, because both have only one eye. The group on the lower left may appear to have two eyes, but the blank point surrounded is marked a actually not the eye. White can play there and pick up the black stone. Such dots are often called fake eyes. Seki (live together)
There are exceptions to the requirement that groups should have two eyes to live, a situation called seki (or living together ). When different colored groups are side by side and share freedom, the situation can reach a position when both players do not want to move first, because it will allow the opponent to capture; in such situations, the two player stones remain on the board in a reciprocal or "seki" life. Neither player receives any points for the groups, but at least the groups themselves are alive, rather than captured.
Seki can occur in many ways. The simplest is:
- every player has an eyeless group and they share two freedoms, and
- every player has a group with one eye and they share one more freedom.
In the diagram "A mutual life", the circled dots are freedoms divided by black and white groups. Neither player wants to play at the circled point, because it will allow the opponent to perpetuate it. All the other groups in this example, both black and white, live with at least two eyes. Seki can be the result of an attempt by one player to attack and kill a group of almost settled players.
Tactics
In Go, tactics deal with a direct fight between rocks, capturing and storing rocks, life, death, and other localized issues to a particular part of the board. The bigger problem, not limited to just part of the board, is called the strategy , and is covered in their own section.
Capture tactics
There are some tactical constructions aimed at capturing rocks. These are the first things players learn after understanding the rules. Recognizing the possibility that rocks can be captured using this technique is an important step forward.
The most basic technique is ladder . To capture stones on the stairs, players use a series of constant threats of capture - called atari - to force the opponent into a zigzag pattern as shown in the adjacent diagram. Unless the pattern goes to friendly stones along the way, the rocks on the stairs can not avoid capture. Experienced players admit the futility of continuing the pattern and playing elsewhere. The presence of stairs on the board does not give players the option to play rocks on the landing lane, thus threatening to save their stones, forcing an answer. Such a move is called ladder breaker and may be a strong strategic move. In the diagram, Black has an option to play the ladder breaker.
Another technique for catching stones is what is called net , also known by its Japanese name, geta . This refers to a movement that loosely surrounds several rocks, preventing their escape in any direction. Examples are given in adjacent diagrams. In general it is better to catch the stone in the net than on the stairs, because the net does not depend on the condition that there is no opposite stone on the road, nor does it allow the opponent to play a strategic strategic breaker.
The third technique for capturing rocks is the snapback . In a snapback, one player allows one stone to be captured, then immediately plays at the point that was once occupied by the stone; by doing so, the player captures a larger group of their opponent's rocks, basically snapping back at the rocks. An example can be seen on the right. As with the ladder, experienced players do not play such sequences, admitting the futility of catching only to be recaptured immediately.
Reading ahead
One of the most important skills needed for a strong tactical game is the ability to read ahead. Reading ahead includes considering the steps available to play, possible responses to each movement, and subsequent possibilities after each of those responses. Some of the strongest players of the game can read up to 40 moving forward even in a complicated position.
As explained in the scoring rules, some stone formations can never be caught and alive, while other stones may be in a position where they can not avoid capture and are said to be dead. Most of the exercise material available to game players comes in the form of life and death problems, also known as tsumego . In such matters, players are challenged to find the sequence of important steps that kill a group of opponents or save their own group. Tsumego is considered as the best way to train players' skills in reading ahead, and is available to all skill levels, some implying challenges even for top players.
Ko fighting
In situations where Ko rules apply, co fights can occur. If a prohibited capture player has the opinion that the capture is important, because it prevents a large group of captured rocks for example, players can play a threat threat . It is a movement elsewhere on the board that threatens to generate huge profits if the opponent does not respond. If the opponent responds to a threat, the situation on the board has changed, and the ban on capture is no longer valid. So players who make ko threats can now recapture ko. Their opponents are then in the same situation and can play a ko threat too, or acknowledge ko by simply playing elsewhere. If a player recognizes ko, either because they do not consider it important or because there is no movement that can serve as a threat ko, they have lost ko, and their opponent can connect ko.
Instead of responding to co threats, players can also choose to ignore threats and connect ko. They thus win the co, but at a cost. The timing options for responding to threats and when to ignore them are subtle, requiring the player to consider many factors, including how much is gained by linking, how many are lost by not responding, how many possible good threats the player has left over, what is the optimal sequence of play them, and what size - points lost or gained - from each of the remaining threats.
Often, the winner of the ko fight does not connect the ko but rather catches one of the chains which is the opposite side of them from the ko. In some cases, this leads to another co-fight at a neighboring location.
Strategy
Strategies relate to global influences, the interaction between the distant stones, keeping the entire board in mind during local fights, and other issues involving the whole game. It is therefore possible to allow tactical losses when providing strategic advantage.
Students often start by placing stones randomly on the board, as if it were a coincidence game. An understanding of how stones connect to larger forces evolves, and then some basic common opening sequences can be understood. Learning how to live and die helps in a fundamental way to develop a person's strategic understanding of the weaker group. A player who plays aggressively and can handle the difficulty is said to display the kiai , or fighting spirit, in the game.
Basic concepts
Basic strategic aspects include the following:
- Connection: Keeping your own stones connected means fewer groups need to create life forms, and one has fewer groups to maintain.
- Cut: Ensuring opponent's stone is broken means that the opponent must defend and create a life form for more groups.
- Stay alive: The easiest way to stay alive is to build a foothold in a corner or along one side. At a minimum, a group must have two eyes (separate open dots) to be "alive". The opponent can not fill one eye, because such a movement is suicidal and is prohibited in the rules.
- Shared life (seki) is better than death: A situation in which a player can not play at a certain point without then allowing another player to play at another point to capture. The most common example is an adjacent group that shares their ultimate freedom - if one player plays in freedom together, they can reduce their own group to one's freedom (put themselves at atari ), allowing their opponent to catch it in the next step.
- Death: Groups that have no life forms are finally removed from the board as captured.
- Invasion: Prepare a new life group within an area where the opponent has greater influence, meaning that someone reduces the opponent's score in proportion to the occupied area.
- Reduction: Puts the rock far enough into the opponent's enemy territory to reduce the number of territories they eventually get, but not so far as it can be cut off from friendly stones outside.
- Sente: A game that forces opponents to reply ( gote ). A player who can regularly play sente has the initiative and can control the flow of the game.
- Victim: Lets the group die to play a game, or plan, in a more important area.
The strategies involved can be very abstract and complex. High-level players spend years to improve their understanding of strategy, and a newbie can play hundreds of matches against opponents before they can win on a regular basis.
Startup strategy
In the opening of the game, players usually play at the corners of the board first, because the presence of two sides makes it easier for them to circumnavigate the territory and build their stone. After the angle, the focus moves sideways, where there is still one side to support the player rock. The opening steps are generally on the third and fourth row of edges, with occasional movement in the second and fifth rows. In general, the stone on the third line offers stability and is a good defense movement, while the stone on the fourth line is more affecting the board and is a good attacking movement. The opening is the most difficult part of the game for professional players and takes a disproportionate amount of playing time.
In the opening, players often play a well-established sequence called joseki, which is a locally balanced bursa; however, the selected joseki must also produce satisfactory results on a global scale. Generally it is advisable to maintain a balance between territory and influence. Which of these takes precedence is the matter of individual taste.
Middle phase and suffix
The middle phase of the game is the most aggressive, and usually lasts for more than 100 movements. During middlegame , players attack their respective territories, and attack formations that do not have the two eyes needed for survival. Such groups can be saved or sacrificed for something more important on the board. It is possible that one player can succeed in capturing a large weak group of opponents, who are often shown to determine and end the game with resignation. However, things may be more complex, with big trade-offs, it seems the dead groups are reviving, and skillfully playing to attack in such a way as to build up territory rather than kill.
End of middlegame and transition to endgame is marked by some features. The game breaks down into non-interacting areas (with warnings about fights ko ), where before the central area of ​​the board corresponds to all its parts. No large weak groups are still in serious danger. Moves can be reasonably associated with a certain value, such as 20 points or fewer, than just necessary to compete. Both players set limited goals in their plans, in making or destroying territories, capturing or storing stones. The changing aspects of the game usually occur at the same time, for a strong player. In short, the middlegame switches to the endgame when the concept of strategy and influence requires reassessment in terms of concrete concrete results on the board.
History
Origin in China
The earliest written reference for the game is generally recognized as the annex history of Zuo Zhuan (c 4th century BC), referring to the historical events of 548 B.C. It is also mentioned in Book XVII of the Analects of Confucius and in two books written by Mencius (c 3rd century BC). In all these works, this game is referred to as yÃÆ'¬ (? ). Today, in China, this is known as weiqi (Simplified Chinese: traditional Chinese: ; lang = "zh-hant"> ?? ; pinyin: wÃÆ' Â © iqÃÆ' ; Wade-Giles:
Go was originally played on the grid 17 Ã-17, but 19 Ã-19 grids became standard during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The legend traces the origins of the game to the Chinese emperor Yao myth (2337-2258 BC), who is said to have asked his counselor Shun to design it for his naughty son, Danzhu, to influence him. Other theories suggest that the game came from warlords and Chinese tribal generals, who used pieces of stone to map the attacking position.
In China, Go is regarded as one of the four arts fostered by Chinese scholars, along with calligraphy, painting and playing guqin instruments.
Spread to Korea and Japan
Weiqi was introduced to Korea between the 5th and 7th centuries, and was popular among the higher classes. In Korea, this game is called badge (hangul: ?? ), and Variant of a game called Sunjang baduk was developed in the 16th century. Sunjang baduk became the main variant played in Korea until the end of the 19th century, when the current version was reintroduced from Japan.
This game reached Japan in the 7th century - where it is called go (? ) or igo ( ?? ) - games became popular in the imperial court of Japan in the century -8, and among the general public in the 13th century. The modern version of the game as we know it today was formalized in Japan in the 15th century. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu re-established Japan's integrated national government. That same year, he commissioned the best player in Japan, a monk named Nikkai (nÃÆ' Â © Kan? Yosaburo, 1559), to Godokoro post (Minister Go).
Nikkai takes Hon'inb's name? Sansa and founded Hon'inb? Go to school. Several competing schools were established shortly thereafter. These officially recognized and subsidized Go schools are developing the game level and introducing stylistic and/or kyu styles. Players from four schools (Hon'inb ?, Yasui, Inoue and Hayashi) compete in annual castle games, playing in front of sh? Gun .
Internationalization
Despite its widespread popularity in East Asia, Go is slow to spread around the world. Although there are some mention of games in western literature from the 16th century forward, Go did not begin to become popular in the West until the late 19th century, when the German scientist Oskar Korschelt wrote a treatise on ancient Chinese Han games. At the beginning of the 20th century, Go has spread throughout the German and Austro-Hungarian kingdoms. In 1905, Edward Lasker learned the game while in Berlin. When he moved to New York, Lasker founded the New York Go Club along with (among others) Arthur Smith, who had learned about the game in Japan while touring the East and has published the book The Game of Go in 1908. The Lasker Go and Go-moku book (1934) helped spread the game throughout the United States, and in 1935, the American Go Association was formed. Two years later, in 1937, the German Go Association was established.
World War II stopped most Go activities, because it was a game that came from Japan, but after the war, Go continued to spread. For much of the 20th century, the Japan Go Association (Nihon Ki-in) played a leading role in spreading the Go Out East Asia by publishing an English-language magazine Go Review in the 1960s, establishing a Go center in the US , Europe and South America, and often send professional teachers on tours to Western countries. Internationally, the game has been known since the early twentieth century with its short Japanese name, and the term for the general Go concept comes from their Japanese language.
In 1996, NASA astronaut Daniel Barry and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata became the first to play Go in space. They use a special Go device, named Go Space, designed by Wai-Cheung Willson Chow. Both astronauts were awarded honorary titles and by Nihon Ki-in.
In December 2015, the International Go Federation has 75 member states, with 67 member countries outside of East Asia.
Play competitive
Ratings and ratings
At Go, ratings indicate the skills of players in the game. Traditionally, ratings are measured using kyu and and values, the system is also adopted by many martial arts. Recently, a mathematical rating system similar to the Elo rating system has been introduced. Such a scoring system often provides a mechanism for converting ratings into kyu or classes. The value of Kyu (abbreviated k ) is considered student value and decreases with increasing game level, which means 1st kyu is the strongest kyu class available. The value of Dan (abbreviated d ) is considered a master value, and increases from 1 and 7 and. First and equals the black belt in the martial arts of the east using this system. The difference between each amateur rank is one of the defective stones. For example, if 5k plays a game with 1k, then 5k will require a four stone handicap even for the odds. High-level amateurs sometimes defeat professionals in tournament games. Professional players have professional and (abbreviated p ). The ratings are separate from amateur ratings.
The ranking system consists of, from the lowest to the highest:
Rules of matches and matches
The rules of tournaments and matches relate to factors that may affect the game but are not part of the actual rules of the game. Such rules may differ among events. Rules affecting the game include: setting of compensation points ( commissions ), defects, and time control parameters. Rules that generally do not affect the game are: tournament systems, partner strategies, and placement criteria.
Common tournament systems used in Go include McMahon system, Swiss system, league system and knockout system. Tournaments can incorporate multiple systems; many professional Go tournaments use a combination of league and knockout systems.
The tournament rules can also set the following:
- compensation points, called comics, which offset a second player for the first-step advantage of his opponent; tournaments usually use compensation in the range of 5-8 points, generally including half points to prevent withdrawal;
- handicap stones placed on the board before alternate plays, allowing players of different powers to play competitively (see Go handicap for more information); and
- superko : Although the basic ko rules described above cover more than 95% of all cycles occurring in the game, there are some complicated situations - triple ko , < i> eternal life , etc.-- which is not covered by it but will allow the game to spin indefinitely. To prevent this, ko rules are sometimes extended to prohibit repetition of any previous positions anything . This extension is called superko.
Time control
Go games can be timed using the game clock. Formal time control was introduced to professional games during the 1920s and was controversial. Delays and sealed measures began to be organized in the 1930s. Go tournaments use a number of different time control systems. All common systems imagine a single main period of time for each player for a game, but they vary on protocol for continuation (in overtime ) after the player completes the time allowance. The most widely used time control system is the so-called byoyomi system. The top professional Go game has a timekeeper so players do not have to press their own hours.
Two variants of the widely used byoyomi system are:
- Byoyomi standar : After the main time runs out, a player has a certain time period (usually about thirty seconds). After each step, the number of full-time periods a player takes (often zero) is reduced. For example, if a player has three periods of thirty seconds and takes thirty or more (but less than sixty) seconds to move, they lose a period of time. With 60-89 seconds, they lose two time periods, and so on. However, if they take less than thirty seconds, the timer just resets without reducing each period. Use of the last period means the player has been lost on time.
- Byoyomi Canada : After using all of their main time, the player must make a number of movements within a certain timeframe, such as twenty movements in five minutes. If the time period expires without the required number of stones already played, then the player has been lost on time.
Notation and game recording
Go Game recorded with a simple coordinate system. This is comparable to algebraic chess notation, except that the Go stone is immobile and thus requires only one coordinate per turn. Coordinate systems include pure numerical (4-4 dots), hybrids (K3), and pure alphabetical. Smart Game Formats use alphabetically coordinates internally, but most editors represent boards with hybrid coordinates because this reduces confusion. Japanese word kifu is sometimes used to refer to game records.
In Unicode, Go stones are encoded in Miscellaneous Symbols blocks:
- U 25CB ? white circle (HTMLÃ,
& amp; # 9675;) - U 2686 ? white circle with right dot (HTMLÃ,
& amp; # 9862;) - U 2687 ? white circle with two dots (HTMLÃ,
& #; 9663;) - U 25CF ? dark circles (HTMLÃ,
& amp; # 9679;) - U 2688 ? dark circles with white dots right (HTMLÃ,
& amp; # 9864;) - U 2689 ? black circle with two white dots (HTMLÃ,
& #; 9665;)
Top players and professional go
A Go professional is a professional player of the Go game. There are six areas with professional go-go associations: China (China Qiyuan), Japan (Nihon Ki-in, Kansai Ki-in), South Korea (Korea Baduk Association), Taiwan (Taiwan Chi Yuan Culture Foundation), United States (AGA Professional System) and European (European Professional System).
Although this game was developed in China, the establishment of Four Go houses by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early 17th century shifted the focus of Go to Japan. Sponsorship of the state, allows players to dedicate themselves entirely to learning the game, and fierce competition between individual homes results in a significant increase in the level of the game. During this period, the best player of his generation was given the prestigious title Meijin (master) and the title of Godokoro (minister Go). Of special note is the player who was nicknamed Kisei (Go Sage). Only three players who received this honor were DÃ… pocket, J? Wa and Shuu, all the Hon'inb houses ?.
After the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration period, Go home slowly disappeared, and in 1924, Nihon Ki-in (Association Go Japan) was formed. Top players from this period often play a 2-10 game sponsored by newspapers. Of particular note are the players (Chinese born) Go Seigen (China: Wu Qingyuan), who scored 80% in this match and defeated most of his opponents for low handicap), and Minoru Kitani, who dominated the game in the early 1930s. Both of these players are also recognized for their innovative work on the new opening theory (Shinfuseki).
For much of the 20th century, Go continued to be dominated by players trained in Japan. Famous names include Eio Sakata, Rin Kaiho (born in China), Masao Kato, Koichi Kobayashi and Cho Chikun (born Cho Ch'i-hun, from South Korea). Top Chinese and Korean talent often move to Japan, because the game level there is high and funding is more luxurious. One of the first Korean players to do so was Cho Namchul, who studied at Kitani Dojo from 1937 to 1944. Upon returning to Korea, Hanguk Kiwon (Korea Baduk Association) was formed and caused the game level in South Korea to increase significantly in the second half of the 20th century. In China, the game declined during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) but quickly recovered in the last quarter of the 20th century, bringing in Chinese players, such as Nie Weiping and Ma Xiaochun, equivalent to their counterparts from Japan and South Korea. The Weiqi Association of China (now part of Qiyuan China) was founded in 1962, professional values ​​and began to be published in 1982. Western professional travel began in 2012 with the Professional System American Go Association. In 2014, the European Go Federation follows and starts their professional system.
With the rise of major international titles since 1989 onwards, it became possible to compare levels of players from different countries more accurately. Cho Hunhyun of South Korea won the first edition of the Quadrennial Ing Cup in 1989. His student Lee Chang-ho was the dominant player in the international Go competition for over a decade spanning much of the 1990s and early 2000s; he is also credited with breakthrough works in the endgame. Cho, Lee and other South Korean players such as Seo Bong-soo, Yoo Changhyuk and Lee Sedol among them won the majority of international titles in this period. Some Chinese players also climbed to the top position in international Go from the 2000s, especially Ma Xiaochun, Chang Hao, Gu Li and Ke Jie. In 2016, Japan lags behind in the international Go arena.
Historically, like most sports and games, more men than women have played Go. Special tournaments for women exist, but to date, men and women are not competing together at the highest level; However, the creation of new open tournaments and the rise of strong female players, notably Rui Naiwei, has in recent years highlighted the strength and competitiveness of emerging female players.
Levels in other countries are traditionally much lower, except for some players who have professional preparatory training in East Asia. Knowledge of the game has been reduced elsewhere until the 20th century. The famous player from the 1920s was Edward Lasker. It was not until the 1950s that more than a few Western players took over this game apart from passing interest. In 1978, Manfred Wimmer became the first Westerner to receive a certificate of professional players from the Go East Asian professional association. In 2000, Michael Redmond became the first Western player to rank 9th.
Tools
It is possible to play Go with a simple paper board and coin or plastic tokens for stone. The more popular midrange devices include cardstock, laminated particle board, or wooden board with plastic or glass stones. The more expensive traditional materials are still used by many players. The most expensive Go Set has a black stone carved out of slate and white stone carved from a transparent white shell, played on a board carved in one part of the tree trunk.
Traditional tools
Board
Goboard (usually called by its Japanese name goban ?? ) usually measures lengths between 45 and 48 cm (18 and 19 inches) (from one side of the player to the other) and 42 to 44 centimeters (17 to 17 inches) in width. The Chinese board is slightly bigger, because the traditional Chinese Go stone is slightly bigger to fit. It was not square; there is a ratio of 15:14 in length to width, because with a perfect square board, from a perspective perspective players make foreshortening board. Additional length compensates for this. There are two main types of boards: table boards are similar in many ways to other gamebo such as those used for chess, and floor boards, which are stand-alone tables and where the players sit.
The traditional Japanese goban is between 10 and 18 cm (3.9 and 7.1 inches) thick and has legs; it sits on the floor (see picture). It is preferably made from the rare Golden Rich tree ( Torreya nucifera ), with the best made from the Rich tree up to 700 years old. Recently, the associated California Torreya ( Torreya californica ) has been appreciated for its light colors and pale rings as well as reducing costs and more available stock. Japan's natural resources are unable to meet the huge demand for the slow-growing Kaya tree; both T. nucifera and T. californica took hundreds of years to grow to the required size, and they are now very rare, increasing the price of the equipment in an extraordinary way. Since the Rich trees are a protected species in Japan, they can not be harvested until they die. Thus, the elderly Kaya and standing on the goban floor can easily spend more than $ 10,000 with the highest-quality examples worth over $ 60,000.
Other, cheaper wood is often used to make good quality table boards in Chinese and Japanese dimensions including Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata), Katsura ( Cercidiphyllum japonicum ), Kauri ( Agathis ), and Shin Kaya (various cypress varieties, usually from Alaska, Siberia and Yunnan Province of China). The so-called Shin Kaya is a potentially confusing trader term: shin means "new", and thus rich shin is best translated "rich faux" , because the forest that is biologically described is not associated with Kaya.
Stones
A set of Go ( goishi ) stones usually contain 181 black stones and 180 white stones; grid 19ÃÆ'â € "19 has 361 points, so there's enough rock to cover the board, and Black gets extra strange rocks because the player goes first.
Traditional Japanese stone is convex-shaped, and made of clamshell (white) and slate (black). The classic slate is a nachiguro stone mined in Wakayama Prefecture and a clamshell of Hamaguri shells; However, due to the scarcity of Japanese supplies from these shells, the stones are most often made from seashells harvested from Mexico. Historically, the most precious stones are made of jade, often given to the ruling emperor as a gift.
In China, the game is traditionally played with a single convex rock made from a composite called Yunzi. The material comes from Yunnan Province and is made by gilding a mixture of mineral compounds derived from local stone. This process originated from the Tang Dynasty and, after lost knowledge in the 1920s during the Chinese Civil War, was rediscovered in 1960 by the now government-run Yunzi company. This material is praised for its color, pleasant sound compared to glass or synthetic like melamine, and the price is cheaper than other materials such as slate/shell. The term "yunzi" may also refer to a single convex stone made of any material; However, most English speaking suppliers set Yunzi as a single convex and material as a form to avoid confusion, since the stone made from Yunzi is also available in a double convex shape while synthetic stones can be shaped.
Traditional stones are made up of black stones with diameter slightly larger than white; This is to compensate for the optical illusion created by the contrast colors that will make the same size white stone appear larger on a board than black stone.
Bowls
The bowl for the stones is shaped like a flat ball with a bottom level. The cover is loosely fitted and upside down before playing to receive the stones taken during the game. The Chinese bowl is slightly larger, and slightly more rounded, the style known generally as Go Seigen ; Japanese Kitani bowls tend to have a shape closer to a sharper glass bowl, such as for brandy. Bowls are usually made of reversed wood. Mulberry is a traditional ingredient for Japanese bowls, but very expensive; wood from Chinese jujube date trees, which have lighter colors (often stained) and slightly more visible seed patterns, are a common replacement for rosewood, and traditional Go Geni style bowls. Other traditional materials used to make Chinese bowls include lacquered wood, ceramics, stones and wicker straw or rattan. The names of the bowl shapes, "Go Seigen" and "Kitani", were introduced in the last quarter of the 20th century by professional performer Janice Kim in tribute to two professional Go professional players of the 20th century of the same name, from China and Japan, respectively, referred to as the "Go modern father".
Techniques and playing etiquette
The traditional way to put Go stone is to first take one from the bowl, grasp it between the index finger and middle finger, with the middle finger on top, and then place it directly at the desired intersection. One can also place stones on the board and then slide into position under the appropriate circumstances (where it does not move the other stones). It is considered to honor White for Black to place the first stone of the game in the upper right corner. (Because of symmetry, this has no effect on game results.)
It's considered bad behavior to run a person's finger through a bowl of rock that is not played, because the sound, but soothing players who do this, can upset the opponent. Similarly, "clacking" rocks against other stones, boards, or tables or floors are also discouraged. However, it is allowed to emphasize the select movement by hitting the board stronger than usual, resulting in a sharp clasp.
Computer and Go
Game properties
In terms of combinatorial game theory, Go is a zero-sum strategy game, perfect-informed, partisan, deterministic, placing it in the same class as chess, draft (checkers) and Reversi (Othello); But that's different from this in the game. Although the rules are simple, the practical strategies are very complex.
The game emphasizes the importance of balance at various levels and has internal tensions. To secure the board area, good for playing adjacent moves; However, to cover the largest area, a person needs to spread, possibly leaving a weakness that can be exploited. Playing too low (close to the edge) secures inadequate territory and influence, but playing too high (away from the edge) allows the opponent to attack.
It has been claimed that Go is the most complex game in the world because of the many variations in individual games. Its large boards and lack of restrictions allow great scope in strategy and expression of player individuality. Decisions in one part of the board may be influenced by seemingly unrelated situations in distant parts of the board. Plays at the beginning of the game can form the nature of the conflict of a hundred movements later.
The complexity of Go games is such that it illustrates even the basic strategy of filling many introductory books. In fact, numerical estimates suggest that the number of possible games Go far exceeds the number of atoms in the observed universe.
Go endgame research by John H. Conway leads to the discovery of surreal figures. Go also contributes to the development of combinatorial game theory (with Go Infinitesimals being a specific example of its use in Go).
Software player
Go long becomes a daunting challenge for computer programmers, putting forward "difficult decision-making tasks, difficult search space, and so complex optimized solutions it seems impossible to directly approach using policy or value function". Prior to 2015, the best Go program only managed to reach level and amateurs. On the smaller 9-9 and 13x13 boards, computer programs are fared better, and can be compared to professional players. Many in the field of artificial intelligence consider Going to need more elements that mimic the human mind than chess.
The reason why computer programs are not played. Going on a professional level and before 2016 includes:
- The amount of space on the board is much larger (more than five times the amount of space on the chessboard - 361 vs 64). In most of the turn, there are many possibilities of moving on the Go rather than in chess. Throughout most of the game, the number of legal moves remains around 150-250 per turn, and rarely drops below 100 (in chess, the number of moving averages is 37). Since the complete computer program for Go has to calculate and compare every possible legal step in each ply (player), its ability to calculate the best game will decrease sharply when there is a large number of possible moves. Most computer game algorithms, such as for chess, count some movements first. With an average of 200 moves available in most games, for the computer to calculate the next step in depth in anticipation of the next four steps of every possible play (two of his own and two of his opponents), he should consider more than 320 billion (3, 2 ÃÆ' - 10 11 ) possible combinations. To calculate thoroughly the next eight steps, it would require computing 512 quintillion (5,12 ÃÆ' - 10 20 ) possible combinations. In March 2014, the world's strongest supercomputer, NUDT "Tianhe-2", can retain 33.86 petaflops. At this level, even given the very low estimate of 10 operations required to assess the value of a single rock game, Tianhe-2 will need 4 hours to assess all possible combinations of the next eight steps to make one game.
- Single rock placement in the early stages can affect game play a hundred or more later. The computer must predict this effect, and it will not work to try to deeply analyze hundreds of subsequent movements.
- In a catch-based game (such as chess), positions can often be evaluated easily, such as by counting who has a material advantage or a more active piece. In Go, there is often no easy way to evaluate a position. But 6-kyu man can evaluate positions in a moment, to see which players have more territory, and even beginners can estimate scores in 10 points, the time given to count them. The number of stones on the board (material advantage) is only a weak indicator of position strength, and territorial gains (more blank points are encircled) for one player may be compensated by the opponent's strong position and affect the whole board. Usually 3-and can easily assess most of these positions.
As an illustration, the largest handicap normally given to a weaker opponent is 9 miles. Not until August 2008 the computer won the game against professional level players in this handicap. It was the Mogo program, which scored this first win in an exhibition game played during the US Go Congress. In 2013, the victory at the professional level of the game is achieved by a four-stone advantage. In October 2015, the Google DeepMind AlphaGo program beat Fan Hui, the Go European champion and a 2 and (out of 9 and possibly) professionals, five out of five flawless on a full 19x19 board. AlphaGo uses a fundamentally different paradigm from the previous Go program; it includes a bit of "direct" instruction, and mostly uses in-depth learning where AlphaGo plays itself in hundreds of millions of games so that it can measure positions more intuitively. In March 2016, Google next challenged Lee Sedol, a 9 and was considered the world's top player in the early 21st century, for a five-game match. Leading to the game, Lee Sedol and other top professionals are confident that he will win; However, AlphaGo beat Lee in four out of five matches. After losing the series by the third game, Lee won the fourth game, describing his victory as "priceless". In May 2017, AlphaGo defeated Ke Jie, who at the time continued to rank No. 1. 1 world for two years, winning every game in a three-match game during the Future Go Go Summit.
In October 2017, DeepMind announced a much stronger version called AlphaGo Zero that beat the previous version with 100 games to 0.
Software help
An abundance of software is available to support gamers. This includes programs that can be used to view or edit game records and diagrams, programs that allow users to search for patterns in strong player games, and programs that allow users to play against each other over the Internet.
Some web servers provide graphical tools such as maps, to help learn during play. This graphical tool might suggest the possibility of further movement, showing the area of ​​influence, highlighting b
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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