Go is a board game widely played in Japan. For centuries, the Japanese have played with the aim of having fun, improving their tactical and strategic skills, enhancing the mental functions of the elderly, and bringing people together.
In addition, numerous championships are held every year, and the number of professional players is also considerably large. Its original name is igo [囲碁], and it is a simple game where the objective is to dominate territories.
The game is not played only in Japan, as in other countries, such as China and Korea, Go is popular and has other names: Weiqi and Baduk, respectively. It is believed that the game is over 2000 years old.
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Information about GO
Go (碁) originated in China about 5,000 years ago; it is a simple and strategic game where two people place stones of opposite colors with the aim of conquering territories. In the game, the zones surrounded by stones of a particular color are considered territory. In other words, each player must occupy as many intersections as possible.
On a Go board, there are 19 horizontal lines and 19 vertical lines. In Go, the intersections of the lines are used to play. There are 361 intersections. The size of the board varies according to its use. There are various variations of this game, some with smaller boards, some Brazilian versions; you have probably played this game or something similar.
A game of Go can last from 5 minutes to over 3 hours, depending on the strategy and the players; the complexity of the game is very low, but the strategic level is very high, and the game has no influence from luck, only from your intelligence and observation.
GO in Animes
Interestingly, several animes have addressed Go in their plots. You can see a game similar to Go being played by the character Meruem during the anime Hunter x Hunter. This game, called gungi, is fictional and was created by the manga author by combining characteristics of Go and Shogi.
In addition to Hunter, the anime Hikaru no Go (ヒカルの碁) also helped to further popularize the game in modern times.
The rules of Go may seem daunting at first, but they are not as complicated as they appear.
Despite its international reach, animes and mangas have contributed to the spread of Go around the world. Some of the young professionals from Nippon Kiin started playing Go because they watched the anime or read works about the game.
How to play Go?
The objective of the game is to conquer more territory than the opponent on the board. The Goban (碁盤), as the Go board is called, starts empty, and players take turns making their moves. The white stones usually start with a scoring advantage, which varies between 5.5 and 7 points.
Go, unlike Shogi and Western Chess, does not aim to capture the King and does not allow the movement of pieces on the board. The Go stones (black or white) are placed on the Goban and, once placed, cannot be moved.
Another interesting factor in the game is the ability to place stones anywhere on the board (at the start of the game) and capture an enemy piece by restricting its “liberties” (points of intersection). This is another peculiar characteristic of this fascinating game; stones must be placed only on the intersections.
Japanese culture is closely linked to Go, and numerous cultural rules are present during a game. For example: before starting a new duel, players must say Onegaishimasu (お願いします) and must also sit in the Seiza position (with knees folded over the legs).
Rules of GO 碁
The rule allows that if players have different skill levels, the game can start with a certain number of pieces already positioned for the less experienced player. This makes the match more balanced.
The Go board has its squares positioned at the intersection of the lines that form the squares, and not in the squares themselves.
During the game, the pieces are not moved. They are only placed on the board, one player at a time. However, there is a certain “notion” of movement, as the stones are eventually placed “in line” to increase a player’s dominance over a certain region of the board.
The pieces can be captured if they are completely surrounded by the opponent’s pieces; thus, the game must be played in a way to obtain the maximum territory for oneself while positioning to defend (preventing being captured).
Game Terms in Japanese
Below we list some terms related to Go:
- 囲碁 (いご) = Go (Board game based on territory conquest);
- 碁 (ご) = Go;
- 碁石 (ごいし) = Go stones;
- 碁盤 (ごばん) = Go board;
- 碁笥 (ごけ) = Bowls where the Go stones are kept. Also called ごす;
- コミ = Komi rule. Extra points given to the white stones of a beginner. Usually 6.5 or 5.5.
- こみだし = Komi rule. Extra points given to the white stones of a beginner. Usually 6.5 or 5.5.
- 神の一手 (かみのいって) = God’s move;
- 先手 (せんて) = Initiative (The act of maintaining the initiative in the game without having to respond to an enemy attack;
- 後手 (ごて) = Second Move, the act of not maintaining the initiative. The opponent does not need to respond to a move;
- ヒカルの碁 (ひかるのご) = Anime that further popularized the game of Go in modern times;
Where to buy a Go board?
I want to conclude this article by recommending some original Go boards that can be found for sale on Amazon Brazil, along with some related products. Some of the products have free shipping for members of Amazon Prime.
Different types of Go
In addition to traditional Go, there are many different ways to play with the black and white Go board or pieces, as well as modified boards and modified rules. See below different ways to play Go:
Gomoku [五目] – also known as Gobang, is a strategic board game on a slightly modified Go board (15×15 intersections). However, unlike Go, once the pieces are placed, they cannot be moved or removed from the board.
Renju [連珠] – Similar to Gomoku, the difference lies in the rules that weaken the advantages for the first player (Black) by adding special restrictions for black pieces.
Irensei -囲連星
Using the GO board, the objective of the game is to place seven stones in a line of your color. In addition, they can capture and eliminate enemy stones in the same way as in Go.
- The victory condition is to have seven stones in a row, vertically, diagonally, or horizontally, only if all these stones are within the central 15×15 square and not 19×19.
- To maintain balance, the starting piece (black) cannot place 8 stones in a line, or else it loses;
- Capturing diagonally is considered a victory;
Renju or Gomoku– 連珠
Renju or Gomoku is a game that uses the GO board and has its origins lost in the Heian period.
The full name of the game would be “Gomoku Narabe,” which would mean something like “place five in a line.” Despite the similar sound, the “Go” in the game Go and the “Go” in Gomoku are written in Japanese with different ideograms. In the first, “Go” is the name of the game; in the second, it means “5.” The name Renju refers to a more professional version where people dedicated themselves to the game.
The board must use only 15×15. The objective is not to conquer territories, as in Go, but to simply form a “string of pearls,” that is, placing 5 pieces in lines.
Ninuki-renju is another version of Renju, but you must join the pieces vertically, and the game starts with white pieces.
Where can I play?
- Go Online
- Renju in flash
I hope you enjoyed it. The Go board and pieces open opportunities for various strategies and different styles of play; also use your imagination and create your own versions of the game.
I wrote an article about Japanese games that is available on another site where I am an author, click here to read.
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