Last week, we established that there were no computer programs on the market that were able to play go at the intermediate level--a level attained by humans within two or three years of regular playing. However, that does not mean computers cannot be used at all. In fact, they are used very intensively to study and play go.

At one time, Japan was the mecca of go and only the Japanese themselves and a few non-Japanese studied and played at the highest level. But with the advent of the Internet, geographical location has become less important.

Computers have also changed the methods of studying the game. To study games played by top players, one used to need a written or printed record of the game. These days there are programs on the market that contain large databases with tens of thousands of games played in all major go tournaments around the world. These programs can also be used to compare the development of a similar opening in different games. In addition, there has been a large influx of books about go in various languages, while the quality of their content is also on the rise.

I believe these developments mean that almost anyone can now aspire to become a professional go player, regardless of their location or language, and in 10 or 20 years, almost any country could potentially become No. 1 so long as it starts nurturing talented young players and increasing its pool of young stars.

The second step--part 1

Until now, we have been playing a "capturing game." But we also learned how to render stones useless without capturing them. This can be done by using a ladder or a net.

Now, we are going to change the rules a little. This time the first to capture three stones wins. After a while you can increase this objective to five or 10 stones. This will change the nature of the game quite a bit.

Diagram 1: Where should Black move to capture White's three marked stones?

Diagram 2: The stones in Diagram 1 have only one liberty, so Black 1 is the right move as it takes that liberty away.

Diagram 3: This is what the situation looks like after black 1 in Diagram 2.

Solutions to last week's problems

Solution 1: Black 1 is the safest and best way to snare the marked stone.

Reference 1: A few weeks ago, we introduced the ladder, a method for capturing one or more stones. The marked stone is caught in a ladder. If White tries to escape, Black catches him in the sequence to 11. Note that all moves by White are forced.

Solution 2: Black 1 is the correct move for trapping the two marked stones in a net. If White tries to escape by playing at A, black would play at B, followed by white C and black D. Play it out on a board to see how it works.

Reference 2: How did we get to the position in Solution 2 from Solution 1? White played at 1 to wreck the ladder in Reference 1. However, Black did not capture the marked stone immediately. He first played at 2. At that moment, White grabbed his chance and pulled out with 3 forcing Black to connect at 4. After white 7, Black needed to bottle up the two white stones with 8. After white 9, black 10 and 12 established a connection underneath.

Reference 3: What was the threat behind white 1? When Black answered with 2, White was able to wreck the ladder and played 3. If Black insists in playing the ladder, White gets three liberties the moment he plays at 9. If Black tries to stop the gap with 10, white 11 puts him on the spot. The marked black stones are lost now and White's stones escape.

Problems

To solve the following problems, keep in mind that you can lose one or two stones and not lose the game immediately. So, sometimes it is a good idea to sacrifice a few stones for the greater good.

Problem 1: It is White's turn. Where should he play next?

Problem 2: This is a more advanced problem. The marked black and white stones are on a collision course. If White were to move first, where should he play to capture the marked black stones?

Problem 3: The marked black and white stones are engaged in a capturing race. Who will win? Where should White play next?

The answers to these problems will appear next week. But you can find out tomorrow at Ben's Cafe in Takadanobaba (Tel. 03-3202-2445 or www.benscafe.com) where the English-speaking go community (Japanese welcome) congregates every Sunday starting at 11 a.m. You can enjoy free lessons until 1 p.m.

Rob van Zeijst is a four-time European champion and European representative at the Fujitsu World Championship.