The Magic of Go
Go is sometimes perceived as a more difficult game than chess, where the objective is to checkmate the king, or checkers, in which the winner is the one who removes all of his opponent's pieces from the board. The objective of go is not to destroy your opponent, which can backfire, but to gain more territory. Using fewer moves to surround more territory wins the game. Although the board has 361 intersections, all of them potential territory, games between top players are usually decided by only a few points.

Territory

In go, the term territory is often used to mean "surrounded intersections" and "captured stones" or "dead stones."


Diagram 1: This is a game between two beginners. Black plays conservatively on the 3-3 point while White ventures a little farther away from the corner to the 3-4 point. Black expands his territory with 5 and 7 and later with 9 and 11 but White just keeps defending his turf. In response to white 16 and 18, Black has to defend with 17 and connect with 19 to prevent 17 from getting cut off. Black now has 27 points against White's 29. So White wins. From the outset, Black played too conservatively.

Diagram 2: After only five moves, Black occupies three corners while White has one. White keeps expanding and defending his corner, but cannot compete with Black. White ends up with 20 points while Black has 35 points. It is obvious White did not use his stones efficiently.

Diagram 3: Now let's see what would happen if White gives away the four corners and concentrates on the center, which he does with the moves through 24. However, White is forced to defend his territory with 26 through 30, while Black expands each of his four corners. Who will win?

Diagram 4: In the end, White breaks through on the lower edge and on the right side. White manages to take half a corner (lower left). Note that Black used 75 to defend his own territory and White was forced play at 86. What is the score? White has 31 points, while Black has 48 (47 points + 1 prisoner). Black wins by 17 points.

Diagram 5: In A, B and C, Black has the same amount of territory. Count the number of stones used for each situation. In groups D, E and F, White uses the same number of stones. How many points does he make in each case? Answers: A = 7 , B = 11 , C = 15 , D = 5 , E = 8 , F = 9.


Solutions to last week's problem

1. All groups are alive, so the only problem is in the upper right corner, which is seki (standoff). Black has four points (A, B, C and D), while White has 3 points (E, F and G).

2. Black should start with 1 to connect his stones. This will allow him to connect at 5 after white 2 and 4. White must connect with 6 and 10, and Black should do the same with 9 and 11.

3. Both Black and White use a lot of stones to connect, Black with 1, 3, 5, 9 and 11 and White with 6 and 10.

4. Black wins the game by one point.

Check out Diagram 6 to see what happens in the upper right.


Diagram 6: Territory in the seki in the upper right is not counted so neither player scores points here. Black 1 is not a good idea, although it does not cost him any points. It looks as if he can kill the two marked white stones. But White is ready to play at 2. Black has no choice but to capture with 3. This gives him four points, while white 4 captures the two marked black stones, also worth four points.

Diagram 7: White should not play at 1. If he does, Black captures that stone, which is a prisoner and counted as territory, although territorial points in a seki situation are not counted. In effect, White loses a point.


Problems

Put the situation on a board and then determine:

1. Who owns what territory?

2. What territories are not completed?

3. What happens around A, B, C and D?

4. If it is Black's move, where should he play?

5. Who wins the game?

Want to find out more? Come to Ben's Cafe in Takadanobaba, Tokyo (03-3202-2445), where the English-speaking go community congregates every Sunday. You can enjoy free lessons, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Ben's Cafe can be accessed at www.benscafe.com.

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

By Richard Bozulich

By Rob van Zeijst

  1. Example of a pro game
  2. Insight to the pro game
  3. The basics of territory
  4. Be proactive
  5. Take the Initiative
  6. The endgame
  7. The Last Points
  8. Last week's problem
  9. The endgame
  10. Endgame Tesuji
  11. As expected,
  12. Kisei Title
  13. Balancing attack,
  14. Balancing attack and defense
  15. Tobi, kosumi, keima
  16. Tobi, kosumi, keima
  17. The end of the game
  18. O Rissei keeps Kisei title
  19. Solutions to last week's problems
  20. Over the next few weeks
  21. Efficiency calls for good shape
  22. Get an eye for shape
  23. Middle of three stones
  24. Kosumi: pros and cons
  25. Defects of kosumi
  26. Kosumi
  27. Hazama
  28. Attacking
  29. Where there is a keima, there is a cut
  30. Cutting keima the right way
  31. Visualization is a must
  32. Function over form
  33. Rationality
  34. Intuition
  35. Realistic approach
  36. Connecting stones
  37. The so-called cosmic style
  38. Ponnuki
  39. Ponnuki
  40. Ponnuki
  41. Sabotage
  42. Ponnuki and Ko
  43. Fighting ko effectively
  44. Handicap go
  45. Handicap go
  46. The nine-stone handicap
  47. Basics of handicap go
  48. 5 more basic principles of handicap go
  49. Yoda defends Meijin Titlego
  50. Original ideas
  51. The third part of the game
  52. In go, it is easier to...
  53. A good way to improve a game
  54. A big gap between genders
  55. World Championship for Women
  56. Hane defends the Tengen Title
  57. 7-stone handicap
  58. Let's start the New Year...
  59. 9x9 pro game
  60. 9x9 pro game
  61. The following is...
  62. The Go player's...
  63. Of the three most prestigious titles, ...
  64. This is the third installment in a series...
  65. Achallenger has to overcome many obstacles....
  66. In the battle for the 42 million yen.....
  67. Only one week after losing his Kisei.....
  68. After recently losing his Kisei title.....
  69. It is a well-established fact that.....
  70. Go--The first step
  71. Some basics about the pro world
  72. How deep can a pro read?.....
  73. Who are the best go players.....
  74. Can computers play go?.....
  75. Last week, we established.....
  76. Computers have led to a flourishing.....
  77. Though I recommend that you join a go club.....
  78. Last week, we finally got to the point where we discovered that.....
  79. Some people like to offer quotations aimed at showing .....
  80. One of the best and most authoritative Web sites for.....
  81. At the beginner levels, go is an easy game to play.....
  82. We often do things in life without thinking.....
  83. We are often told to do the right thing.....
  84. Following a pattern set by others is easy.....
  85. This week's Go Weekly, a Japanese weekly go newspaper.....
  86. How fast can you do a job and do it right.....
  87. When I am asked by go students how they can.....
  88. Books have been written on the subject.....
  89. Go players are always quick to point out that go is a superior.....
  90. The last few weeks were devoted to tactical issues.....
  91. The fifth and final game in the best-of-five Gosei title match .....
  92. The dividing of land, property, and things of .....
  93. Fireworks are expected between current Meijin .....
  94. Dividing land, property or living space in one's own favor is .....
  95. The dream match between the current Kisei .....
  96. Three games have now been completed in the best-of-seven series.....
  97. We have talked strategy over the past few weeks.....
  98. In study, in all branches of sport.....
  99. The most important things a go beginner.....
  100. In many games and sports,.....
  101. How do you do confront your fears?.....
  102. In go, you cannot expect to deal with.....
  103. When your opponent is much stronger than you.....
  104. Using the power of your opponent for.....
  105. The combination of aggressiveness, .....
  106. Last week, there was some good news for.....
  107. On Dec. 18, in the fifth game of.....
  108. Go Weekly, which hits the nation's newsstands every Monday.....
  109. In go, the beginner must try to master the basics of life and.....
  110. Last week, we started a new series on life and.....
  111. This is the third article in a series on life-and.....
  112. In this article, the fourth in a series, we will take.....
  113. This is the fifth installment of tsume go.....
  114. Practice, practice, practice. This is the way to improve.....
  115. The Kisei title match, worth more than $400,000.....
  116. The Kisei title match, worth more than $400,000.....
  117. For a champion, 25-year-old Keigo Yamashita has.....
  118. In two-day best-of-seven matches.....
  119. Naoki Hane has iron nerves.....
  120. The game of go can be as easy or as difficult.....
  121. On April 18 and 25, the TV Tokyo network will.....
  122. Give and take is widely used in daily life to strike.....
  123. Although go has a history of almost 4,000 years.....
  124. The adage "Chess was invented but go was discovered".....
  125. Unlike chess, in which a board position.....
  126. Over the past few weeks we have concentrated.....
  127. Go is sometimes perceived as a more difficult game than chess
  128. Last week, I stressed that the objective of go was to.....
  129. Anyone can learn the basics of go.
  130. Go can be considered a zero-sum game as .....
  131. If you play a strategic game like go, taking or keeping .....