I played my first full game of Go tonight. I got beaten, badly beaten. The rules are simple but it builds up into elegant complexity. I lost by 150 points - this means the next time we play a full game I get to put 15 stones on the board before the game even begins.I knew I would lose, my opponent has been playing for 18 years, but it was still a fascinating exercise. I spent a lot of time so focused on the little skirmishes that were happening in various areas of the board that I lost sight of the bigger picture.
Cue commentary on how Go is like life right here :)
Now I've got a basic grasp of the mechanics I'll play some games on a smaller board (9x9 instead of 19x19). That will hopefully help me begin to see patterns and tactics...
...and then I'll try a full game with my 15 stone advantage ;)
2 comments:
Wow, fifteen stone isn't usually an advantage, is it? ;)
I've always wanted to learn how to play Go. I've read so much translated Japanese literature and history and such that references Go in some way that it's sort of lodged itself in my brain. Maybe I'll have to get you to teach me and then you can have a rookie to sharpen your skills against!
I would be glad to teach you the rules....then we can both learn the tactics and strategy together. It is a great game!
There is a great interactive tutorial at http://playgo.to/interactive/
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