"Weiqi, known in English as Go or Encirclement Chess, is one of the four most refined skills that an ancient Chinese intellectual could possess. It has a history of well over 4000 years in China and remains popular to this day in China, Japan and South Korea. Culturally, this may be one activity that really is "more than just a game" .
Go is a game of encirclement and capture, which takes place on a board of 361 squares. The object of Go is not to capture the opponent's actual pieces but rather to surround empty territory on the board. This is done by building encircling "walls" around these empty spaces. The game is played by two people, with a black and white set of pieces, just as in chess.
It's pretty certain that Go was invented by Chinese ancestors, yet nobody knows exactly when. The Encyclopedia Britannica records that the game originated from China in 2306 B.C. According to legend, a Chinese ruler of some 2200 years ago, Emperor Yao, invented Go to help enlighten his son Dan Zhu.
Wu Yulin is a Go professional, and coach for young players in the National Go Team. He explains how the game is historically another high-brow art-form.
"In ancient China, Go was mostly favored by intellectuals, especially those from the upper class and the bureaucracy. The ordinary people would seldom take a liking to this game. However, now we have people from all circles playing Go, as a result of government efforts to popularize this ancient art." "
(http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Archaeology/131298.htm)
The board:
" "You have to become entirely calm, otherwise, you can't play it. In the game of Go you have to be very strong of mind. There's always loss and gain. You might make mistakes during a game, and then have to readjust your mentality in order to fight to the end. For the youth, it can be a failed attempt at learning something new, but for the aged, a hobby like this will greatly reduce the danger of senile dementia."
In fact, all of our minds can benefit from playing Go, which officially has the capacity to make you smarter. Research has shown that that children who play Go have the potential for greater intelligence, since it motivates both the right and left sides of the brain."
(http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Archaeology/131298.htm)
Check out this Chinese Kids Blog that explains the basic rules of Go for kids:(click on it)
Beijing Kids Blog
Video Tutorial for the Game of Go (part 1)
Check out the rules and strategies here; (click on it)
The Ancient Chinese Rules of Go
From James Davies,
The Rules of Go, in The Go Player's Almanac,
ed. Richard Bozulich, Ishi Press (San Jose, 1992)
Extracted, adapted, and edited by Fred Hansen
Or, check out more general information here: (click on it)
The American Go Association
thank you a lot
ReplyDelete-selenne 5th period
Cool Christine Lee
ReplyDeleteOOOOHHH!! I HAVE THIS GAME!!!
ReplyDelete~Amy Xue
that looks hard, but looks like a fun fun game. -andrea brimhall 4th
ReplyDeletethanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI cant wait to learn about ancient china
Hamsa Jambulapati 6th period
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSavannah Lee 6th period
Cool!
ReplyDeleteMaya, 3rd
I can't wait to learn more about this game. It looks really fun!
ReplyDeleteSukanya Barman (5th Period)
thanks, it looks really interesting!
ReplyDeleteIsabel Cui
Seems interesting! -Sophie Wood
ReplyDeleteIt looks a bit hard thought:)
ReplyDelete-Laura S. 7th Period
Looks fun, but a little complicated.
ReplyDeleteGigi Ford 3rd period
Um........ yeah great Thx Sam Baker 4th period
ReplyDeleteMatthew Lee 5th period
ReplyDeleteAhmed Motiwala 5th period
ReplyDeleteAhmed Motiwala 5th period
ReplyDeleteAhmed Motiwala 5th period
ReplyDeleteAhmed Motiwala 5th period
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ReplyDeleteAniston Hicks 5th period
Kaitlin Mottley
ReplyDelete5th Period
It seems fun and challenging. Let's play! :D
ReplyDelete-Ganga Pradeep, 6th period
Landon Parish 3rd Period
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Thank you
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Vazquez 6th Period
Looks interesting
ReplyDelete-Isabella Shaw 3rd period
Super cool!
ReplyDelete-Autumn Darling 5th period
its a cool game Austin Palanki 7th period
ReplyDeleteI actually have the game. I will bring it tomorrow for you.
ReplyDeletenokomis costrino
Awesome
ReplyDeleteHammond Humber
LOL
ReplyDeleteNeil Arora 6th period
Kate Yelverton 4th cool!
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ReplyDeleteAvi Dixit 5th
Seems pretty interesting! I've seen this go club at a sandwich shop I go to a lot... I'll finally understand it, woo. haha lol
ReplyDelete-Chloe Carter, 6th period