Getting Ready to Learn About the Ancient Chinese Game of Go

"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