GO In The West
BADUK In Korea
IGO In Japan
WEIQI In China
© Craig R. Hutchinson, 16 February 2007
A Contest of
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
GO
A Shape Linking Contest For Liberty
Pursuing Connection, Life, Influence, Territory Happiness.
Each player seeks the strategy and tactics
necessary to acquire the most territory.
Ideally a play has multiple aims to threaten and/or succeed
to Create, Endanger, Expand, Reduce
Connection, Life, Influence, Territory.
THE ART OF GO
Finding the strategical and tactical maneuvers
that equally divide a section of the grid
with respect to the whole grid
via war principles.
OBJECTIVE
To help Go players:
1) Learn the Go Shape interaction language and elements;
2) Understand what is happening on the Go grid;
3) Develop Go style and Reckon/Evaluation/Analytic/Diagnostic skill.
PROVERBS
Prescript /Regarding/Objective/ Value/Engaging/Resolved/Bod/Survey
A precept to learn how to become stronger placing shapes on the Go grid!
Enjoy Your Good Premises!
REFERENCE
For details of the following proverbs,
read and study
The Nihon Kiin Handbook of Proverbs
Published in English by Yutopian Enterprises
PROVERBS
BASIC PLAYS - CONCEPTS
Last play vs First play.
Don't play Go if you can't read a ladder.
Capture a ladder as soon as you can.
Each play in a failed ladder costs seven points.
There are no ladders in a nine-stone game.
A ladder is six points wide.
The Puppy jump is never bad.
The Big Puppy jump is quick but can be cut.
The Kitten Jump is never bad.
Links: Mouse, Tiger, and Knight's.
Big Puppy jump from a single stone.
Large Puppy jump from a Cub wall.
Huge Puppy jump from a Sloth wall.
The Big Puppy extension is secure.
Use the Kitten approach against the Big Puppy.
Answer the side attachment with a Cub.
Keep an eye on bad able jobs inset.
Strike at the waist of the Knight.
Don't poke through the Knight.
Play the Kitten against the Knight approach.
Play the Knight against the Puppy approach.
The turning Mouse is worth a lot.
Halt a neb extension of a Cub.
Halt a neb extension of a Sloth.
Descend with the iron Cub.
GOOD SHAPE - BAD SHAPE
Don't make empty Mice.
Don't make the Hat.
Don't make Mouse, Bud, Hat, Knife, or Star shapes.
Exquisite plays can hide in bad shape.
A Nut is worth thirty points.
The Turtle is worth sixty points.
Play at the center of a Sloth.
Don't let your stones be cut completely.
Don't peep at a Bamboo link.
A Bamboo link can't be cut.
Don't make the Hound shape.
Attach at the 3-3 point to make shape.
Attach to make shape.
Attach and crosscut to make shape.
ECHO
If you're afraid of echo, don't play Go.
There is no echo at the beginning of the game.
Start with the smallest echo threat that works.
Use your dead groups for echo threats.
Adjacent echo threats can win the fight.
Be careful using adjacent echo threats.
Don't play harmful echo threats that hurt you.
Count your threats before starting an echo fight.
FUNCTIONAL UNIVERSAL STRATEGY EQUALIZING KEY INTENTS
Make the first play in your upper right corner.
The traditional order of play in the opening.
Be first to play in front of a Puppy or Kitten.
Respond with a Large Puppy.
If high on one side, play low on the other.
If low on one side, play high on the other.
Try to make the Vast Puppy (Boxer/Spaniel) Wings formation.
The Big Basset formation is bad.
Welcome the invasion at the 3-3 point.
Play vital points before big points.
Don't play near thickness.
Don't crawl any more than you have to.
The second line is the line of defeat.
The third line is the line of territory.
The fourth line is the line of victory.
Don't allow two pressing plays on the same side.
Approach from the wider side.
Block on the wider side.
Study the Shusaku opening.
JUST ORGANIZING SKIRMISH EQUALIZING KEY INITIATIVES
To become weaker memorize
Just Organizing Skirmishes Equalizing Key Initiatives.
To become stronger study
Just Organizing Skirmishes Equalizing Key Initiatives.
The Big Knight envelopment
Just Organizing Skirmish Equalizing Key Initiatives
has a hundred variations.
Threaten a double check.
Extend after the crosscut.
Capture the cutting stone.
Check and extend after the crosscut.
The Star shape is strong.
Make shape with the Fox jump.
MASSIVE OPULENT YARD ORGANIZATIONS
Don't try to surround the center directly.
Reduce a Massive Opulent Yard Organization gently
with a Kitten approach or a Puppy approach.
Erase big frameworks shallowly.
Make the Big Hound or the Large Hound to enlarge
your Massive Opulent Yard Organization.
Approaching a loose invasion.
LIFE - DEATH
There is death in halt a neb extension.
There is life in halt a neb extension.
Play at the center of symmetry.
The Comb is alive.
The Flower is dead.
Six die and eight live.
In the corner, four die and six live.
On the third line, four die and six live.
The Coffin is alive.
In the corner, the Coffin needs outside liberties to live.
The Lamb and Step in the corner are dead.
You must know echo to understand the Bun.
If you understand the Bun, you must be six dan.
Strange things happen at the 1-2 point.
All four-point eyes are alive except the Bud.
Enlarge eye space to live.
Reduce eye space to kill.
Play at the vital point to kill.
RUNNING - CONNECTING - CAPTURING
Escape lightly with the Large Knight.
Chase with the Knight, but escape with the Puppy.
Jump down to the first line to connect.
The Kitten link is not always good.
Cut to gain a liberty.
Fill outside liberties first.
In a race to capture, take the echo last.
One eye beats no eyes.
Sometimes no eye beats one eye.
The larger eye wins the fight.
3 = 3, 4 = 5, 5 = 8, and 6 = 12.
Go after the critical stones first.
Set up forcing plays.
CLEVER PLAYS - FORCING PLAYS - SACRIFICES
Add a stone to the sacrifice on the third line.
Add another sacrifice stone to leave able jobs inset.
Give up worthless stones.
Attach at the Cub's belly.
Watch out for a play under the stones.
Strike at the Cheetah's belly.
Beware the two-step halt a neb extension.
Drop to the second line to set up two halt a neb extensions.
Learn the eye-stealing
Tactical Effort Skillfully Utilizing Just Implications.
Cut if you can.
Don't peep at a cutting point.
Without thinking don't continually
Assault The Aliveness Realm Inherent.
Don't make a forcing play without a reason.
Make forcing plays when you have to, then abandon them.
A severe invasion on the third line or a gentle one on the fourth?
FIGHTING GUIDE
Take territory while attacking.
Defend while attacking.
Attack while defending.
Don't give up key stones.
Don't weaken your own stones.
Don't make two weak groups.
Beware the separation attack.
Master the separation and envelopment attacks.
Don't touch stones you want to attack.
Don't let your stones get squeezed flat.
Attack after making the other stones heavy.
Don't make only one huge Massive Opulent Yard Organization.
Don't try to surround an area with an open border.
The weak player pushes without thinking.
Never push on the fifth or sixth lines.
PROVERB MIXTURE
The Big Knight edge jump is worth eight points.
The first-line halt a neb extension and connection
is worth two points.
The second-line halt a neb extension and connection
is worth six points.
Look for the best play even when losing.
You are two stones stronger when watching a game.
There is no defeat in Go.
Killing stones won't win the game.
Losing stones won't lose the game.
Don't make bizarre plays.
If you lose four corners, resign.
Bun, Comb, Balloon,
Bamboo, Cracker, Wafer, Grackle,
Hawk, Turtle, Nut,
Big Basset, Vast Puppy (Boxer/Spaniel) Wings
MORE
INFORMATION
Go Proverbs is an introduction to concepts
for learning how to become stronger
playing one of the oldest active board games,
called Go in the West,
Baduk in Korea,
Igo in Japan,
and Weiqi in China.
For more information about
Go, Baduk, Igo, or Weiqi players and clubs in your area,
or on the Internet, contact:
The American Go Association
PO Box 397, Old Chelsea Station
New York City, NY 10113-0397
E-mail: membership@usgo.org
Net: www.usgo.org
or contact Hutch
Phone: 703-698-9811
E-mail: crhutch@erols.com
Net: http://users.erols.com/crhutch/go.html
To obtain books and equipment, contact:
Ishi Press
Phone: 800-859-2086
E-mail: IshiPress@aol.com
Net: http://www.ishigames.com
Kiseido
Phone: 800-988-6463
E-mail: kiseido@yk.rim
Net: www.kiseido.com
Samarkand
Phone: 800-600-4373
E-mail: info@samarkand.net
Net: www.samarkand.net
Slate & Shell
Phone: 800-653-7640
E-mail: bcobb@slateandshell.com
Net: www.slateandshell.com
Yutopian Enterprises
Phone: 800-988-6463
E-mail: sales@yutopian.com
Net: www.yutopian.com
