I only know the rudimentary rules, but Go has the reputation of being
even more complicated, intricate, abstract and fascinating than chess.
It was world champion Emmanuel Lasker (who also played Go, and
brdge for that matter) who called it: "The Judo of the Mind". Would
love to learn to play it, but I'm not sure that's a good idea when so
much involved with chess. Still, it intrigues me. Have a set and a book
here 'Go for beginners' and that seems (to me at least) already
difficult enough. Perhaps some time in the future? If you 'instruct'
your searching machine, you're bound to find a lot of information on
Go. Most likely you'll find the playing-rules for free. That is so in
Dutch, so it will certainly be the case in English. Good luck!
Not only was Lasker an excellent Bridge and Go player (and of course
chess World Champion for 27 years) he also kicked butt in
dominoes...and was the greatest mathematical mind of his time...and
best friends with Einstein.
I hold the utmost respect for him. The smartest man who ever walked
the planet in my eyes.
Dave
I have Lasker's 'Manual of Chess' (descriptive notation, which is not all
that easy for me). It shows also his great skills when it comes to
teaching chess. Especially his explanation of Steinitz' scientific
approach to chess is very good. A real tribute to the man from whom
he took the world title. Also Lasker's 'Commonsense in Chess' is a
standard work.
Bye the way, Dave: He was also a philosopher. So many qualities in
one mind... Simply great!
Yes, GO is a fascinating game, if you have plenty of time and patience. I learned the game from a Korean master who was
visiting Belgium for 6 months. Sometimes we spent a whole night, with only one move made. He gave me pieces and moves
ahead, up to the max. alllowed in the handicap rules. I never came even close to a win... But that was 25 years ago.
Good evening Saint!
Tell me: Are there time-limits in Go? If so, which? I first learned about
Go in 1962, when reading an extensive article on it in the Dutch
weekly 'Elseviers Wekblad'. Only reading that fascinated me. though
all my time consumed then by the job and now, since last September,
with chess on the Web, I never got to learning it. Shame on me; much
too lazy I suppose. Although I have a good book on Go (Go for
beginners) and a (cheap) set... so, perhaps one day I have a go at
Go. Would like to read you with more info on the subject. Cheerio! Jan
No, Jan, as I've learned it the basic rule is that there are no time
limits (it's an oriental game after all). I still have the game
somewhere, but as I said, it's so long ago, and so complicated. I
don't think I will ever start again. It is an addiction indeed. A good
introduction to the tactical (not the positional) aspect is the simplified
game GO BANG. It's often sold on the backside of the GO-board.
Gilbert
Gilbert, on the back of my set there's a 13x13 board. It says in the
manual that this is for beginners, instead of learning to play on the
19x19, but... I've read in books and on the Web a beginner should
never start to learn on a board of that size: the strongly and only
recommended board is 9x9. Years ago I bought a 'Prisma Pocket 'Go
for Beginners' (Kaoru Iwamoto - Dutch translation, originally published
by The Ishi Press, Tokyo, 1972).
It's still on the bookshelf... So, maybe, just maybe, I might have a go
at it. Just like with chess: I collected so many books over the years,
but hardly played any chess, just the occasional off-hand game down
the local. But when retiring last year I couldn't help it to start chess for
the first time more or less seriously and enjoy it immensely. So, why
not Go? Some time or other.