Let's start with the basics …
· Go is one of the oldest board games in the world. Its true origins are unknown, though it almost certainly originated in China. The future of Tibet was once decided over a Go board when the Buddhist ruler refused to go into battle; instead, he challenged the aggressor to a game of Go. (I am not sure if this is %100 correct but, this one is my favorite 😊)
· For many years, the rules remained almost unchanged.
· Like Chess, Go is a game based on the skill of the player. - defined as multiple games of Chess continuing together on the same board - but it differs from Chess in many ways. The rules of Go are simple, and while just like Chess is an arena where players can show off their analytical skills, there is much more room for intuition in Go.
How to play?
Go is a territorial game. The more space you have, the closer you are to winning. The board, marked with a 19-row 19-row grid, can be considered a piece of land to be shared between two players. One of the players takes the white stones, and the other takes the black stones, just like in Chess. The difference from Chess is that in Go, all pieces are the same. The game starts with an empty board, and the players take turns, placing one stone at each turn on a vacant point.
In contrast to the game of Chess, black starts, and the stones are placed on the intersections of the lines rather than in the squares. Once played, stones are not moved. However, they may be surrounded and captured, in which case they are removed from the board as prisoners.
Who Wins?
At the end of the game, the players count one point for each vacant intersection inside their territory and one point for every stone they have captured. The one with the larger total is the winner.
Don't forget; aggression doesn't always pay for GO. Sometimes you need to calm down and take your time to strategize. Usually, I am very competitive, and I lost many games because of that, but eventually, you learn how to win 😉
This game is not for everybody—especially people who are impatient. So if you want to try it, be prepared to have a looooong journey. But an enjoyable one.
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