go, the immortal game

[phillip1882]

anyone here play go?
if not, you should! it a great game.

the objective is to surround empty space with your pieces, called stones. you get one point for each "square" you surround.
you can also capture enemy stones by surrounding them. just by reading this you know 2/3 of the rules!

[Tank]

Heard of it, never played it though.

[OldGit]

I used to play it a lot - not saying I was good, mind.  Haven't played for 40 years.  As you say, the total simplicity of the rules underlies an incredibly subtle game.  Computer programs can now beat most men at chess, but not at Go, though they are getting stronger.

[KingPhilip]

I remember an old anime based on it I saw once or twice, was obsessed with the game for a while after that. I agree, it's one if those easy to learn, nigh impossible to master things. Very fun, I want to play again now...

[Recusant]

I remember an old anime based on it I saw once or twice, was obsessed with the game for a while after that. I agree, it's one if those easy to learn, nigh impossible to master things. Very fun, I want to play again now...

Hello, and welcome to HAF, KingPhilip.

That anime would be Hikaru no Go, and it certainly increased the number of Go players in Japan, and worldwide.

One of the best places to play online is KGS. It's a real-time Go server which uses a Java client (downloadable on the linked page). For turn-based play, there are two great servers, Dragon Go Server and Online Go Server.  Also, for meeting Go players in your area in the US, you can check out the American Go Association, or in Britain, the British Go Association. As far as I'm aware, just about every country in the world has some sort of national Go organization, as well.

I play, but am quite weak (9 or 10 kyu). For any who are reading this thread and are interested in learning more, I suggest Sensei's Library, which is a great online resource for learning about the game.

* * *

Are you a member of the AGA, phillip1882? I know there are several AGA associated Go clubs in Florida.

[KingPhilip]

Thanks for the welcome and the links. I'm now most likely going to spend my near future free time watching that series again and getting back into the game. I had no idea you could play it online, though it makes sense. Not sure why I never checked.

[Tank]

Thanks for the welcome and the links. I'm now most likely going to spend my near future free time watching that series again and getting back into the game. I had no idea you could play it online, though it makes sense. Not sure why I never checked.

Well it was nice knowing you 

[phillip1882]

Are you a member of the AGA, phillip1882? I know there are several AGA associated Go clubs in Florida.

indeed i am! yeah, I've played in several aga rated tournaments. I'm about 6k.

[xSilverPhinx]

Heard of it, never played it.

[KingPhilip]

I signed up, refreshed on the rules, and started playing. Lost my first four games. It's harder than I remember.

[Recusant]

I signed up, refreshed on the rules, and started playing. Lost my first four games. It's harder than I remember.

Yes, it's easy to learn the rules, very difficult to apply them effectively. There are some less difficult computer opponents that are usually available on KGS if you look in the "Open Games" tab. Also, to brush up on your skills and get a lot of quick 9x9 games in, you can download the computer player called Igowin (as the name suggests, it's a Windows compatible program). Don't take the ranking system used by Igowin too seriously; it's just a means of measuring your progress against the program. Also, though computer programs can be fun and convenient, it's better to play against human opponents as much as possible. Computers make the same mistakes all the time and you can learn how to exploit that, but doing so really doesn't help you when you encounter human players.

If you haven't played much, look for players in the 25 to 15 kyu range (though they're kind of thin on the ground on KGS).  Another place that you might look at is FlyorDie, which has plenty of people playing that probably know about as much as you do about the game (I'm not fond of the place, but like I said, it does have a greater percentage of players in the double digit kyu range).

Also, on KGS, try joining the KGS Teaching Ladder Room (Rooms Menu, Room List >> Lessons), which will allow you to get free lessons from fellow players, as well as the Beginners' Room, which can be found in the same category. Getting into Go can be daunting; it looks so simple, but stronger players can tie you into knots and wipe out your groups with ease.