Go


Chinese checkers is a game I like to play with my kids.  It’s simple, the rules are easy, and there’s no luck involved.  Alas, the divots on our playing board are too shallow, and a bumped board means marbles rolling where they shouldn’t.  While searching for a better board to buy online, I often see Go boards too.  Those look neat, I think, I'll have to learn more about this game.  Go photo2

Have you heard of Go?  It’s been in the news lately.  Google created an artificial intelligence program over the past few years that recently defeated a Korean Go master.  It was a big deal.  The story is here.  Creating an AI program to compete above the amateur level has been a project for decades.  The rules are simple, but the possibilities for the game are almost infinitely complex.

The board is a 19x19 square grid and the pieces are black and white stones.  The object is to hold the most territory.  Like Chess and Chinese checkers, there is no luck involved in Go.

The other night, I made an account on the first Go site that came up after a search and played a few games.  I was so bad that I felt sorry for my opponents.  I had a friendly chat with one of them who offered some nice encouragement - thanks, kurr5.    Go photo1

ICPL has books on Go at 794.4.  We have a manga series that features the game at 741.5952 Hotta Hikaru too.

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