Questions tagged [go]
An ancient strategy game for 2 players who try to outwit each other by placing stones on the board to simulate the capturing of territory. To add a board diagram to a post, see instructions in the tag-wiki.
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Is there a site to play Go online against a computer?
There are many go servers but all of them seem to be for player-player games. I want to play online against a computer. I found some but it is not an actual go. I was not able to find a real go brain ...
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Do strong Go players play simuls, like in chess? Do they ever play blindfolded?
Strong chess players will often play a "simul," walking from board to board and making a move on each, taking virtually no time to select their moves, and forcing themselves to keep track of many ...
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What are good ways to learn to "read" a sequence of moves mentally?
What are good ways to learn to "read" a sequence of moves mentally (i.e. visualize it in one's mind), in Go? Is practicing on a goban useful, or is trying to stick to mentally imagining the moves ...
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How can I quickly estimate my level in go by playing against a computer/tablet?
I would like to have an idea of my level in go (in kyu). This would for instance help me choose the most appropriate go books to read. I would like to do this through playing against a program—because ...
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How to count non fully walled territory?
I just started to learn Go. I still have some problems to properly understand how to count territory when the game has finished (by both players passing). For example, if the game ends in the ...
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How to begin learning Go?
I've been playing a bit with Go and after a few games I do get pretty well the different rules.
The game indeed has a very deep strategy and I've read that to get a grip at that strategy, a player ...
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Which games are most rewarding to review? [closed]
I play Go online and have by now quite a few sgf's of past games available which I could review. I'm however lazy so I certainly wont review all or even most of them. So which ones can I learn the ...
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What are examples of Go played on non-flat surfaces, like on a sphere?
I know there was some thought put into how Go looks or feels like if it's not plaey on a flat, rectangular surface, but the surface of a 3-d object like a sphere or a donut. I'm mostly interested in:
...
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What happens in Go if you "take back" a ko before making a ko threat?
In Go, there is a potentially repetitive sequence of moves called a "ko." So if your opponent takes a ko from you, you have to make a move elsewhere on the board, called a ko threat, before "taking ...
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4-4 pincer variant - not in joseki dictionary
I am 4K and played against 2K in handicap game (2-stones).
The point of B3 was to prevent a double-wing shape for white (along the right and bottom)
So W4 pincer leads us into this joseki variant. ...
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3-4 point joseki - wide double-pincer
After a low approach at W2, B3 is a wide pincer. I double-pincered at W4 and then diagonal B5.
$$
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 5 ....
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life and death: 2 x 4 in the corner with defects
In a go game (with another 4K) I got a 2 x 4 region in the corner with lots of defects.
W1 almost surely will happen. Can White get life or ko?
$$Wm1
$$ |------------
$$ | . . . . X .
$$ | . . O ...
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Is this corner dead?
Played a game on KGS. We are both 4K. He was good at life and death, and I am rusty.
Was B1 sente?
$$ ------------|
$$ . X O 2 1 . |
$$ X . X O . . |
$$ . . X O . . |
$$ . . X O O . |
$$ . . X X ...
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How to balance influence vs territorial plays on a 13x13 board?
Most of the answers to "What is a good opening on a 13x13 board?" deal generally with the differences between large and medium boards. I'd like to ask more generally about how I should be thinking on ...
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Magic Sword: Peaceful Variation or is Punishment Possible?
In a game earlier today I encountered a deviation from the Magic Sword pattern that I haven't been able to find anywhere. Instead of cutting, White seemed to offer a peaceful trade of influence for ...
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How does one set up a 1/4 board for Go – and is it a good way to start?
As a beginner, I was handed a full go board. And, somehow figured it out.
A beginner friend wants to start "small" on something like 1/4 of the board.
Personally, I think that we should start with ...
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Traditional 1-stone handicap before komi
In "traditional" handicap, when there is a ranking difference of 1, black plays first and there is no komi (Sensei's Library uses this term). But if you play without komi anyway, this is no handicap. ...
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Three-space jump on third line: how to connect?
I've seen that in the diagram below, the two black stones can connect by attaching to the white stone, but I can't work out the sequence. How does black play to connect her stones?
$$cm1
$$ . . . . ....
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Is Go played for money?
Playing for money in this meaning would be single games played for some stake, not tournaments with a prize money.
Backgammon has a large tradition to be played like, chess a smaller one (I think). I ...
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Corner variation which is not in Josekipedia
$$Bcm1
$$ -------------------
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . a 0 4 8 . |
$$ . . . . . 1 5 6 . |
$$ . . . . . . 9 7 . |
$$ . . . . . . 2 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . ....
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Computer Go algorithms applied to other games?
Fairly recently, Computer Go programs became able to compete with humans using Monte-Carlo Search trees:
A Monte Carlo (MC) go program plays random games and easily evaluates the terminal position (...
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Online Resources for Go Tutorials on specific topics
It is well-known that learning about Go is a never-ending process. This question is on resources that I believe to be useful in a certain stage of this learning process.
In the very beginning, there ...
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Resources for learning about good shape?
Shape is immensely important in Go, and you can read about the basics anywhere - don't make empty triangles, table and mouth shapes are good, etc. Where can I find more advanced treatments of shape?
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Second line invasion of two-space extension
The two-space extension is a very common pattern and forms a base. I've found lots of material here, and here, and elsewhere on how it cannot be cut and how to defend against various invasions.
...
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How does the full-size board change the game of Go?
My Go board has two playing surfaces, one big and the other small. As a Go beginner, I have been playing on the reduced size board. I assume this is recommended because it makes games shorter, and ...
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How do I properly place handicap stones?
Handicap games are very common in Go. The weaker player, taking black, gets to place (usually) up to 9 stones on the board, depending on the difference in skill.
Both free and fixed placement are ...
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Deviation of 3-3 invasion - how to live/kill?
I know the following is joseki for an approach of the 4-4 stone followed by a 3/3 invasion...
$$cm1 A normal 3/3 invasion joseki (incomplete)
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . ...
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A reference of practical tsumego?
There are insanely many tsumego in existence, but many of them are very artificial and would never occur in real games. While any tsumego helps to improve, specifically learning shapes likely to be ...
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Where can I learn the lingo of Go?
I'm only a beginner at Go, but have been reading the questions in the go tag with interest.
However, this game seems to have rather more special terminology than most. What do joseki, shimari, high-...
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Komoku-Oogeima joseki order variation
In a game my opponent deviated from the joseki line I was familiar with.
$$W Actual game
$$ ------------
$$ -...........
$$ -.94........
$$ -.5128O.....
$$ -..X36...0,.
$$ -...7.......
$$ -..............
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Chess (and variations) Endgame Complexity
My understanding is that the game of Go with Japanese Ko rules is, like most such games, EXPTIME-Complete, but that ladders are PSPACE-Complete and that Go endgames have been analyzed independently as ...
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Do professional-level Go players memorize a list of endgame positions as part of their training?
As in this question there were two questions, I extract the second question here.
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What is the meaning of 'karai' and how is it applied?
A Western insei recently wondered about the term "karai":
Japanese
players call black 57 "karai", which is a term which I haven't heard
used in western go at all! The meaning appears to be ...
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In Go, Why are "High Point" Openings Seldom Seen in Modern Play?
I'm talking about opening with the "high point" of a "shimari, such as the 3-5 or 4-5 point.
The disadvantage is that it allows the opponent to enter near the corner, such as the corresponding 3-4 ...
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What rules are used in international events
What rules are used during international events like the recent Samsung Cup?
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What is the best way to respond to this pincer joseki deviation?
Every now and again when I approach a corner, opponent plays 1-space pincer and I jump out, my opponent immediately peeps. This seems like aji keshi and bad shape, but I've been stumped as to how to ...
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Honinbo 1970, match 1: Why does white need to play toward the edge here?
People may remember this game from Strategtic Concepts of Go by Nagahara.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$|. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$|. . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|...
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What is the Chinese-language equivalent of gobase (main resource for SGF files)?
I would find it hard to believe if someone tried to tell me that there was not such a website, and that people in China relied on gobase. Isn't there a Chinese-language resource for SGF files?
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What are the main results in combinatorial game theory regarding Go?
What are the main mathematical results concerning Go?
Go is a game with simple rules but high game complexity. It is inefficient to apply primitive chess AI methods (such as position brute force and ...
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Strategy for studying professional games?
I recently took A. Dinershtein's Go style test. It was useful to me, as the test is aimed at finding professional players who might think the way you do, for study purposes. It has definitely worked ...
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What is a good strategy for engaging children in playing go?
For children what is the youngest age that it makes sense to begin to teach them go? Is it best to start them on a 9x9 board? Will a child that has learned basic algebra be better suited to learn go ...
WilliamKF
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Game from 1978: Why does this fuseki position favor black?
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , O . . . . ...
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Tsumego only solvable under NZ rules?
The most significant difference between the New Zealand rules and the other rules for Go is that suicide is not forbidden. In most cases, the only time this can come in handy is that you can suicide ...
zawazawa
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What is the formula of rank difference to handicap stones?
When the difference in rank is one (examples: 1 dan vs 1 kyu, or 1 kyu vs 2 kyu), the weaker player takes black and the komi is 0.5 for white (sometimes called "no komi" even though that's ...
Joshua
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Are professional ranks representative for how many stones of handicap players can give each other?
It was mentioned elsewhere that a 9p could not give 7 stones to a 2p. I have no databases available and wondered if this is correct.
Bonus: If they aren't representative, why not? And is there a ...
user2006
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How to handle handicap as white?
I found it very difficult to handle the handicap when my opponent is given 6 or more stones. I don't really like to force something complex when I know it could be severely punished.
The right way to ...
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Why is this corner enclosure considered to be safe against 3-3 invasion?
I have read somewhere, but unfortunately forgot where that the following enclosure is safe against the invasion at a.
$$ White invades at 'a' and supposedly dies.
$$ ---------
$$ -........
$$ -..........
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At what level should one try to teach go?
I am now at a level where I don't consider myself to be a complete beginner, and I can now recognise at least some of the mistakes made by lower level kyu players.
I would like to help other people ...
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How many points are won/lost during this exchange?
$$ six=two
$$ -.a.....
$$ -.......
$$ -...OOOO
$$ -4....XO
$$ -1OOOOOX
$$ -XOXXO.X
$$ -2X5.XX.
$$ -3......
$$ --------
White territory around a is safe.
Move 2 and 4 can be swapped for identical ...
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Understanding influence and using it properly
I'm an amateur player, mostly-self taught with some help on KGS by a few awesome people. I think I now know my way around the board, and am not a complete plonker anymore, just a regular plonker :)
...