Let's Go! : The Ancient Game of Go

"Go", not the word, the game, is said to have been invented in China roughly 2,500 years ago. The name is fun linguistically because in English it's literally just go! as in move! But it's simply what the inventor or subsequent players in China, Japan, Korea and other east Asian countries named it. 

I can't claim to be an expert Go player; I'm just kind-of winging it. However, I think the game is lovely. I was first introduced to Go by a mentor of mine when I was a teen. We used a cardboard game-board he'd made with a pen and a ruler and little colored stones. It was fun. It was a learning experience, and then I knew a little bit about the game. 

I became interested in the game of Go again later in life after watching the campy Netflix spy-thriller Pine Gap. In the fictional show, the antagonist -and likely an agent of the Chinese government, and played wonderfully by actor, Jason Chong- explains to his western counterpart that "westerners play chess, while the Chinese play Go."  

The basic rules are that there are two players, black and white. Black has the privilege of making the first move, and then white follows. From there, it's a turn-based strategy game, where each player takes turns adding pieces to the board. 

Chess is basically like war, or an ice hockey grudge match. You've got to knock your opponents out with pure strength (and I say this as a former hockey goon myself!) However, Go is more subtle, more diplomatic. The goal is simply to have more pieces, or "stones", on the board than your enemy (or frienemy). Once a piece is placed on the Go board, it cannot be removed, only surrounded. 

Essentially, it's not a game of war, but a game of negotiation and diplomacy. Notwithstanding, is the fact that it's easy! It gives you and your opponent time to have fun conversation whilst playing. But, be careful, if you're not paying attention to your opponent, you will always end up with fewer pieces on the board at the end.