09.27.06
Learning Go step by step
For those who want to augment their cognitive reserve by exercising their mind, learning and playing Go is an attractive option. So, asked a sometime correspondent, how does one go about learning Go?
Possibly the best way is to show up at the local Go club and ask for instruction. But many places lack a local Go club, so let me set out an alternative.
First, this site has interactive instructions via a java engine. (The site is reached through this nice collection of links for the beginning Go player.)
The basic rules, though, hardly hint at how to actually play. I recall the experience of first learning programming: you learn the various op codes and what they do, but when you sit down to put those instructions into a program, you don’t even know where to start.
So, once you know the rules, what’s next? Two things:
Thing 1: Observe some games being played. Just watch and follow the moves. This you can do on your computer: download and install CGoban 3. It’s free, and with this client you can sign on to the Kiseido Go Server (also free) and double-click games in play to observe them.
A quick guide to ratings of strength: At the top levels are the dans: 1-dan (aka shodan) to 9-dan, with 9-dan the strongest. Below the dans are the kyu rankings: 35-kyu to 1-kyu, with 1-kyu the strongest. A beginner is around 35-kyu, though everyone on KGS starts with a rating of “?”. Still, when you decide to seek a game, it is good to indicate that you are just starting to play. In the ratings you’ll see on KGS, dan is abbreviated as “d” and kyu as “k”.
Thing 2: Dragoon someone you know into playing Go with you. Your first games will be confusing—in particular, you probably will have a hard time knowing when the game has ended. So it’s good to start playing on a 13×13 board instead of the regular 19×19 board: the games go more quickly.
To play in person with someone else comfortably, you won’t want to play at the computer, so you’ll need equipment. This inexpensive starter set will get you Go-ing. This set uses single-convex stones (made of glass): traditional Chinese style. They are played flat-side down, and can be placed with a satisfying “snap.” When playing out a variation, the stones in the variation are placed flat-side up—so when you finish the variation, you know which stones to remove to get back to the main line.
The board is 9×9 on one side, 13×13 on the other. 9×9 is really too small to get much of a Go feel, but it’s an interesting game in its own right.
Other: Look at the Go links at the right. Quite a bit of information there, especially in Sensei’s Library. You may want to get a book, especially if you’re book-oriented. For a beginner, the 5-volume set by Janice Kim, available from Samarkand.net, provides a comprehensive introduction.
Once you feel that you understand enough to, say, know when the game is over, start playing on Kiseido Go Server (assuming you don’t have access to a local Go club). At first it will take a while for people to answer a challenge—the “?” scares people off. But if you add a little note that you’re just starting to play, you’ll eventually get an opponent. You learn a lot by actual play.
I’m sure other Go players will chime in with their thoughts on how best to begin, so I’ll turn the floor over to them.
Ryan said,
6 January 2007 at 2:27 pm
It’s very interesting how interests co-mingle with one another. I just got into wet-shaving and made my way to your wonderful blog posts on the subject from the various suggestions of others. I’ve also recently become interested in Go and find you have posts about the game as well. In fact I just purchased the first two volumes of the Janice Kim set before finding your post here. Thanks for the great info!
All the best,
Ryan
LeisureGuy said,
6 January 2007 at 2:49 pm
You’re welcome. I also might suggest DragonGoServer.net. That’s a turn-based server: you move, and then check back later to see whether your opponent’s moved. Not bad way to play if you can’t find the time for a real-time game.
Have you looked at Esperanto?
Ryan said,
6 January 2007 at 5:57 pm
The DragonGoServer looks to be very useful — thanks for the link. As for Esperanto, are you refering to the constructed international language?
LeisureGuy said,
6 January 2007 at 6:01 pm
Yep. Esperanto
Ryan said,
6 January 2007 at 6:20 pm
I read about Esperanto a few years ago and made a mental note to investigate it further (but never got around to it). Thanks for the reminder!
LeisureGuy said,
6 January 2007 at 7:09 pm
If you Google “Learn Esperanto” you’ll find a lot of resources. Here’s one:
http://en.lernu.net/