[Drabble] The Naturalist (Hikaru no Go)
Title: The Naturalist
Characters: Zhao Shi (mentions of others)
Words/Rating: 500+ words / G
Summary: All go is a function of game theory.
Author's Notes: Written for tarigwaemir on this prompt on the second drabble fest and first posted here.
The world, to Zhao Shi, is ordered and logical. The moment of the planets is governed by physics. The growth of his body is an expression of biology. His reaction to that horrendous-smelling natto Isumi-san brought over from Japan is a matter of course in chemistry.
All go is a function of game theory.
Zhao Shi picked up game theory at the advice of Chen-laoshi, a go coach he still reveres. In his spare time, he has been writing a treatise on the application of game theory in the field of go. It is difficult to find anyone he knows who can follow the text, but Yang Hai has been incredibly supportive. Zhao Shi knows Yang Hai's promise to use his contacts at a university--"When it's finished, mind you, because I'm not about to show them something half-done, all right?"--is a promise Yang Hai will keep. Le Ping made Yang Hai promise, after all.
His parents made a fuss out of it, a then-eight-year-old reading university level textbooks. They were disappointed when he chose to play go, though the disappointment was tempered by Zhao Shi's selection as a national representative.
Everyone Zhao Shi plays is an expression in game theory. If Zhao Shi cannot express some of them accurately, it is not the fault of the field; rather, it is his own imperfect grasp of the mathematics that fails him. This is a conclusion he can whole-heartedly support: he knows he still has far to go, further than he does in go. Yang Hai's equation changes with every game, though Zhao Shi is learning to recognize which variable makes the most impact: it is when Yang Hai has been staring at his computer with a little too much interest. Le Ping's equation is simple, but the variables are hard to pick up. Isumi's equation constantly needs refining, but Zhao Shi likes it when Isumi breaks his equations: Isumi develops in a known way, and Zhao Shi thinks Isumi would agree to becoming a focus of his treatise. He hasn't asked yet, but the equation says Isumi will if the time is right.
If there is anyone who seems to completely defy game theory, it is Shindou of Japan. Zhao Shi chalks this down to his limited exposure (and thus observation) of Shindou. The best equations are written with long-term exposure to the subject. It's true that for most people, analysis of their go games proves sufficient (especially against people Zhao Shi already has equations for), but Shindou's games are so erratic they defy analysis. It's almost as if there are three Shindous playing.
Zhao Shi won't give up, though. He's beginning to see a possible pattern; Shindou's playing has finally begun to converge on a more-or-less stable framework for equation. There is some more work to do so that he can reconcile Shindou's earlier games to the draft equation, but Zhao Shi is confident that hard work and careful thought will see him through this.
After all, all go is a function of game theory. Even Shindou's.
Characters: Zhao Shi (mentions of others)
Words/Rating: 500+ words / G
Summary: All go is a function of game theory.
Author's Notes: Written for tarigwaemir on this prompt on the second drabble fest and first posted here.
The world, to Zhao Shi, is ordered and logical. The moment of the planets is governed by physics. The growth of his body is an expression of biology. His reaction to that horrendous-smelling natto Isumi-san brought over from Japan is a matter of course in chemistry.
All go is a function of game theory.
Zhao Shi picked up game theory at the advice of Chen-laoshi, a go coach he still reveres. In his spare time, he has been writing a treatise on the application of game theory in the field of go. It is difficult to find anyone he knows who can follow the text, but Yang Hai has been incredibly supportive. Zhao Shi knows Yang Hai's promise to use his contacts at a university--"When it's finished, mind you, because I'm not about to show them something half-done, all right?"--is a promise Yang Hai will keep. Le Ping made Yang Hai promise, after all.
His parents made a fuss out of it, a then-eight-year-old reading university level textbooks. They were disappointed when he chose to play go, though the disappointment was tempered by Zhao Shi's selection as a national representative.
Everyone Zhao Shi plays is an expression in game theory. If Zhao Shi cannot express some of them accurately, it is not the fault of the field; rather, it is his own imperfect grasp of the mathematics that fails him. This is a conclusion he can whole-heartedly support: he knows he still has far to go, further than he does in go. Yang Hai's equation changes with every game, though Zhao Shi is learning to recognize which variable makes the most impact: it is when Yang Hai has been staring at his computer with a little too much interest. Le Ping's equation is simple, but the variables are hard to pick up. Isumi's equation constantly needs refining, but Zhao Shi likes it when Isumi breaks his equations: Isumi develops in a known way, and Zhao Shi thinks Isumi would agree to becoming a focus of his treatise. He hasn't asked yet, but the equation says Isumi will if the time is right.
If there is anyone who seems to completely defy game theory, it is Shindou of Japan. Zhao Shi chalks this down to his limited exposure (and thus observation) of Shindou. The best equations are written with long-term exposure to the subject. It's true that for most people, analysis of their go games proves sufficient (especially against people Zhao Shi already has equations for), but Shindou's games are so erratic they defy analysis. It's almost as if there are three Shindous playing.
Zhao Shi won't give up, though. He's beginning to see a possible pattern; Shindou's playing has finally begun to converge on a more-or-less stable framework for equation. There is some more work to do so that he can reconcile Shindou's earlier games to the draft equation, but Zhao Shi is confident that hard work and careful thought will see him through this.
After all, all go is a function of game theory. Even Shindou's.