Chess Versus Go. East Versus West.
I somehow doubt that this is a very original piece of thought here, but it is original within me. The thought just came to me suddenly and without reading anything similar to it before, so I thought I would write it down. I have the feeling that if I looked hard enough, I would find similar opinions by other people, and most would probably be much insightfully written.
I think that there may be a cultural reason why the game of Go is very popular in Eastern countries such as Japan, Korea, and China but far less popular than Chess in Western countries.
In chess one piece takes one piece and to win you must capture only the most important piece, the King. All other piece taking is just to reach your goal. This reflect the individuality of the western mindset. In Go all the pieces are the same and you only take groups of your enemies pieces with groups of your pieces. The reflects the Eastern mindset of the group being more important than the individual and the need for cooperation and consensus to perform actions.
If a pawn makes it across the board it becomes any piece. This reflects the ideal of being able to "be your own man" and raise your status and power. It also reflects the West's love of the underdog. Western movies stories are full of characters who are the least likely to win but manage to beat all the odds to reach a goal. In Go all the pieces are the same and there is no transition of power. This reflects the Eastern values of stability and cooperation.
In chess it is somewhat easier to see who is winning before the game is over if there is much difference in position or in the pieces left on the board. This reflect the more straightforward method of communication valued in the west. In Go sometimes you can't even tell who has won at the end until the players have taken time to count all the pieces. This reflects the more careful and indirect method of communication valued in the East.
I think that there may be a cultural reason why the game of Go is very popular in Eastern countries such as Japan, Korea, and China but far less popular than Chess in Western countries.
In chess one piece takes one piece and to win you must capture only the most important piece, the King. All other piece taking is just to reach your goal. This reflect the individuality of the western mindset. In Go all the pieces are the same and you only take groups of your enemies pieces with groups of your pieces. The reflects the Eastern mindset of the group being more important than the individual and the need for cooperation and consensus to perform actions.
If a pawn makes it across the board it becomes any piece. This reflects the ideal of being able to "be your own man" and raise your status and power. It also reflects the West's love of the underdog. Western movies stories are full of characters who are the least likely to win but manage to beat all the odds to reach a goal. In Go all the pieces are the same and there is no transition of power. This reflects the Eastern values of stability and cooperation.
In chess it is somewhat easier to see who is winning before the game is over if there is much difference in position or in the pieces left on the board. This reflect the more straightforward method of communication valued in the west. In Go sometimes you can't even tell who has won at the end until the players have taken time to count all the pieces. This reflects the more careful and indirect method of communication valued in the East.