Onega-shimasu.
I am such a freaking geek. I've added yet another obsession/hobby to my arsenal. An ancient Chinese board game that spread to Japan and Korea, then Europe and the US...The game? Go. No, seriously. That's what it's called. Go. Or igo. Or weiqi. Or baduk. But most people know it as Go. (I always capitalize it--as is usually done--to distinguish it from the verb 'to go'...)
What is Go? A strategy game. A game of territory. Think chess only way more complicated. Played on a board with a grid, two players (black and white) place stones on the grid's intersections to create territories and capture each other's stones. The end of the game comes when a player resigns or the opponents agree there are no more useful moves to be made at which point (in the case of no more moves) territories are counted and a winner is declared.
One of the freaking coolest things? In Japan (and China and Korea, if I'm not mistaken) there are actual Go Pros. People play this game as a job! It's so awesome. I'm definitely not at all good--yet. I know that I'll never be even as good as an apprentice pro (in Japan called insei)...But I'd like to be more than just a raw beginner. I've been playing a computer program. I do okay...but starting at 25, I haven't managed to rise beyond 14--and most often I'm stuck between 18-16. Dangit. I've played one real game against a real person and was duly slaughtered. Thus I went back to practicing more.
So. You might ask--what on earth made you do this? And I must confess, it wasn't any desire to better my grasp of logic, tactics, or strategy. It wasn't to try to do anything cerebral. It was because of a manga. Yes. A manga. A Japanese comic. Hikaru no Go. I told you. I'm a bloody geek.
Anyway...yeah...Go rocks my socks. I just had to mention this and find out if anybody else had heard of it...or has any equipment they want to get rid of...or maybe play an online game? Plus, I just ordered this shirt from CafePress that has the word Go like it's been cut out of a board that has a game on it and says above: It's all fun and games (and below) until someone loses and eye and DIES!
*snicker*
For those of you just staring bemusedly (because less than a month ago I'd have been one of them) in the game if you create two 'eyes' in your territories they will forever be safe from capture by your opponent. You always want to be careful about this...because...if you lose an eye...chances are...your stones will DIE. And then you lose. Probably. Depends on how far behind you are, what the handicap is, how many stones you lose...all kinds of things...but yeah.
If you're wondering about the subject of this post, it's the traditional greeting/word/phrase used (in Japan at least) to open a game/challenge your opponent at the beginning...I've been told it means something along the lines of 'to make a request'...Sometimes it'll simply be translated as 'Please'...
So, go look it up and if you ever want a game...Onega-shimasu!
What is Go? A strategy game. A game of territory. Think chess only way more complicated. Played on a board with a grid, two players (black and white) place stones on the grid's intersections to create territories and capture each other's stones. The end of the game comes when a player resigns or the opponents agree there are no more useful moves to be made at which point (in the case of no more moves) territories are counted and a winner is declared.
One of the freaking coolest things? In Japan (and China and Korea, if I'm not mistaken) there are actual Go Pros. People play this game as a job! It's so awesome. I'm definitely not at all good--yet. I know that I'll never be even as good as an apprentice pro (in Japan called insei)...But I'd like to be more than just a raw beginner. I've been playing a computer program. I do okay...but starting at 25, I haven't managed to rise beyond 14--and most often I'm stuck between 18-16. Dangit. I've played one real game against a real person and was duly slaughtered. Thus I went back to practicing more.
So. You might ask--what on earth made you do this? And I must confess, it wasn't any desire to better my grasp of logic, tactics, or strategy. It wasn't to try to do anything cerebral. It was because of a manga. Yes. A manga. A Japanese comic. Hikaru no Go. I told you. I'm a bloody geek.
Anyway...yeah...Go rocks my socks. I just had to mention this and find out if anybody else had heard of it...or has any equipment they want to get rid of...or maybe play an online game? Plus, I just ordered this shirt from CafePress that has the word Go like it's been cut out of a board that has a game on it and says above: It's all fun and games (and below) until someone loses and eye and DIES!
*snicker*
For those of you just staring bemusedly (because less than a month ago I'd have been one of them) in the game if you create two 'eyes' in your territories they will forever be safe from capture by your opponent. You always want to be careful about this...because...if you lose an eye...chances are...your stones will DIE. And then you lose. Probably. Depends on how far behind you are, what the handicap is, how many stones you lose...all kinds of things...but yeah.
If you're wondering about the subject of this post, it's the traditional greeting/word/phrase used (in Japan at least) to open a game/challenge your opponent at the beginning...I've been told it means something along the lines of 'to make a request'...Sometimes it'll simply be translated as 'Please'...
So, go look it up and if you ever want a game...Onega-shimasu!