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Secret Art Of War
PageType: Path   Difficulty: Advanced   Keywords: Proverb, Tactics, Strategy

The 36 Stratagems

Torwards the end of the Ming Dynasty (some 300 years ago) an unknown writer published "Secret Art of War: The 36 Stratagems" writing down for the first time war stratagems which first appeared in the official history of Southern Qi about 1500 years ago.

"The 36 Stratagems" are a military classic of ancient China and has its emphasis on deception as military art. Here we discuss how those stratagems might apply to Go.


Stratagems when in superiour position

Stratagems for confrontation

Stratagems for attack

Stratagems for confused situations

  • Take away the fire from under the cauldron?
  • Fish in troubled waters?
  • The cicada sheds its skin?
  • Bolt the door to catch the thief?
  • Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbour?
  • Borrow a route to conquer Guo?

Stratagems for gaining ground

  • Replace the beams and pillars with rotten timber?
  • Point at the mulberry only to curse the locust?
  • Feigning foolishness?
  • Remove the ladder after the ascent?
  • Putting fake blossoms on the tree?
  • Host and guest reversed?

Stratagems for desperate situations

  • Beauty trap?
  • Empty city ploy?
  • Sow discord in the enemies camp
  • Inflict injury on oneself to win the enemies trust?
  • Interlocking stratagems?
  • When retreat is the best option?

The thirty-six stratagems of Go is also a book by Ma Xiaochun in which he transfers the military stratagems to the Go Game. Read [ext] David Carlton's review of the book.

--DieterVerhofstadt



This is a copy of the living page "Secret Art Of War" at Sensei's Library.
(C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.