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Material Goban
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Goban

Traditionally, gobans are made of wood. However, this is not really a requirement. One can find old gobans which were highly decorative, and made to resemble e.g. a turtle back or similar.

I once played on a goban made in Algeria, which was made of leather (pigskin, apparently) stretched out over a wooden frame, with engraved camels around the side and inset pieces of mirror. (!)

Nowadays, however, the trend seems to be towards simplicity and austerity.

The main requirement of the material used is that it is durable and does not warp. A secondary requirement is that the surface colour and texture must be so that the grid is clear, and that the sound made when hit with a stone is pleasant.

In practice this means that wood is used. If wood is used, the grains of the wood must, for aesthetic reasons, be running in the direction of the board length.

Good quality plywood (not construction grade) is fine for home-made boards, as it is relatively cheap and easy to work with. You can get a thin piece of furniture or cabinet grade plywood and sandwich it to cheaper plywood for a thick, good-looking surface. Finish the edge with thin wood stock. Choose a type of plywood that is not too dark.

'Competition' gobans, the ones which are in photos of 'Go World', are typically made of the Japanese 'Kaya' wood. Kaya has the properties as described above, it is quite soft (nice sound), the colour is light (yellowish) and the grain is subtle and straight.

However, Kaya trees are reasonably rare and they grow very slowly. Kaya boards are therefore very expensive. Other wood types which are used include:

  • Agathis
  • Ash Alder
  • Basswood
  • Beech
  • Birch
  • Cedar
  • Citka Spruce
  • Cypress
  • Elm
  • Hiba
  • Katsura
  • Oak
  • Redwood
  • Soft maple
  • White walnut
  • Yellow Pine


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