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BQM75

 

Quick Questions
  Difficulty: Introductory   Keywords: Question

Q: puripuri: A long time ago (well, months) I read a typed in chapter of a Go book in Sensei's Library. It wasn't a technical book, but pictured the life and survival of a family in old Japan, where the father played Go in the landlord's mansion and earned money for bread from winning. Later the eldest daughter wants to pick up the game too. I checked through most of the pages under Books & Publications header, but didn't find this chapter any longer... Is it still around somewhere? Was it taken down for copyright reasons or something similar? Not that it matters, I'm more interested in the title of the book. Anyone remember that? :)

Bob McGuigan: Are you thinking of A Cautionary Tale?

Zarlan: No I think it is the one where the father had played Go, so good that he only had to play a few times to allow their family to have a lot of money and status, but after his death the son is forced to play to get money. He doesn't know much to begin with but his mother and sister fix a board of cloth and pebbles that they play with although women aren't allowed to play Go and... anyway where is that story?

puripuri: Hmm looks like I remembered a little wrong... Zarlan's description sounds quite correct now that I think about it in more detail... Skipping through A Cautionary Tale, it seems like another story well worth reading. Thanks for that tip too.


Q: Fwiffo: Online, when playing with Japanese rules, most players rarely fill in dame (with the exception of points that force the opponent to fill in part of their own territory) at the end because it's not worth any points. My understanding is that dame points are worth points when using area scoring (such as in Chinese rules), and should be filled. I've noticed people sometimes neglect to do this when playing my robot (which is set for Chinese scoring for technical reasons) and lose points as they pass while the robot fills.

In a system with pass stones (such as AGA rules) it is still necessary to fill dame, correct? Doubly so?

As a side note - I can see the appeal of territory scoring in casual online games both for penalizing useless plays inside established territory and obviating the need to fill dame.

A: Neil: This is a loaded question. By using the japanese term dame, you're pre-judging the filling of the points between territory as "worthless." (This isn't really an answer, but rather more of an observation hoping to spark a discussion)

Fwiffo: Ok, I'll clarify my question thusly: for the purposes of this query, dame is defined as the neutral points typically left unfilled by most players when playing online using Japanese rules because they have no value when using territory scoring.

Bill: The idea of pass stones in the AGA rules derives from an article I wrote for the American Go Journal in the '70s about Chinese rules. In the article I call them bookkeeping stones. Their purpose was to allow the use of territory counting with the Chinese rules, since most American go players were used to that style of counting. (I was not the first to have that idea, though.) So, yes, you typically need to fill the Japanese dame under AGA rules.


Q: bojo: Is master editing out short summary of change possible? There is/was a blatantly racist remark typed up in regards to AtomicBombGame, but I am unsure if it's possible to revert that out.

A: Arno: no it is not possible. Currently only I can do that. If the problem reccurs often enough, librarians will get the ability too. I have deleted the abusive summary.


Q: Hikaru79: I am wondering whether it is allowed to take SL's template files (browse.html, etc), modify them, and use them for your own Wiki--I'm not sure if "Open-Source" extends that far. There were no attempts made to somehow deny access to these files (I easily found them), so I assume that it's OK to take them and play with them a little; But I am asking just to be sure :) Is it OK to take SL's template, modify it to suit one's purpose, and use it on a non-commercial Wiki? (I'm planning on making a Chess or Shogi Wiki with a similar layout to SL) Thank you!

Eratos You can certainly download the [ext] MediaWiki software that SL is (AFAIK) based on, and other Wikis like WikiPedia, WikiBooks? etc. I'm not so sure about things like SL's unique board diagramming and SGF creating parts though.

Morten: Hikaru79, I'd suggest that you drop Arno and myself an email with what you would like to do and we will get back to you.


Q: bojo: In handicap games I play against a certain fellow, he always answers my keima kakari like so:

[Diagram]
corner

I'm not exactly sure how to follow this up. Usually I just let it go, approach from the other side later, and eventually close him in. However, I'm curious if there is a more efficient way to deal with it.

A: unkx80: Please see 4-4 point low approach, low knight's move block and BQM 146.




Q: Jion?: I have NEVER played a 13x13 game before. Do any high kyu players or higher think it helps your game? I have played many 9x9 games using igowin, and I think it has helped my fighting and endgame. I think a 13x13 would be far more territorial than 19x19 . . comments or thoughts?

A: unkx80: As the board size increases, the game will get less and less territorial.


Q: Jion?: Hi, this is my first time posting here, so apologies if I inadvertently mess something up. I was wondering if a slotted board is a board that is composed of two pieces, and fits together with slots, or is it a folding board that has slots on the side so it is more secure? Any recommendations on whether to get a slotted or folding board? Also, any major difference in Agathis or Katsura wood? I think I might get a folding board, but wanted to know what other people think first. TIA.

A: HansWalthaus: A slotted board is a board that has pieces that are slotted together. A folding board that has slots on the side is just a folding board with some nice bodywork. I think slotted boards are better if you're playing on a slightly oneven surface. And slotting the board is cooler than folding one open :) No comment on the wood types. Hope it helps.

A2: mdh Note in some places, Katsura is becoming rare and hard to find. My local shop has a sign up saying it is now a protected species and they will not be selling any more Katsura boards.

A3: JohnAspinall The problem with folding boards is they eventually warp over time. I have a cheap folding board where one of the halves has warped enough to put a ridge right down the middle line of the board. I'm considering cutting the felt backing, straightening the warp out and routing alignment slots to turn it into a slotted board. I'll let you know how it goes.


Alex Weldon: If you're in a defensive position, go for the White stones. The Black position allows potential for a White tesuji (c.f. strike at the waist of the keima) to cut, if there are White stones nearby to help.

Q: Neil: What shape is better connected of these two, white or black?

[Diagram]
Connection Question



A:Bob McGuigan: In isolation it is hard to say. Without supporting stones of the opposite color nearby both are strong shapes. However, a Black play at the point marked with a square creates a cutting point marked with a circle as in the following diagram:

[Diagram]



On the other hand if White tries to disconnect the black stones on the left as in:

[Diagram]



White can try to save W3 but then W1 will be captured unless there are nearby white stones to help.

Neil: Thank you.


Q: ColJac: I see the word "Igo" used to describe go in a Japanese context. One would assume that this was the Japanese word for go, but more often one reads that "Go" is a Japanese word. And what am I to make of "GoGoIgo!"? Can someone explain the difference?

A: "Go" means something like "game". "Igo" means something like "surrounding game". "Go Go Igo" is an example of both Japanese love for foreign words, "go" from English, and a popular word-doubling idiom.

A: See the Etymology of Go.


Q: What's the Korean equivalent of kenkyuusei and haya go?

Q: How long do preliminary matches last in the Japanese Go scene? I mean title matches are given 8 hours or 7 or depending on the title. How about the qualifying games for these matches? And how about the Ooteai, how long were the games back then?

A: Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo preliminary matches give 5 hours per player with five 1-minute byo-yomi.

Judan, Tengen, Oza, and Gosei preliminary matches give 4 hours per player with five 1-minute byo-yomi.

Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo titles matches give 8 hours per player with ten 1-minute byo-yomi. (2 day affairs)

Judan title matches give 5 hours per player with ten 1-minute byo-yomi.

Oza title matches give 5 hours per player with five 1-minute byo-yomi.

Tengen and Gosei title matches give 4 hours per player with five 1-minute byo-yomi.


Q: Results of Go games are sometimes marked "B+R". Does that mean "Black won by resignation" or "Black resigned"? thanks in advance!

A: It means Black won by resignation


Q: alter Pedro: do you play with or against your opponent?

A: I'm still only playing against them, but I start to see playing with them is much more rewarding.

A: (benni) A pupil plays against his enemy, a master will play with his partner, but ... a true master plays with them like a cat plays with a mouse. ;-)


Q: Nico: I haven't be able to find a page explaining why the goban coordinates jump from H to J, missing I. Shame on me! I suspect some kind of historical reason. And I am pretty sure that this is explained somewhere on a wiki page...

A: Tamsin It's to avoid confusion between "i" and "j" in game records using algebraic notation (i.e., co-ordinates written in letters and numbers).

- I thought it was because "I" could be confused with "l" or "1".

Bill: Historically, Latin did not have both letters. I think some modern languages do not, either, but I'm not absolutely sure.

HolIgor: They had some difficulties with spelling LATIN, hadn't they?

Bill: LATJN? ;-)


Q: alter Pedro: how many 3-4 points are there on a go-ban? (8, 4, 1?)

[Diagram]
two 3-4 points?

If a is the (upper left) 3-4 point, I guess that makes b the 4-3 point. Does the order in which they are played change their names?

on a 19x19 board should the point a be called the 16-3 point?


A: Confused: When used in the context of corner patterns like joseki, the expression '3-4 point' should be interpreted as 'point 3 lines from one border and 4 lines from another border'. There are 8 such points on a goban. Usually the first play in the sequence that isn't on a diagonal decides the direction of numbering.


Q: alter Pedro: I've never played face to face go ... and I wonder ...

Do players keep records of their moves (like in chess)? all the pictures of boards I've seen don't have the coordinates on them which (in my humble opinion) makes it hard to know where the last stone was played (was that k15 or j15???)

A: StormCrow: It depends on the person. Most people I know rarely record casual games. I generally record games I play in a tournament using a program on my Palm Pilot. If games are recorded on paper, they are generally marked up on a grid, rather than as a list of points played.

alter Pedro: Thanks Storm :)

unkx80: Generally, the records kept look exactly the same as the diagrams you see in SL. =)

repp: I played someone recently who took down the game using a unique system. Counting from the center, each move was marked as xy, followed by an arrow representing the quadrant the move was made in. So, playing on the 4-4 point was marked as "66_|". Stones played next to the previous stone was marked "1^" or something similar. I'd never seen it before but it made for a fast and easy way to track the game.

Charles I believe this system was mentioned in a BGJ article, not long ago.

A: Benjamin Geiger: See also HowToRecordAGame.


Q: A stronger player in a 9x9 teaching game recently told me that I shouldn't "hit below the shoulder" but should "hit above the shoulder". I am familiar with the concept of a shoulder hit but why is above better than below?

A: Stefan: turned this into BQM75.


Q: Can somebody give me a good definition of the term "life basis"? One person told me that it is room to make an eye, another told me it is potential to make two eyes. It seems to be an important term to consider in settling groups. Perhaps someone could start a discussion page about it?

A: Charles Matthews See base. A base for a group ought to be at least one eye, really; potential to make two eyes is 1.5 eyes, as we usually reckon it, and that's harder to have in fighting.


Q: Is there a word (other than invasion) to describe dropping a stone lightly inside an over-expansive moyo when it has a chance of either achieving sabaki or escaping? I've heard it described in English as a "Paratrooper invasion".

A: puripuri: Capping move is one I've seen in use.

A: Bill: Erasure, reduction, or keshi.


Q: Is there a word for a dragon that pokes its head through one of your walls, and runs amok reducing your territory?

A: Yes, it is called a finger. (See anatomical terms.)


Q: In Chinese there is a term that translates as 'virtuous warrior's advance' Virtuous (de) means powerful in this context. Though this term describes the dynamic action, rather than the static formation.

Jadelink.


Morten: Can people who copy & paste existing questions from other pages to this page please take care that the questions are 'quick questions' and are not obsolete or old, or taken out of their context?

Hikaru79: OK ;)


Q: Hikaru79: In Hikaru no Go, Touya Akira checks up on the status of the Pro Exam through the net, where the names of all the insei and their current standings in the exam were shown. I was just wondering if a site like this actually existed on the Nihon-Kiin's page, or if it was just the author taking some artistic liscence when it came to that. And even if there isn't, does anyone know when the pro exam starts? Thanks! =) (My own question taken from the "Insei" page.

A: [ext] http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/saiyo/index2003.htm has the info, but in Japanese only.


Q: Hikaru79: Is it possible to have RandomPage? (the feature listed on the front page of SL) as one of your "favorites" on your user bar. (The one that can be edited at UserPreferences). I have already tried random=1 but that doesn't work. Any suggestions? ^^

A: Hikaru79: Never mind, I've solved my own problem. It can't be done the normal way, but if you make it an external link ([ext] http://senseis.xmp.net/?random=1) then it'll work. I'd still be interested if there are other ways of doing this, though.

A2: TJ: RandomPage|phpwiki:?random=1


Q: Help! I've wiped out my browser cookies in a fit of housecleaning, and I've forgotten my SL password. Can it be mailed to me?


I've wondered...

I'm reminded how in poker, there are big tournaments, but also big-money side games as well. Do pro players play _only_ in tournaments, or are there leagues for them to play in? Or do pros just challenge each other? How would a system for this take place?

Thanks!

Answer: In Japan, at least, pros are paid to play "official" games. The money comes from sponsors of tournaments. Pros don't risk their own money. Challenge matches would be possible if sponsors could be found. In a sense Go Seigen's ten-game matches were of this sort.


Q:Dan Argent: I need a place to download the java stuff to run KGS on my second computer (it was already on my first). The CGoban site gives a link to the sun systems site, but for the life of me, I can't find the spot to just download the apropriot JRE. can anyone help with a link to a free download and/or a walk through of how to get it installed?

A: Yes, the page ([ext] http://java.sun.com) is confusing for non-programmers. Try [ext] http://www.java.com and tell us if this worked; you should be able to use the Download link at the top right.

A2: [ext] J2SE 1.4.2_02 downloads:. Take the offline installation JRE if you want to reuse it later. Walkthrough: start the installer. Press Next/OK. Done.

Q2:Dan Argent: Ok thanks, I got the download. that was easier than I thought. But now CGoban 2 still says that it canot find the java runtime environment. what now?

Dan Argent:I downloaded the wrong stuff. I solved it now thanks for those who helped, I am now using KGS on both of my computers.



This is a copy of the living page "Quick Questions" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.