Baka No Itte
Baka No Itte (馬鹿の一手), literally The Hand of the Imbecile, is the antithesis of Kami No Itte (神の一手), The Hand of God.
It is part of the natural balance of cosmic forces. Whereas those who seek to improve at Go are striving for Kami No Itte, they are simultaneously seeking to distance themselves from Baka No Itte. Conversely, those who strive for Baka No Itte ... well, ... you get the picture.
Other translations of the expression include The Inferior Move. It has been suggested that a most correct translation might be the move whose sheer mindlessness elicits an almost universal disbelief and uncontrollable guffaws in those who witness it (save that of the instigator, of course).
While there is much debate over the existence of Kami No Itte (see Does Kami No Itte Exist), many Go players often find daily evidence of Baka No Itte. By argument of reductio ad absurdum, this may help prove that Kami No Itte does exist.
- A - Kami No Itte cannot exist! There are no moves that can be on such extreme scales.
- B - My opponent just played his first move in corner. Isn't that on the opposite extreme and an example of Baka No Itte?
- A - Yes. That was utterly ridiculous and an example of Baka No Itte.
- B - So that refutes your argument. Therefore, Kami no Itte exists.
- B - My opponent just played his first move in corner. Isn't that on the opposite extreme and an example of Baka No Itte?
Tamsin: Surely the greatest example of baka no itte would be to pass on one's first move. What could be more useless than that?
IanDavis: Not true, even professionals have been known to pass during fuseki under the strain of facing a B2Bomber
MrShin: Honestly, passing on the first move isn't dumb if your opponent refuses to take a handicap. Against this type of opponent it can make the game more even, though sometimes passing multiple times annoys them. :-P
ChiyoDad: Of course, your opponent could also pass, thereby putting you in the same position as before. My understanding is that, under certain rulesets, consecutive passes would end the match. In which case, white wins with the komi I suppose.
Makes you also wonder if there have been any professional games with several passes at the beginning.
Velobici: Well, at that point, the game proceeds directly to the scoring phase, resulting in a game adjudicated as no result.
The concept of Baka No Itte has been raised for scholarly review to SL by ChiyoDad who, like all beginners, is deperately trying to move away from this polar extreme style of play.