84.193.225.147: moved from main page (2007-06-23 09:27) [#3467]

Sebastian: To avoid this confusion some books use North, South, East, West. So, "the upper left corner of the board" simply becomes the NW corner. "I thought about going one line lower and to the left (followed by explanation to avoid confusion with descending)" simply becomes "... one step SW". I wonder why nobody on SL does it this way. 2003-09-19

gogobera: I imagine because the cardinal directions are only clear when you can see the board. For instance, in your example, SW is meaningless since I cannot see the pieces. So, to be fair, the change should be "...simply becomes '... one step SW, which is down and towards the corner.'" or some such. The cardinal directions change depending on where on the board you are discussing. The concept of descending is universal. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the term reflects the symmetry of the board better than cardinal directions — especially when there may or may not be graphics to accompany the text (like on the web).

gogobera: Also, I think that thinking in terms of "ground", "decent", "above", and "below" is a good metaphor for the stability that the edge can provide a group. (And, how a stone can be crushed against the ground due to lack of liberties!) It kind've reminds me of the reorienting in Ender's Game. I'm quite new to go, and I've found the terminology more enlightening than confusing. 2006-12-20