Stone Counting Teaching Method

   

Introduction

The stone counting teaching method to teach Go to newcomers has been designed as an alternative to the conventional way of teaching Go, using territory as a basic objective, and to Yasuda's way, the capture go teaching method, which focuses on teaching the rule of capture.

Basic idea

The basic idea of the stone counting method is that Go is not about territory but about providing life for as many stones as possible.

Basic game objective

The player who has more stones on the board than his opponent, wins.

Basic rules

  • the rules of placement and the rule of capture
  • a pass is allowed; after two consecutive passes the game ends

Advantages

Versus the classical method

  • No need to understand concepts beyond the rules, such as life, territory or neutral points. These concepts introduce themselves in a natural way
  • The advanced concept of thickness also comes very naturally, as the safety of existing stones is made equally important to occupying empty points.
  • This is probably the way the game originated, and the origins are often the best starting point

Versus the capture go method

  • The game objective is essentially the same as for the game played by experienced players.
  • Beginners don't have capturing as official goal, so the idea of "must capture/must escape" is not burned into the beginners mind as much.

Criticism

  • Most associations work with territory counting, so a transition has to be made from stone counting
  • A bad habit to play inside territory can originate here
  • The group tax problem
  • When explaining the game to beginners, one should include the cultural aspects too, one of which is territory (the beauty of omission)

The arguments for or against any teaching method are discussed at teaching go to newcomers/discussion.


This is a copy of the living page "Stone Counting Teaching Method" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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