Go Game Class

Some fun facts about the Go game, which we have offered at our campus for years. It was pioneered by Austin Feng, who passed it on to Eric Feng when Austin went on to college, and now Eric is graduated from HS and continued on to college, our Go Class will be taught by Richard Duan for the new school year.

- The Go game was invented in China about 3,000 years ago and played to the present day.

- The standard Go board has a 19×19 grid of lines, containing 361 points. Beginners often play on smaller 9×9 or 13×13 boards.

- An average game of Go lasts for 240 moves, compared to 40 in chess.

- Nearly an infinite number of unique games can be played on a Go board, yet the game only involves a handful of rules that can be learned in minutes.

- Go is about building, not destroying. Most popular board games begin with a set position.

- Go begins with an empty board. Players seek to create strong, flexible structures during the game.

- Go is seen as a prime example of a mental strategy game, "easy to learn, difficult to master"

- It's easy to learn from mistakes in Go game. "A stone laid is a stone played" because each move (stone) remains on the board

for the rest of the game (unless captured and removed by the opponent).

- Each game is a record of itself, and the player can reflect on the consequences of early mistakes that are still staring him/her in the face from the board. Thus, as in life, players have to live with their choices. But unlike life, the player can learn from their mistakes and try to correct them in another game.

- Go is the most complex of all games, and was the last board game won by an AI computer, the AlphGo. Best wishes, HCSTC