Go is an ancient board game predating chess and involves great strategy and patience - but the history stretches far back into Eastern history.
You might have seen the game without knowing it, the small black and white pebbles spread across the flat surface reminding you somewhat of checkers or chess. But then the players place down their pieces and you frown, not understanding why the pieces were placed there or what the principle or goal is. This is the game of Go, one of the oldest strategy games in existence!
The origins of Go are shrouded in mystery, with a popular myth being that it was created by the Emperor Yao around 2250 BC for his son as a mental exercise tool. This is regarded as almost canon in the Far East, but as of the present there is no real historical data to prove this.
Historians estimate that Go originated as one of the tools of the astrologer to foretell the future. This method involved simply tossing the black and white stones onto a checkered board with symbols in each of the squares and then deciphering the toss; much like a tarot card reading. The astrologer would then interpret the toss to the waiting customer and give his advice on the situation at hand.
This theory seems to present the most likely origins of Go and also the popularity of it as a strategy game involving a great deal of mental work. Much like chess, the players must think ahead many moves and skill is utmost in obtaining a win.
The ancestor of Go is a game called Wei Chi or "surrounding pieces" that first came to light around the third century AD, long before any other alike game surfaced in any culture. This was a very common game among the people, but only the ones who could devote time and space to such a cerebral game - usually the upper class. Interesting enough, the appeal of Go reached into the two major religions in China at that time; Confucianism and Taoism. The Confucians found the game to be an annoyance, their thread of thought being rational and straightforward - the game was only a way to confuse themselves and others and divert them from thinking about other more important things. The Taoists embraced the game and enjoyed the variety of moves and the inner exploration of the moves and strategy behind a simple game.
Fortunately for Go, the emperors of the T'ang dynasty who were in power during this time supported the Taoist point of view, encouraging the game to be played and becoming more and more popular. During this time (600-900 AD) trading also increased with Korea and Japan as each nation began to reach out into the new world around them, and the simple but mentally taxing game leapt across the waters into new countries, garnering new fans as time went on.
When Japan was forced to open its gates to international commerce and contact in the 1800s; Go leapt once again across the waves to Germany, the strongest ally Japan had at that time. Although the game had begun a series of minor changes brought on by philosophical changes within the various countries it was played it, Go remained the same basic game it had been centuries before.
One basic problem with the spread of the game in Europe was the lack of qualified teachers or books on the subject. Go tended to be a game best learnt by personal teaching, and of course the language barrier made books a major problem, to say nothing of sending teachers over to Germany or other countries to instruct eager students.
But eventually books began to be published, in German and English, instructing the average person in this wonderfully simple but painstakingly hard to win game. By the mid 1900s there was a great variety of books published on the subject, with varying levels from the novice to the expert.
Fortunately for the many fans worldwide, matches between the East and West have begun to be held in earnest, the earliest being only twenty years ago in 1980. Associations have been formed and there is even talk about making Go an Olympic Sport!
But this famous and ancient strategy game will always come back down to two players, a square board marked off in squares and a series of black and white pebbles; the history inherent in every move. A great game and hobby for all ages, Go has survived into the Twenty-First Century and will most probably see many more years!
