Go Game, Weiqi, Baduk in Russia

We know that Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg play Go game. In fact it’s a common thing in the USA for intellectual people especially in tech field know how to play Go. It’s very differenet from Europe and Russia. European Go is very closed. Go game community doesn’t connect to other inellectual communites. And it seems like marginal eastern practice. That’s why I was impressed when I was in TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisko where I represented Go and Strategy demartment of Sinergy University. Visitors just came and started to play and explained others how to play Go. It seemed that it was not the biggest event for tech startups but event for amateures of intellectual games.

Have a look on the video the woman who sees Go the first time. She doesn’t see Go field – matrix. She puts stones on the board as if board doesn’t have any crossroads. People ask me why I focus on explaining what is Go matrix, lines and crossroads in my seminars about Go game rules. In fact people don’t see crossroads, they see squares or even just wood. Go teaches to see but at first we need learn to look.

Igor Grishin

Unknown facts about philosophy, history and rules of the most comlicated and oldest game in the world. Go game is like a computer that was created not for game and playing. Differences between board games: chess, checkers and go-game. What paradigm and social model they based on? Checkers is about savage tribes: kill others to become a leader. Why as soon as king is killed chess game is over? Chess game in acient India reflected cast system. In the middle ages in Europe chess was the model of crusades. Classical chess reflected the paradigm of vassal dependence. The goal of Go game is divided board. Go is about terretory development. The main Idea of Go is about world development. It is more fundamental idea than social modelling. This is workshop about Go game by Russian researcher and master of 5th Dan Igor Grishin held in Silicon valley for Black Box community.

What difference between “move” and “place” in Go-game? What rule is better to see in the game than to read about? Who starts first according etiquette? How to be polite starting game with Japanese? Don’t think about levels and ranks in the game if you’d like to study strategy by Go.

What name for Go-game in ancient Chinese? What traditional colours for stones used in Ancient China? What do star crossroads mean? What to think about in the first game? How to make power of your stones on Go-board?

Go Board 19×19 “Thunder”

The board is made from the extraordinary oak, which is more than 500 years. This oak grew in the mountains protected by the state, but it was broken by the storm. From ancient times the oak that was broken by storm put in stable to protect horses from desiese.

 Do you like the dark color of these game boards? This natural wood color associated with old age of oak. The board is lined with a laser.

Unique wood was purchased for this artistic project.

The board was made from vintage step ladders which are over 300 years old.

Visiting Serbia you can see this style in the design of rustic restaurants, bars, Serbian houses.

This is the beauty and specificity of the Danubian culture.

One can hear a soft violin music, laughter, folk dances, Gypsy tonalities.

There are Serbian Go-equipment with its national style and natural rustiс colors. Unique wood was purchased for this artistic project. One type was made from vintage step ladders which are over 300 years old. Another type are from the oak, which is more than 500 years. This oak grew in the mountains protected by the state, but it was broken by the storm. Do you like the dark color of these game boards? This natural wood color associated with old age of oak.

Visiting Serbia you can see this style in the design of rustic restaurants, bars, Serbian houses. This is the beauty and specificity of the Danubian culture. One can hear a soft violin music, laughter, folk dances, Gypsy tonalities.

Since 2015 in the Republic of Serbia Go boards are made with a matrices of 7×7, 9×9, 13×13, 19×19. Small matrices are for the development of children Go-game, especially for very early ages. All Go boards are lined with a laser.

My game with Matsumura-sensei, photo by Aya-san.

The seminar on Go in new hall Russian Go and Strategy School.

Japanese gift, fan with go problem, photo by Aya-san.

Yoshiteru Matsumura vs Igor Grishin

Svetlana Vakhitova, manager Go Federation (Moscow, Russia)

Few questions from the future interview in Goama magazine with Hirotaka Kuroki, the manager of the biggest company in Japan, creating Go equipment (gobans, stones, bowls, etc)

Hirotaka Kuroki

What was the most expensive goban, sold by your company? Who bought it?

In my experience, Hyuga Kaya Masame board, 6.5-sun (19.6cm thick) priced at 20 million JPY (US$ 250,000) was the most expensive one, purchased by a president of Japanese real estate company.

Do you know other cases, when goban was used as a present for famous politician, except Obama-Hu story?

In old days, there was a Japanese custom that local government officials often delivered valuable gifts to central government officials or Congress persons, such as high quality Go board and stones for the purpose to get more budget for local government, but it is illegal activities and strictly prohibited now. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates came over to Japan several years ago to give a lecture at a university. At that time, he was granted a set of Hyuga Kaya Go board and clamshell stones as a token of gratitude. He was so happy to receive it because he enjoyed playing Go game when he was a university student.

What do you think about Go bowls and stones, created by Igor Grishin from mammoth ivory and rhino horn.

The rarity of this material make this item valuable, I think, but they do not function as Go bowls since they have no lid to put other player’s Go stones. The price and value will be determined by the supplier and customer. Long time ago, I have made Go stones from elephant ivory. Today the Washington Treat prohibits its use so we can no longer make it. If it is possible to make thick Go stones from mammoth ivory, I want to try one more time.