GO
Origin
It is said that the game Go originated in China 4 or 5 thousand years ago. Emperor’s families and the nobility used to teach Go to their children not just as a game but as a means of education. In ancient Japan, too, the nobility learned music, writing, painting and Go. They regarded Go as a good means of educating people to learn the ways of government and of ruling the people and the country. Therefore, the nobility took it for granted that they should learn Go. Women and the servants of the nobility can be found playing Go in the famous “Tale of GENJI” which was written 2000 years ago.
Basic rules
1.Place a stone where lines cross. (There are 19 horizontal and vertical lines.)
2.Place black and white stones alternatively
3.You cannot move the stone once you have placed it.
4.Surround the opponent’s stones to capture them
5.At the end of the game, the player who has the larger territory wins
The situation of Go today
The number of people who play Go has been increasing rapidly in other countries. On the other hand, it is not the case in Japan. However, thanks to the mega hit of the comic book “ HIKARU’s GO” and the ardent activities to popularize Go by some of the professional and amateur Go players, the game has been expanding to children, including even nursery or kindergarten kids. Playing Go improves your creativity and patience. It fosters children to become more thoughtful of others and also can be used as a tool of communication that narrows the generation Gap. One out of every four South Koreans enjoys playing Go and Go is the fifth most popular lesson for children to take after school.
