Thanks for the reply! I would point out, however, that Go is not chess. They share some characteristics that I think would make the game of Go appeal to a chess player, but are quite different when it comes to gameplay. I should have known that China "invented" the game.
I am a 7d Go player in the US (maybe 3-4d in China). Of all the games of perfect information, I definitely find Go to be the most complex and involved. The depth of strategy is unfathomable - likely due to how simple the rules are and how stones/intersections have no predetermined values. +1 for Settler of Catalan, Stratego Also loved Game of Life, Hungry Hippos and Crossfire when I was a kid. Axis and Allies/Risk are fun when you have a group of people who are no good going at it. But when you get tenured players, it's the same strategies and they have too high a % of paying off.
When I was overseas in the late 60's, we had about 10 of those 3M Bookshelf games on site. They were great! For me, Aquire was 2nd only to Stocks and Bonds(I could cheat better with S&B). I would maintain a bull market and ride Stryker Drilling to the end of time - buying on margin of course! Here's some other board games I enjoyed: sorry, risk, clue, chess(til I couldn't beat my son any more ), monopoly and parchesy(sp).
Just an FYI, but the creators of a video game console named their entire corporation after the game of "Go." Atari.
1) Settlers of Catan 2) Risk 3) Monopoly 4) Stock Ticker 5) Careers Honourable Mention: Scrabble, Life, Checkers
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You would wipe the floor with me! I love the game. It is very difficult to explain Go to another person, even with a board and stones sitting there in front of them, and have them "get" just what you said so well... "Of all the games of perfect information, I definitely find Go to be the most complex and involved. The depth of strategy is unfathomable - likely due to how simple the rules are and how stones/intersections have no predetermined values." Thanks for that. You did a better job than my poor effort. Whenever I tell someone that it is more complex than chess, and equally (more, IMO) challenging, they look at me like I am crazy. "It's just a grid and a bunch of black and white thingys!" One of my best friends, an avid chess player, won't even attempt to learn the game, so we can have some matches. He's either a goofus (I can say that to his face, because we're friends, and have. ), or afraid that he might not excel. A silly attitude, if you ask me. A very, very smart guy and terrific chess player, he'd be very good at it. (sigh) One of the nice things about the game is that, unlike chess, you can give someone a handicap, so a player less skilled can have an enjoyable game.
Personally, I prefer less violent, family-oriented fare: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OmSSVt7Mfkk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OmSSVt7Mfkk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmSSVt7Mfkk
Here is an interview with Atari Founder about it's history and how "Go" became so huge to them. I found it interesting. Perhaps someone else will, too. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/znP8zMCDzxc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/znP8zMCDzxc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B7DuUZokcw0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B7DuUZokcw0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pjdgZwJWmYE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pjdgZwJWmYE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yhSJwD8iKF0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yhSJwD8iKF0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W7n_znPYuKM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W7n_znPYuKM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/12m4OONd_Qo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/12m4OONd_Qo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3hOY4Ikft-U&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3hOY4Ikft-U&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/21x3vDIduHM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/21x3vDIduHM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vOAelPA_OTE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vOAelPA_OTE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I love Go, but never could find many people to play against. It's a lot easier to strike up a nice friendly game of chess. I probably haven't played in 15 years.
