From: pahle@iway.fr Newsgroups: rec.games.go,rec.answers,news.answers Followup-to: poster Subject: rec.games.go FAQ - v2.0 (12/04/99) Archive-name: games/go-faq Posting-Frequency: monthly rec.games.go Frequently Asked Questions - And Their Answers Welcome to Go ---------------------- This FAQ is posted regularly to the newsgroup rec.games.go and is also posted on several Go sites around the web. On behalf of regular posters and readers of the newsgroup and of all the Go players out there, welcome. This FAQ is an attempt to answer all those questions which we all have when we are new to a place and hopefully you will find it useful. The FAQ is also a description of what to do and how to do it on the newsgroup. If you are new to Go, newsgroups in general or RGG in particular, it is suggested that you read the FAQ before posting. If the FAQ does not answer your questions, or if you have any other comments on it, please contact the FAQ maintainer, you will find his name and address at the end of the FAQ. Ofcourse, you can always post to the newsgroup. rec.games.go is not moderated. What's in this FAQ? ---------------------- 1. The Game in general 1.1. What is this game? 1.2. What are the rules? 1.3. Who invented this game? 1.4. Why has this game got so many names? 1.5. Does perfect play exist? 1.6. How does komi and handicap change with board size? 1.7. What is a 'dan' or 'kyu' player? 1.8. What is a handicap and how is it used? 2. Real Life play 2.1. How can I play in real life? 2.2. How do I find a club close to me? 2.3. How are tournaments organised? 2.4. Where can I find real equipment : books, boards, stones etc.? 2.5. How can I make my own equipment? 3. Internet Play 3.1. How can I play on the internet? 3.2. How do I find a Go server? 3.3. Where do I find clients? 3.4. I don't like any of the clients. Can I make my own? 3.5. How do I act towards someone I cannot see? 3.6. What does 1/5 or 1/10 mean? 4. Improving and teaching 4.1. How can I improve? 4.2. Which parts of my game need improving? 4.3. I am x kyu. Which books should I read? 4.4. What can I use this NG for? 4.5. How do I post positions to the NG? 4.6. Who can comment my games? 4.7. How can I teach this game? 4.8. Are there go-problems on the web? 5. Aspects of the game 5.1. What are miai and deiri counting? 5.2. What is reverse sente? 5.3. What is a false eye? 6. Computer Go 6.1. Is there a program for UNIX/Mac/PC/Palmpilot/WinCE etc which can Play/Record/Teach etc. 6.2. What is an .sgf/.mgt/.go etc. file? 6.3. How strong are computers? 6.4. Which is the best computer program? 7. Slang and expressions 7.1. What do those abbreviations on the servers mean? 7.2. What do those words mean? 8. Other internet links 9. About this FAQ 1. The Game in general ---------------------- 1.1. What is this game? ---------------------- The game which is the subject of this newsgroup is known under several names: Go, Goe, Igo, Wei-qi, Wei-chi, Baduk.. to name a few. For the purpose of this FAQ, the name Go will be used, as it is the shortest and easiest to spell ;-). Go is a game of tactics and strategy which is played by two players. Players take turns to place their markers ('stones') on an initially empty board ('goban'), following simple rules. The objective of the game is to place your stones so that they control the largest part of the goban. Although the stones, once placed, do not move, groups of stones 'move'; groups are attacked, defend themselves, are killed, connect, encircle and dominate. Several fights may combine into larger fights, but in the end a win by one point is worth as much as a win by thirty. A game of go can last anywhere from a quarter of an hour (fast 'blitz') to several days (large championship matches). Playing in clubs or on the net, a game typically lasts roughly one hour. Beginning to play Go tends to have an addictive effect on people: the more you play, the more you want to play and the more aware you become that there is still a lot left to learn. 1.2. What are the rules? ---------------------- This section contains a very shortened explanation of the most basic rules, without trying to explain their implications or their interpretation. There are several sites on the web which contain a more detailed explanation of the rules: Robert JASIEK: Robert also posts a 'Rules FAQ' to the NG which is aimed especially at beginners Jan van der STEEN: Mori's Go Page : Interactively teaches some basics as well! The American Go Association has published a booklet introducing the game of Go which is available for download in .pdf format: Core Rules of Go: The game is played on a grid board. Two players compete. The first player uses black stones, the other white. White may get compensation points (komi, typically 5.5) for moving second. If black is considerably weaker, then interesting games can result from letting him start with a number of handicap stones on the board. Typically, a squared grid board has 19x19 intersections, but 13x13 or 9x9 are also fine. The players alternate. A player may play or pass. Playing is putting one own stone on an empty intersection. Thereby surrounded opposing stones, if any, are captured. To avoid cycles, a play may not recreate any prior configuration of all stones on the board. Passing lets the opponent continue alternation while adding one own stone to the captives. Successive passes end the game. Hereby white makes an extra pass if he has not already passed last. Then the player with more points wins. Own points are empty intersections surrounded only by own stones plus the captives of opposing colour. A player may resign the game. This shortens games with hopeless positions. You might encounter other rules, but the game is virtually the same, i. e. strategy, tactics, and the score do not change. Please refer to the Rules FAQ posted by Robert JASIEK for details regarding the different rule sets. 1.3. Who invented this game? ---------------------- History has it that Go was invented in China over 4000 years ago, possibly making it the oldest surviving board game still played today. Legend tells of an emperor who was dissatisfied with his son's non-serious behaviour, and had one of his generals invent a game which was meant to teach his son tactics, strategy and concentration. The general then invented Go. Apparently the emperors son thought little of it and discarded it saying that whoever played first would always win. This behaviour upset his father, who beheaded his son and appointed the general his heir. Another possible explanation for the invention of Go could be that ancient types of gobans were used for devination, with white and black stones. Reference to Go in Chinese literature can be traced to the 5th. century BC. And already in ancient times, high standards of play was achieved. A Japanese ambassador to the Chinese court is believed to have imported the game to Japan around 740 AD. Although Go was already known in Japan, it was the introduction to the Japanese court which spurred off great interest in the game in all the upper classes at the time. Around 1600 AD, the Japanese Shogun created a salaried 'Go-minister', responsible for all Go activities and the Shoguns teacher. In 1612, the Shogun also decreed salaries for the top players of the day, and four Go 'houses' were set up: 'Honinbo', 'Inoue', 'Yasui' and 'Hayashi'. It was the continuous competition between these schools which propelled the development of Go through to 1868, when the new emperor removed the government funding. The houses collapsed and Go lost popularity, but gradually regained it and in 1924 a single national association was formed, the Nihon Kiin, which still exists today. In China, Go did not receive the support it did in Japan, and although it was a popular game, the standard of play was below the Japanese. It is said that at the beginning of the 20th century, chinese top players took 3 stones handicap from their Japanese counterparts. However, China did produce a player who is claimed to have been the best go player of this century, known mostly by the Japanese pronunciation of his name, Go Seigen. After the revolution, Go once again became a sport which received sponsorship and support from the Chinese government. Today in international matches, players from Japan, China and Korea are evenly matched, with many strong young players emerging in all three countries. Although it is said that Marco Polo brought back with him a Go-set from his travels, Go was more or less unknown in the 'west' until it was introduced by Edward Lasker, a famous chess player, at the beginning of this century. Although Go has spread since then, it is far less known than Chess, and the 'West' has yet to produce a world-class player. For those who are interested in more details, there are several places on the web which have details about the history of Go: Andrew GRANT Jan VAN DER STEEN John FAIRNBAIRN The Americas Canada USA Australasia, Far East Australia Hong Kong Japan Korea Singapore Europe, Near east Europe Israel 2.3. How are tournaments organised? ---------------------- There are various ways to organise tournaments. A good tournament system enables the ranking of a large class of players (say 15-20) with relatively few rounds (typically 4-5). Various systems are described by Robert JASIEK in his Rules FAQ. Go tournaments are often a good opportunity to meet other players who do not always come to the club, and players from out of town. Furthermore, there is usually enough time after and between matches to replay, discuss or play more. All in all, in a tournament which runs over a weekend, you can expect to play more games than the number of rounds would indicate. 2.4. Where can I find real equipment : books, boards, stones etc.? ---------------------- Outside the far east, there are relatively few shops where go-equipment is sold. Large bookshops may carry a beginners book, and large games stores may carry a goban and stones. Therefore, unless you happen to live close to one of the shops listed below, the easiest way to buy equipment is via mail/web/phone order from those shops. The following lists the details of those shops which carry a general supply of Go material in alphabetical order. The IBUKI Trading Post Web: Phone: 1-800-859-2086 (USA) Kiseido CPO BOX 1140, Tokyo, Japan Fax +81-467-57-5814 E-mail:kiseido@labnet.or.jp Web: Or 2255 - 29th Street, Suite 4, Santa Monica, California 90405 USA Phone: +1-800-988-6463 Fax: 1-310-578-7381 E-mail: kiseido@aol.com Samarkand and Good Move Press 332 Bleecker Street Suite K-59 New York, NY 10014 USA E-mail: info@samarkand.net or sales@samarkand.net Web: Schaak en Go winkel Het Paard Haarlemmerdijk 147 1013 KH Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: (+31) 20 6241171 Fax: (+31) 20 6270885 E-mail: paard@xs4all.nl Web: Yutopian Enterprises 2255 29th Street, Suite 3 Santa Monica, California 90405 USA Phone: (310) 578-7181 Fax: (310) 578-7381 E-mail: yutopian@netcom.com or yutopian@aol.com Web: Fred HANSENS site also lists some other shops. 2.5. How can I make my own equipment? ---------------------- In principle it is very simple to make your own equipment or to buy substitute parts which can serve as stones, board and bowls. The deciding factor is how much time and effort you want to spend on it. A collection of posts on this subject in rgg can be found at 3. Internet Play ---------------------- 3.1. How can I play on the internet? ---------------------- Not everyone is lucky enough to live close to an active Go club or has the time to go there as often as he likes. Therefore, it is excellent that there are now other alternative places to play on the internet. There are two distinct types of places to play Go, one is based on Java and can be accessed with any HTML-browser with Java capabilities, the other is telnet-based and can be accessed through a telnet program. For the last type, there are clients available for most operating systems, so that you are presented with a graphical user interface. On all servers, you can play Go, or discuss Go with other people. On most servers, you can replay games, have your games mailed to you or have games taught to you. Access to most of the servers is free, and the software which is required is usually shareware, so there is no cost in playing on the servers. (However, if you continue to use a shareware program, you should pay for it.) Although there may be no fee payable, all servers have rules of use which the user should acquaint himself with and abide by. The number of players on a server varies from server to server and depends on the time of the day. The largest server can have up to 5-600 players logged on and over 200 games played at any particular time. The players level of play can range from beginners to established and strong amateur players. On some servers, professionals come to play. 3.2. How do I find a Go server? ---------------------- The following lists, in alphabetical order, those go servers which are available today on the WWW. Telnet based : unless you want to watch ascii boards, you'll need a client. Canadian Go Server: (209.146.201.62) port 9696 China Tianyuan Network (CTN) (Chinese only) (202.96.210.159) port 8888 China Weiqi Server (202.98.15.15) port 9696 European Go Server Fukui Fuzzy Go Server Haplink Go Server Internet Go Server (210.134.78.91) port 6969 (210.134.78.91) port 7777 Legend Go Server No-Name Go server : (198.36.217.60) port 6969 World-wide Internet Gokaisho In the above list, some IP addresses are included because the IP name servers sometimes have problems with the URLs. However, the IP address may change without the URL changing, so using the URL is preferable. Web based : Needs HTML browser with Java capabilities or will download program onto your computer: Game Zone: Handtalk World: Java Open Go Server: World Web Go: Yahoo Games: 3.3. Where do I find clients? ---------------------- Most IGS clients are available from the IGS archive. Have a look at the readme file to find out which one suits your needs: Another index is available at 3.4. I don't like any of the clients. Can I make my own? ---------------------- Yes, and many have done so in the past. However, not all servers use the same protocol for communication with the clients, so you should know for which server(s) you want to write a client. If you are interested in writing a client, it is suggested that you contact the admins on the server in question - they should also be able to help with the protocol. 3.5. How do I act towards someone I cannot see? ---------------------- Playing against an opponent which you cannot see and who may be on the other side of the world is a little bit different from playing face to face. An excellent etiquette guide for play on the go servers is posted on Ken WARKENTYNEs pages. Some of the main points bear repeating: Your opponent and you may not share a language, indeed, you may be conversing in a language foreign to both of you. It is therefore essential that one is careful in the use of slang or expressions which may not be known by everyone. Also, your opponent may be the grandmother next door or an 8-year old boy in Taiwan. Don't be surprised or short with an opponent who is slow in responding or seems to misunderstand you. Due to the intricacies of the internet, there is a phenomenon known as netlag which affects play, and in severe circumstances, can even stop play. Netlag is a function of the internet connection between your opponent and the server, and between the server and you. Netlag means that it may seem that your opponent takes a long time over his moves, whereas in reality it is the net which takes time. Most clients can compensate for this, so you may see your opponents time left on the clock increase, once his move is registered. Netlag cannot be blamed on your opponent, nor on the server, nor on anyone, really. Sometimes it's there, other times it's not. With the state of the internet, it is something we have to live with. In extreme cases, netlag may mean that a player is cut off and unable to continue play. On the servers, the games thus involved are normally stored and can be restarted at a later date. In the case of disconnection, please hang around for a while and wait for your opponent to come back. If it happens to you, try to get back on, or, failing that, send a message or email to your opponent to let him know what happened. Needless to say, it is extremely rude to disconnect from a lost game in an attempt to save face. ('Escaping') Most servers will be able to tell whether a disconnection is net related or user related. Most servers have a policy which, after a certain time, gives the game the party which did not disconnect. 3.6. What does 1/5 or 1/10 mean? ---------------------- The person saying this wants a reasonably quick game. He wants to play a game with a time limit of 1 minute, followed by byo-yomi periods of 10 (or 5) minutes each. This means that both players have 1 minute of thinking time, and then that they have to play 25 stomes within each byo-yomi period. (I.e. if byo-yomi=10, then an average of 24 seconds per stone). If a player does not manage to play his 25 stones within the allotted time, he looses. (So, the earliest you can loose is after 11 minutes.) If he does play them within the byo.yomi period, a new byo-yomi period starts. A 200-move game like this will last no more than 82 minutes. This and other terms used on the go servers are listed and explained in 4. Improving and teaching ---------------------- 4.1. How can I improve? ---------------------- The four basic ways to improve are: 1. Play lots of games 2. Review games 3. Read go books. 4. Study go problems 5. Take lessons - Playing many games Playing many games is undoubtedly a good way to improve. Ideally, you should play against someone who is a bit stronger than you, so that you can still understand his moves and see your own errors. However, playing against weaker people can teach you a lot about avoiding obvious mistakes as well. It is often said that as a beginner, you should play many games quite quickly instead of few games with a lot of thought, as you will learn more from your mistakes than you can through (often wrong) analysis. The truth is probably that you should do both. Practising reading, through taking your time, is also very helpful. - Reviewing games This applies to your own games, but also to others' games. Reviewing your own games is a good way to find out where you make mistakes, and is something you should always try to do after a game. You should be able to replay the first 20-30 moves of a game. Replay a game not by memorising the moves, but by rethinking the logic you followed in the first place. If you cannot remember where you played, that means that the move was probably a bad move. Even better is it to have your games reviewed together with someone who is stronger than you. Preferably, he should be so much stronger than you that you trust his advice. Being reviewed by someone who is your own level will always leave a nagging doubt.. Reviewing someone else's games, for instance professional games, is good because it gives you a good feeling for good shape, strength, direction of play etc. It is suggested that you play through professional games quickly, without paying much attention to the comments, just to get the feeling of it. Try to understand the logic of the opening moves (fuseki), attacking moves, endgame move order etc. look to the comments only if you cannot understand a certain move. Reviewing games should improve your 'feeling' about the game, i.e. you will find yourself playing moves that seem reasonable, without necessarily being able to justify why. - Reading books Many players find go theory books very useful to introduce new ways of thinking, learning new methods and to improve the understanding of specific aspects of the game. General books exist which treat the entire game, but there are also more specific books which deal with certain aspects of it (opening, endgame, life and death etc.). When reading a book, try to understand what is said. It often makes sense to, after each section, think back and see try to formulate the ideas given in the book with your own words. Don't try to remember the examples, but understand what they show. Section 4.3 below gives more details on books. - Studying problems Problem books come in different flavours; life and death, endgame, tesuji, invading etc. They also come in various grades of difficulty. Going through them is useful in may ways, and is sure to improve your play. Some tips when going through problems: - If you cannot see the answer after, say, a minute, then look it up. Problem books are meant to learn you something, spending too much time on a diagram will not improve your understanding. - Do not use a goban to solve the problems. You couldn't do that in real life. - Don't try to memorise the problems. They are aimed at improving your feeling for the game. You will very rarely encounter the same situation on the goban as you just read in the book, it is the method you should know, not the result. - Although you will rarely encounter the same problems, you should find that you recognise shapes and can predict sequences better. This will save you time, and save you from trying to rescue dead groups or kill live ones. As for the mix of the above four, you should do them all. Mix it up, do a bit of each. Study whatever seems to interest you at the moment. Every go player can improve any part of their game. It follows that whatever you choose to study will do something to improve your game, so you may as well study what you find interesting. That way you are likely to do more study than if you force yourself to study something that does not interest you. Of course, for overall improvement, you will in the end need to do a bit of everything. - Taking lessons This speaks for itself. Locally, your goclub may offer lessons, otherwise, there are teachers which will teach you on one of the internet go servers. The following list gives some teachers on IGS: 'yly' (type 'help yly' at the prompt) 'Chull' (type 'help Chull' at the prompt) There is also Guo Juan 's Internet Go school, run out of the Netherlands: 4.2. Which parts of my game need improving? ---------------------- A question related to 'How can I improve?' is 'how do I know what the biggest problems are with you game?'. The best answer is to find a significantly stronger player (ideally at least 5 grades stronger) and play through one of your games with them watching. You don't need them to give you detailed comments, you want them to point out the large mistakes that you want to deal with. They often fall into the category of "Mistakes you didn't know you were making" which is why you need another player to spot them, and you would prefer it to be someone a lot stronger than you so that you can be sure that they are confused because you did something stupid and they know better, rather than you doing something so brilliant that they do not understand it. If you don't know any friendly stronger players then check out section 4.6 below, or look for a teacher (see section 4.1 above) Another way to try to diagnose the "mistakes you didn't know you were making" is to play through a lot (well say about 10 or more) professional games trying to predict the next move, then see if you can reach some sort of a conclusion about which types of move you are consistently failing to predict. Several go playing tutor programs can do this. (See section 6.1 below) 4.3. I am x kyu. Which books should I read? ---------------------- First look at section 4.2 above to find out which parts of your game needs to be improved. Then find the book which deals with this. David CARLTON maintains an excellent online bibliography of all the English Go-books available on the web, sorted by subject, player strength, and publisher. His site can be found at 4.4. What can I use this NG for? ---------------------- This NG is meant to discuss any aspects of Go which you think may interest other Go players. rec.games.go is not moderated, so there are no fixed rules defining what is and what isn't appropriate for the newsgroup. Just to give and indication: a survey carried out by Jan VAN DER STEEN in March 1999 gave the following top-ten subjects for posts to the NG: 1. Go related stories 2. Go analysis in depth 3. Go questions/answers (joseki, fuseki, live-death, ...) 4. Go book reviews 5. Go book announcements 6. Go pro news 7. Go game records 8. Go software announcements 9. Go amateur news 10. Go general questions (where, when, how, why, ???) The above list is not exhaustive, but it gives an idea of the width of subjects discussed. 4.5. How do I post positions to the NG? ---------------------- This newsgroup is an excellent place to post questions regarding positions that have come up in play, or problems seen in books. It sometimes makes sense to include a diagram showing the local position, with stones, as well as the sequence of moves played / variations etc. Following these guidelines will make sure readers understand what you are trying to show: - Do not use HTML or other formatting. The use of pure ascii makes sure that the diagrams do not become distorted. - A White stone is given as O (capital o), a black stone is given as #. - The goban is represented with a set of dots/periods (.), one for each intersection, The grid itself is not shown. - For clarity, it is useful to mark the hoshi points with plus'es (+) - Make sure it is obvious where the edge is (if relevant). Either make a mention of it ('bottom left corner') or draw the board edges on the diagram using |, - and +. - Sequences of moves are shown with numbers - 1,2 etc. Make sure you state if 1 is black or white - Because of this, it is not advisable to show more than 9 moves on one diagram. If you want to show more, you should use more diagrams, each one giving the 'end position' of the last one as 'start position' of the new one. - Variations are shown as letters. 'a', 'b', etc. - If it is relevant, make sure you state how many prisoners have been taken. Since 'white:3, black:13' is easily misunderstood, write it out : 'white has taken 3 prisoners, black 13' - Most people will read the posts on a screen, and it can be awkward to scroll back up to see the diagram when reading the discussion below. Try to not have the text too far away from the diagram. If necessary, repeat the diagram (easy with todays computers!) This is also an incentive to keep the diagrams 'low' - Include a small description of what aspects of the position you want to discuss/ask about. (Duh...) More general: please post questions, but don't forget to also post answers and opinions. Even (and especially!) if you don't understand or agree with the other posts. 4.6. Who can comment my games? ---------------------- There are several ways to have your games commented. In real life, you will need to have a record of your game or be able to replay it by memory. Ask a stronger player if he can help you, and have him comment the game as you replay it. Unless they are otherwise engaged, most stronger players will be happy to help. On the internet, you should set up your server so that you automatically receive a record of the game you played. With this record, you can either have it reviewed by a friendly stronger player you know from the server, or use the Go teaching ladder. The Go teaching ladder (GTL) has a list of reviewers of various strengths. If you submit a game for review, your game will be forwarded to a player who is roughly 5 stones stronger than you, and he will send you a reviewed copy back (and to your opponent) with his comments. In order to use the GTL, you must have a program which can read and edit SGF files. (See section 6.2 below). A minor note on the GTL: The reviewer may spend considerable time reviewing your game, so it is only reasonable that you should also have spent a reasonable time playing it .. submitting 'blitz' games for review, when you can yourself go through the game and find errors, is disrespectful. Once you feel that you are confident, then submit your name to the GTL as a reviewer, then you too can help a beginner! The archives at the GTL is also a great place to find other commented games, which you can download and look through. 4.7. How can I teach this game? ---------------------- It is said that Go can be taught anyone who is old enough not to eat the stones. There are various techniques to initialise new players. One of the most often used is the 'capture' game or a variation thereof. A description can be found on Mindy McADAMS pages: An often voiced objection to the capture game is that it focuses on capturing, which is not the main part of the game. Milton BRADLEY gives background for the use of Go as a development tool for children and proposes an alternative approach: 4.8. Are there go-problems on the web? ---------------------- The site posts two daily life and death problems created by Thomas WOLF's program as described on 5. Aspects of the game ---------------------- 5.1. What are miai and deiri counting? ---------------------- Both are methods of estimating the value of endgame moves. This position is an example: # # # # # # O O O O O # . . . . # O . . . O (all stones independently alive) # . . . . . . . . . O ----------------------- Deiri counting states the difference in the scores for Black or White playing first, and whether it is sente or gote for either side. Thus, this example is 2 points in gote (because either side can hane and connect in gote). Miai counting assigns a count to the position, and a value to a play in the position. In this example, the count is 2 (Black has 2 points more than White) and the miai value is 1 (Black's hane-connect shifts the count to 3, while White's shifts it to 1). 5.2. What is reverse sente? ---------------------- . . . . . . O O O O O | # # # # # # O . . . . | # . . . . # O . . . . | (all stones independently alive) # . . . . . . . . . . | -----------------------+ In this position, Black can hane and connect in sente, whereas White can only do so in gote. Because White's gote play forestalls Black's sente play, White's play is called reverse sente. 5.3. What is a false eye? ---------------------- To live, a group needs to have, or to be able to make, two 'real' eyes. A false eye is an eye which may have to be filled in because one of the stones or groups creating the eye can be put into atari. In the example below, both white groups are dead; the leftmost eyes of both groups are 'false': |. . . . . . . . . . . . # # # . . . .| |. . . + . . . . . + . # . . . # # # #| |. . # # # # # . # # # . . O O # O O O| |. # # O O O O # . . . # # # O O . O .| |. # O . O . O # . . . . . # # # O O .| +-------------------------------------+ 6. Computer Go ---------------------- 6.1. Is there a program for UNIX/Mac/PC/Palmpilot/WinCE etc which can Play/Record/Teach etc. ---------------------- Probably, yes. Programs related to Go perform several functions: 1. Play go (i.e. be an opponent) 2. Clients to the go servers See section 3.3 above 3. Read/edit go files 4. Teach games and sequences 5. Create and solve problems 6. Create go diagrams 7. Translate one go file format to another Some programs perform more than one of the above functions. The list of programs available is too long to list here, but the links above should be able to provide the answers required. 6.2. What is an .sgf/.mgt/.go etc. file? ---------------------- All these are various file formats used to record a go game. Recently, the Standard Go Format (.sgf files) has become the most used format, and it is also the format used by most go servers. Look at section 6.1 above for information on how to find editors. If you are interested in writing an SGF editor, or you want to know more about the development of the format and its possibilities, take a look at 6.3. How strong are computers? ---------------------- It is a surprise to most people that there is no software available today which can beat an average-level human player. The level of play of the strongest playing software today is estimated around 8 kyu. The main reason for this is said to be that it is difficult to estimate the value of a given move. This makes it difficult to program a routine which can choose the 'best' move. The true value of a move may not become apparent until 30 plays later. Another reason is that, because of the large playing area and the simple rules, there are always a very large number of legal moves. This results in a very large game tree if 'dumb' search algorithms are used. Considerable resources are going and have gone into the development of strong programs. For those who are interested in the subject, there are various places to start a search: If you are interested in computer go you may want to join the computer-go mailing list. The computer-go mailing was established in Feb 93 to discuss programming computers to play go. The volume of mail on this list is rather low, but sometimes goes up in bursts. To join the list, send an email to 'listproc@listproc.anu.edu.au' and put 'SUBSCRIBE COMPUTER-GO ' in the body of the message. (Remove all quotes and fill in your own name). You will receive a confirmation detailing how to use the list. 6.4. Which is the best computer program? ---------------------- As already explained, computers make weak opponents. Since they cannot learn, they also make boring opponents, as they make the same mistakes over and over again. Of course it can be fun to beat a computer which receives a 9-stone handicap, but the methods used to beat it are unlikely to work against human players. Computer programs can be ranked by their strength. The is an excerpt from , edited by David FOTLANDS. It gives an indication of the 'average placement in an international competition', based on recent results in international computer Go tournaments: (E Top ten: 'Handtalk' by ZhiXing Chen, China: 1.7 'Go4++' by Michael Reiss, England: 2.9 'Go Intellect', by Ken Chen, Taiwan/USA: 3.7 'The Many Faces of Go' by David Fotland, USA: 4.2 'Wulu' by Lei Xiuyu, China: 6.0 'Modgo' by Alfred Knopfle, Germany: 5.9 'Star of Poland' by Janusz Kraszek, Poland: 6.0 'Jimmy', by Kao Kuo and Yan Shi-Jin, Taiwan: 7.0 'Biwako' by Masahiro Tanaka, Japan: 8.1 'Gogol' by Tristan Cazenave, France 8.5 However, playing strength may not be the the main reason for a computer program. Other aspects may be more important, such as aesthetics, games database, teaching possibilities etc. The ideal program for you will therefore depend on what you want to do with it. 7. Slang and expressions ---------------------- 7.1. What do those abbreviations on the servers mean? ---------------------- 3k : a player with a rank of 3 Kyu 3d : a player with a rank of 3 Dan 3k* : as 3k, but the asterisk (*) indicates that the player has played enough games on a server to have his ranking validated on that server 3d* : as 3d, but the asterisk (*) indicates that the player has played enough games on a server to have his ranking validated on that server 1/10, 1/5 etc : See section 3.6 above For a fuller list of other slang sometimes used on the go servers, take a look at Robert JASIEKs page: 7.2. What do those words mean? ---------------------- Go in the western world has adopted a great many of the Japanese terms used in the game, and these are in continuous use. An extensive list of go vocabulary can be found on Ken WARKENTYNE's page: . Some of the most frequent ones are mentioned here: atari : a group of stones is in atari if it has only one liberty left. byo-yomi: Time added to the match after the regular time is over. During a byo-yomi period, a certain number of byo-yomi stones must be played, and the player can start a new period with new stones. Otherwise, he looses. dame : A neutral point which has no value for either side. dan : advanced grade fuseki : the opening in a match, the interaction between several joseki, where influence and territory outlines are formed. goban : the go board. gote : opposite of sente: a move which does not oblige the opponent to answer. joseki : sequence of moves which gives an equitable result for both players. Most often referred to are opening or corner josekis. ko : repetitive capture komi : Score adjustment to balance out the fact that black plays first. kyu : learner grade seki : A local situation in which neither player can kill the other, if either player were to play his group would die. sente : A move which will need to be answered tesuji : A move which is the optimum in a local condition, brilliant move. 8. Other internet links ---------------------- There are several good places to start searching the internet for more information about Go. When using a search engine, try searching for the words 'Baduk' or 'Weiqi' instead, as they produce better results than a search for 'Go'. An excellent and very comprehensive list of web go resources can be found on Ken WARKENTYNE's pages: Other places to start out include The British Go Association website: The American Go Association website: Jan VAN DER STEENs website: 9. About this FAQ ---------------------- The contents of this FAQ has been harvested from all the questions and discussions on the newsgroup, and is as such a combined effort on behalf of many of the regular contributors to the newsgroup. The most recent version of this FAQ can always be found at . The FAQ is currently maintained by Morten PAHLE and all questions and suggestions should be addressed to him. Please include the 'FAQ' word in the subject of your mail to him. If you know of any inaccuracies, errors or incompleteness, or you want to suggest a subject, you are encouraged to send him an email. Special thanks go to: Robert JASIEK - section 1.2 Simon GOSS - sections 5.1 and 5.2 Tim HUNT - section 4.2