Today is Friday. Typically, by now I am in the 'revision/fine-tuning' stage of my weekly post. This week has been calm, which is appropriate considering last week's post, and which may help to explain the attendant dearth of written thought. This week I finished one work of fiction ('The Bone Clocks' by David Mitchell), and I am working on two books of nonfiction; one with the word "Santa" in the title, and the other with the word "Zombies" in the title, and both titles are questions - ('Does Santa Exist?' by Eric Kaplan, and 'Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?' by Timothy Verstynen and Bradley Voytek). In the midst of pondering Santa Claus and the Zombies, I also worked at learning the game of Go, which I believe added to the relative tranquility of my week.

If you are not familiar with it, or have never played the game of Go, I strongly encourage (at the least) an examination of its history, rules, surrounding commentary, and impact. I have read (in multiple sources) that Go is the oldest known board game still being consistently played, with age estimates ranging between 2,500 and 4,000 years. It is often compared with Backgammon and Chess as seen in the first (unattributed) quote below. This quote combined with the following three (for me) impart a relevant feel for the game:

"Backgammon is a game where man battles fate. Chess is a game where man battles man. Go is a game where man battles himself."

"In Chess you start with everything you have on the board. In Go you start from nothing and build." ---Tim Klinger, quoted in The New York Times, July 29, 1997.

"The developed structures at each point in the game are the past, and the possibilities existing in that situation are the future. Together they constitute the present. Properly understanding the past and future in this sense is the essence of good timing." ---W. Cobb

"Success at Go requires the tactic of the soldier, the exactness of the mathematician, the imagination of the artist, the inspiration of the poet, the calm of the philosopher, and the greatest intelligence." ---Zhang Yunqi, Weiqi de faxian (Discovering weiqi), Beijing, Internal document of the Chinese Weiqi Institute 1991, p. 2.

When I bought this game I could not generate curiosity or interest within my circle of potential opponents. So this week I devised a solitaire version that incorporated an element of luck (using two die) that is not present (nor should be) in traditional Go, but quite gracefully serves its purpose as a learning tool by allowing for some unpredictability in each successive individual play. Very simply, black plays first (as in traditional Go) but before playing black rolls a single (6-sided) die to determine where it may play. Looking at the board as the black player would see it, the board is mentally/visually divided into six areas: four quadrants, a bottom half, and a top half. Moving left to right and bottom to top, the lower left quadrant is 1; the lower right quadrant is 2; the upper left quadrant is 3; the upper right quadrant is 4; the bottom half is 5; and the top half is 6. The die roll should be left as it lands to signify the area black may play in. This area includes the 10th (or border) lines that enclose the area. Before white plays, the same process is followed, except the areas are numbered according to white's seated perspective; (so, for example, if both players show a 1 on their respective die, they are not paying in the same quadrant - they are each playing in opposite corner quadrants).  In each successive turn in this version black and white may decide to roll the die or not; if the die is not rolled, the allowable play area remains the same as in the previous turn and as signified by the face-up die. The die roll is NOT considered a player's turn. The player must play in the designated area but does so immediately, thus maintaining the integrity of balanced play. As a game progresses a player may roll the die a 2nd (or as necessary 3rd, 4th, 5th...) time IF AND ONLY IF that specific designated (by-the-roll-of-the-die) area is in endgame cleanup (i.e. 100 percent undisputed dame and territorial ownership), yet there are other areas  that must still be played out to determine any territorial ownership. Die roll is suspended and players may use the entire board once endgame cleanup (i.e. 100 percent undisputed dame and territorial ownership) is reached in 3 of the 4 quadrants. These last two rules disallow forced blunders and maintain traditional Go rules. (Please forgive any ignorance, naivete, or butchered terminology; I am still learning.)

This solitaire version worked very well for me (at least) partially because, in the spirit of the game, on each successive turn, I looked forward to possibility with an emphasis on my opponent's next move, as I knew my opponent would show me that same respect. Additionally, by me sitting at the side of the board (I believe) it is helping me to see the energy of the entire board, the unspoken conative commerce being conducted between the players, and the dynamics of the all-inclusive bigger picture - as it is meant to be.

I have played one game. I made many mistakes. I learned much. I was challenged. I was calmed. I am looking forward to my second game.

Walk infinite paths
to choose finite liberties;
look... Shapes so pretty.