The Game of Go

Using the Game of
Baduk/Go/Wei-chi
to Teach Across the
Disciplines
G. Yakman
Jinsoo Kim
ISETL 2007
A game that is easy enough
for a toddler to learn, but
can be complex enough to
stump a genius.
What is Baduk/Go/Wei-chi?
Ancient Asian strategy game
• Developed in China about 4000 yrs. ago
Originally played only by
royalty
•Kept from commoners
to hinder intellectual
development
Why Baduk/Go Stayed East
•High Class controlled game
•600AD from China to Korea &
Japan
•Tibetian book Qi Jing 550AD
references it
•Chess pieces - representative
of European culture
•Baduk/Go pieces – simplistic
•Difficulty for foreigners
•Restricted foreign travel -1842
•Gambling culture
7th Century
1st Baduk Painting in Tibet
How the West Got Baduk/Go
•300 AD Danish grave
•925 AD Saxon Hnefatafl
similar
•Jesuit missions into to elite
•Matteo Ricci d. 1610 wrote on
topic
10th Century Hnefatafl
Montanus
Compared to chess
• Easier to learn,
harder to master
• Built in Handicap
System
• Unlimited possibilities
• No computer yet able
to play at master level
Baduk/Go Schools
• K-12 devoted schools
• Baduk/Go/Chess Clubs at schools (50+ across US)
• Professional Development Schools
Collegiate Level
Middlebury – Huang & Schumer – (see syllabus)
• One collegiate Department of Baduk, at Myongji
University: Korea Founded in 1998 by Asso. Prof.
Jeong, Soo-Hyun - 3 faculty
• Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, Nam, Chi-Hyung &
Choi, ll-Ho.
• Baduk Education, Baduk Research Methodology, Baduk
History, Baduk Culture, Baduk Techniques and
Education, Baduk Psychology
Integrated STEM education
The concept of teaching
across the disciplines of
• Science
• Technology
• Engineering
• Mathematics
with activities that cover
content and application
from each of the fields
Einstein with professional Baduk/Go
player Fukuda Masayoshi.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.media.mit.edu/quanta/people/kenbrown/Einstein.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.media.mit.edu/quanta/people/kenbrown/other.html&h=
430&w=503&sz=76&hl=en&start=93&tbnid=annuJaRBn0u8VM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbaduk%26start%3D90%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26
lr%3D%26sa%3DN
What is STE@M Education
The concept of teaching across all the
disciplines by formally tying the STEM
disciplines to the Arts fields, including;
• Fine
• Physical & Performance
• Manual
• Liberal & Social
(Education, psych., phil., socio., etc…)
.
FUNctional Literacy
Teaching across the disciplines directly
supports transference of knowledge.
AND IT’S MORE FUN & ENGAGING!
Students not only learn to be literate in a
singular (silo) field, but they become
life-long learners who are much more
capable of being functionally literate and
advancing society.
Science Relationships
Boards: Katsura wood
Stones: Slate, Shell, Glass,
Plastic & Jade
Bowls: wood, woven &
decorative
The number of possible games playable
on this board has been reckoned to be
more than the number of molecules in
the universe.
Technology Relationships
Creativity
Strategy
Design
Materials and processes
http://www.hanjimadang.co.kr/make/baduk.jpg
Engineering Relationships
Excellent for;
•Cognitive development
•Balance of design
•Computer programming
•Since the aim of a move is to control the
most territory, the optimal move yields
the maximum amount of territory -- a
simple counting procedure and a chore
computers excel at. Yet, the level of
computer Baduk/Go remains about that
of a human who has studied Baduk/Go
for a month. - Richard Bozulich - http://www.kiseido.com/
Mathematics Relationships
Pattern recognition
Binary mathematics
Movie - Pi
360 intersections plus one.
• occupies the ultimate position
and governs the four quarters.
• number of days in the [lunar]
year.
• four quarters symbolizes the
four seasons.
•72 circumference points
represent the [five-day] weeks of
the [Chinese lunar] calendar.
* Arts relationships
History Ex: WWII Japanese strategy & US camps
Literature ex: compares the four quarters to the four
seasons, the stones to night and day, the 361 intersections to
the days of the year, and the center point on the board to the
Pole Star - 17th C Japanese playwright, Chikamatsu – Graphic & Other Novels
Education Ex: Studying Baduk/Go is a wonderful way to
develop both the creative as well as logical abilities because
to play it both sides of the brain are necessary.
Cho Chikun, one of the three great prodigies in Go history - http://www.kiseido.com/
Philosophy Ex: The balance of Yin and Yang is the model for
the equal division of the 360 stones into black and white.
LaTour - ANT
The Art of Playing
Hold the stones between first and middle
fingers, like chopsticks & snap them down
on the board with a sharp click
•Musical Boards
Games
The traditional Baduk/Go board has a 19line grid. Beginners play on small 9 or
13-line boards.
Begin Game
Goal: Create territory by surrounding open space
Built in handicap system – 9 points
Players take turns putting stones on the intersections
Black goes first
Playing Stones
Each intersection is a point
of territory
Once a stone is put down it
does not move unless it’s
captured – Atari = Check
Each captured stone is also
worth one point.
Ko- Repetition Rule
One may not play a
move which repeats
a previous board
position.
Claiming Territory
Fenceposts & Walls
Living Groups
A safe group of stones must have two
eyes
•two or more, internal but separate
Game Over
Game End: when all the walls defining the territory is
taken, and there are no plays left to make.
Captured Stones: Are filled in
Counting: Pieces are moved
Resources:
Top 4:
•American Go Association - www.usgo.org
•American Go Foundation - http://www.usgo.org/agf/index.html
•Sensei Go - http://senseis.xmp.net/
•Goshawk Herron’s Curriculum & promo materials
•See accompanying 35 page list
Most major US cities have Baduk/Go clubs.