Hone your Strategic Thinking this Summer

When two tigers fight, what is left is
one dead tiger and one wounded one.
-Chinese Proverb

Traditional Go equipment, made of natural materials like wood, slate, clamshell or white stone, adds to the beauty of the game.

Still looking for a rewarding summer project? Consider learning the ancient game of Go.

Go is a board game that originated in China over 2,500 years ago. Like chess, Go has always been valued as a tool for developing strategic thinking, but the mentalities required for success in the two games could hardly be more different.

Chess is a game of decisive battle. Each player strives to capture the opponent’s king by annihilating his capacity to resist. In contrast, the object of Go is to build and control more territory on the board. While chess tends to reward daring, Go rewards patience.

Unlike chess, which is concerned exclusively with the strategic mentality of warfare, Go is a closer metaphor of business or international relations.. Experience and judgement are essential, and greed is punished.

Go writer Peter Shotwell writes that “Japanese executives learned to look at the national and international corporate worlds as Go boards and designed many of their strategies accordingly…One should try to win, but that had to involve allowing the opponent to win something too, because all-out fights might destroy both competitors.”*

The Library has a good-quality beginning Go set in front of the reference desk. Learning this ancient and rich game will give you insight into the psychology and strategic thinking of countries like China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, where Go is part of the cultural heritage.

Intrigued? Check out this short tutorial on the rules:

https:youtu.begECcsSeRcNo

If you are interested in learning to play Go, contact Harold Henkel at harohen@regent.edu for suggestions on getting started.

______________________________

*Peter Shotwell, Go! More Than a Game, (Ruland, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2003), xi.
http:library.regent.edurecord=b1545173~S0

Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/494762709037943549/