There is something so simple and so elegant about Go that its origins seem inevitable, even preordained.[The principle rules of Go naturally arise out of the simple relationships between the stones and the board]. It is as if it is not a question of if Go would be invented/discovered but when.

Just as the attributes of man which allow him to play Go are an inevitable product of natural selection, so too is Go. What's more if these principles are truly universal, then there is no reason to believe that Go does not exist elsewhere in the universe. Indeed we predict, that as a criterion of universal intelligence, where there is sentient life, there will be Go!

* * * * *

Consider this: there are 361 possible opening moves in the game of Go, 360 possible second moves and so on, theoretically 361 times (although this does not include "playing beneath the stones" or the fact that games almost never last 361 moves). To calculate an approximate average we may express this as 361! or 361 factorial. This number is equal to 1.4379232588848906548323625115e+768. This may be expressed as 1.43 * 10 to the 768th power. Scientists calculate the sum of all particles in the universe to be somewhere around 10 to the 250th power. Thus, the game of GO is approximately 3 times as deep as the Universe! All of the various possibilities within the universe may find plenty of room on a GO board. Indeed, GO is a more apt expression not of just one Universe but of all Universes! Go compels us to see that, just as every game is unique, that in all likelihood, no two games of Go have been the same, so too is every Universe unique and and that each and everyone of us, as multidimensional beings, occupies a transfinite number of universes. I daresay, GO is the supreme metaphor of the Multiverse itself for it allows us to visualize space not as the distances between objects but as the dimensions of the configurations of objects. Just as IdeaSpace is the space of all ideas, the Multiverse is the space of all Universes and it is here that Go reigns supreme.

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©Copyright 09/09/02000. Fresh Ink. All rights reserved
In a zero sum game, one player wins, one player loses. The sum equals zero. In non-zero sum games, both players may win or both players may lose; the sum may not equal zero. The question we are asking then, is Go a zero sum or a non zero sum game?

As every game comes to an end when both players pass two consecutive turns in a row, it seems simple enough to conclude that the game is zero sum. There is a winner and a loser. However, just as there is the possibility of a tie, there is also a perspective which renders Go clearly non zero sum. That perspective is the fourth dimension. To see this let us ask a different question. Are Go players better today than they were yesterday, say, 100-1000 years ago? Many people would say yes. Well, that is a clear indication of a non zero sum game.

But there is another aspect of Go that reveals itself as non zero sum as well. It is that aspect of the game that comes from fellowship and community. This aspect is clearly non-zero. The secrets of Go are not ruthlessly guarded. They are shared. Players help each other improve because there is no glory in an easy victory. The enjoyment of Go is only superficially in the winning and losing of the game. The real enjoyment is in the struggle. That is to say, it is the non zero sum aspects of Go that make Go interesting, that make it worth playing. People long ago stopped playing Tic Tac Toe. Why? Because as a true zero sum game, it is boring. Once it's secrets are grasped it always ends in a tie. Perhaps someday this may be the fate of Go as well but we doubt it. The sheer depth of Go alone suggests that we have not yet even scratched the surface of what the game may offer. There may be invincible strategies and techniques just waiting to be discovered. Only time will tell.

But in the meantime, take heart that, by playing Go, you are participating in a glorious historical adventure which has spanned for at least thousands of years, perhaps even countless untold milennia (especially if you consider Go to be a universal and perhaps even timeless game). Go lives through you when you play the game and lives on after you are gone in the people you have played. In this sense, Go could well be immortal, so long as there are those who live to play it.

©Copyright 07/27/02000. Fresh Ink. All rights reserved

Defining the Properties of a Cubic GO™ Program

1.) The Cubic Goban must be rendered in Three Dimensions called the Goban Cube™ (Note : no plans exist for the properties of n-Dimensional Goban Cubes at this time).
2.) The Cubic Goban must be transparent.
3.) The Cubic Goban must spin as directed by the Cursor.
4.)Stones may be place on any point where the x,y,and z axis intersect as per the rules of the Game.
4.) The computer must be capable of maintaining the composure of the Goban Cube as the Game is Played and the Goban is spun along its x, y and z axis.
5.) In this manner, Cubic GO may be viewed from all sides and patterns can be discerned and studied with the greatest of ease.
6.)The Game may be played between two to six players, with the first two stones played being black then white, unless the game is played by more than two players.
7.) If more than Two Player Cubic GO Games are played, then the first player, played by the lowest ranking player present, plays black; the next weaker player plays red, then yellow, then green then blue, with the highest ranking player playing last with the white stones.
8.)The Game must be rendered and Compiled in accordance with HTTP and XML Protocols so as to be played via the Internet.

Defining the Properties of the Points within the Cubic Goban and the Stones that are Placed on those Points during the course of a Game

1.)The Cubic Goban Cubes come in three sizes:

a.)a 9*9*9 point (729 point) Goban Cube
b.)a 13*13*13 point or (2197 point) Goban Cube
c.)19*19*19 point or (6859 point) Goban Cube.
2.)Each Point within the Goban Cubes is equidistant to the other with the following proportions, 0.08cm*0.08cm*1.1cm

3.)The stones are shaped as disks approximately 0.088cm*2.3cm in diameter.In this manner the Stones may "wrestle" for their positions on the board without being too idsruptive to the Game.

Clarifyinging the Rules of the Game

1.) The Game of Cubic GO is played with the same rules as GO. The player than has the most points win. One point is awarded:

a.)for each unoccupied point in which no further play can occur, when this unoccupied point is determined to be confined by a player's living groups.
b.)for each captured stone removed from the board during the game, when these stones are determined to have no more liberties or open points.
c.)for each dead stone removed from the board at the end of the game, when these stones are determined to be confined by a player's living groups and are determined to not be alive.

2.)All living groups are characterized as having a single simple property: all living groups have "eyes", or liberties,equal to the number of players. That is, if four players are playing, living groups possess four "eyes", if six players are playing, living groups possess six "eyes".In other words, n groups equals n "eyes".

3.)The importance of the rule of Ko, to limit games which never end.

On KO and its importance to Bringing Games to a Timely Conclusion

1.)Without the rule of KO, a player would be allowed to play right back into a spot in which a single stone capture has just been made.
2.)If a player is allowed to play right back into a spot made by a one stone capture, it is conceivable that infinite loops may form in which each player plays into such a spot each turn.
3.)If such infinite loops were allowed it is conceivable that such games might have no end. To limit these types of games only situations in which the number of "KO Threats" is equal to twice the number of players can be considered to be conceivably eternal. That is, in a two player game, only games in which two "KO Threats" remain on the board can be considered to be conceivably unending.
4.)KO limits the possibility of these conceivably never-ending games by ruling that a player cannot play right back into a spot, in which a single stone capture has just been made, on the player's next turn. In other words, in a "KO Battle", a player must wait one whole turn before a player can play back into a spot in which a single stone capture has been made.

©Copyright 02000. Fresh Ink. All rights reserved

We just thought of a not too original variant to the rules of Go. As we have not seen this variation mentioned elsewhere we thought we'd share it with the all the Fringe Go Expirimentalists out there who, for one reason or another, have found themselves here. You know who you are...

For lack of a better name we call it, Global Go. Basically, in Global Go, there are no edges to the board; there is instead, a rap-around-universe.

For example:

• A1 is connected to A19, T19 and T1 as well as A2 and B1
• A2 through A18, as well as being connected to A1, A19 and B2 through B18, are also connected to T2 through T18
• likewise,B1 through S1, as well as being connected to A1, T1 and B2 through S2, are also connected to B19 through S19.

All rules for atari and life and death are applied.

The basic effect of this variant is to remove the edges of the board as a source of power building. There is a Go Proverb, "corner, side, center." This generally means it is easier to build territory in the corners than it is to build territory on the side or in the center. But what Global Go does is effectively make every part of the board the center. There is thus no territorial advantage due to location and a whole new methodology of playing must be developed.

* * * * *

GO: the Greatest Game

"I have to believe...that if there is intelligent life on other planets, they play GO"
-Dug Fresh

©Copyright 02000. Fresh Ink. All rights reserved

There is something so simple and elegent about Go, that its origins seem inevitable.[The principle rules of Go naturally arise out of the simple relationships between the stones and the board]. It is as if it is not a question of if Go would be invented/discovered but when.

Just as the attributes of man which allow him to play Go are an inevitable product of natural selection, so too is Go. What's more if these principles are truly universal, then there is no reason to believe that Go does not exist elsewhere in the universe. Indeed, we predict that as a criterion of universal intelligence, where there is intelligent life, there will be Go!

* * * * *

Mathematical Metaphors of the Multiverse

"Go is the Greatest! It contains no luck elements yet there are so many ways (roughly three times the density of the Universe or 361! = 1.4379232588848906548323625115e+768 ), a game of Go may wind up being played, that it is safe to say that no two games of Go have ever been the same."
-Dug Fresh

©Copyright 01999. Fresh Ink. All rights reserved

There are 361 possible opening moves in the game of Go, 360 possible second moves and so on, theoretically 361 times (although this does not include "playing beneath the stones" or the fact that games almost never last 361 moves). However, to calculate an approximate average we may express this as 361! or 361 factorial. When I plug this in to my calculator, 361!=1.4379232588848906548323625115e+768. This may be expressed as 1.43 * 10 to the 768th power. Scientists calculate the sum of all particles in the universe to be 10 to the 250th power, thus the game of GO is 3 times as deep as the Universe. All of the various possibilities within the universe may find plenty of room on a GO board. Indeed, GO is a more apt expression not of just one Universe but of all Universes! Go compels us to see that, just as every game is unique, that in all likelihood, no two games of Go have been the same, so too is every Universe unique and and that each and everyone of us, as multidimensional beings, occupies a transfinite number of universes. I daresay, GO is the supreme metaphor of the Multiverse itself for it allows us to visualize space not as the distances between objects but as the dimensions of the configurations of objects. Just as IdeaSpace is the space of all ideas, the Multiverse is the space of all Universes and it is here that Go reigns supreme.

* * * * *

Duggo's Go Proverbs: "Keep your Sente Fresh!"