I finally beat my computer at Go

[dorkusmalorkusmafia]

I learned how to play go a few months ago from some online articles and eventually some books. I am not really spectacular or anything but am currently rated a 15K (kiseido). I am probably a little higher as my official rating was established by a loss due to a mistake.

Anyway, I have been playing my computer (a game that is rated about 12K on the hardest level without a handicap) and not doing too well generally since it was just a little better than me until yesterday. I beat it on the hardest level by 5.5 komi. I did it again today by 4.5 komi. Finally things are starting to click. I haven't gotten used to the computer's playstyle yet exactly either.

It really isn't bad for a 5 dollar program that I found at Bestbuy that also has 9 other board games (chess, chinese chess, shogi, bacgammon, gomoku/pente, connect four, checkers, etc). Considering that Go programs are very far behind chess programs and the best rated Go program rates at about a n 8k, I don't feel like I am doing to bad. I find chess to be too linear for my tastes. Also, I like to play games that I have hopes of winning against a good computer rather than having a goal of Deep Blue smacking my brains out in 3 moves.

My next goal is to raise my ranking down to a single digit (ranks at Kiseido go from 30-1Kyu and then from 1-9Dan) and then I will start studying Joseki in earnest rather than just playing intuitively. I think my next big move will involve actually counting points as the game is played. I don't currently do this and rely on the eyeball method. I wonder how much that will change my game play and where I play next.

For those that are interested in the game, you can start playing at games.yahoo.com and download a free 9 board called igowin (found on any websearch) to start with. Rules for the game and links and such can be found at www.usgo.org.

[Bill H.]

Another Go player, yay! I've yet to actually meet anybody who plays in real life.

The game fascinates me because though the rules are extremely simple (much simpler than chess or even checkers), the complexity is much higher, to a point where there are no computer programs that can beat even an average player. You can't apply the same brute-force strategy that you can in chess, as there far too many possible moves.

Another very cool aspect to the game is that there is a built-in handicapping scheme that allows players of different levels to play each other on a completely level basis, unlike Chess for example where a game between two people that aren't equals is rarely interesting. This handicapping mechanism scales to extremes, so a very very good player can play a rank amateur, and both will win around 50% of the time.

I'm told Go is the equivalent to Chess in the Eastern world, particularly China, Japan and Korea, although I have a number of Chinese and Japanese friends and none of them play it.

I'm also told that Einstein was a big fan of the game.

[dorkusmalorkusmafia]

Since everything was closed today, I ended up playing online to get my computer a real rank on Kiseido. Where do you play Bill? Anyway, it finally fell into a solid 13kyu. It lost a few times to 15's, won more often, beat a 12 without a handicap and with a handicap at differnet stages as well as assorted others ranked between 12 an 16. It beat one of my friends who is a 10 (even game) but only because he made a huge mistake and the computer took advantage of it.

I play moyo style more than territory style starting on takamoku (5/4) usually. The pc also plays big moyo style but it can search for big moves better than me and is better at reducing even though it is very bad at deep invasions and fighting. It is also good at making solid structures for itself. I played a whole bunch of people to get a good strong rank (it got up to 13 but is probably really between 12 and 14). The people who played it that have a lot of anti moyo strategies tended to do a lot better than those who play more like myself. I think learning some of those types of things may be my next big jump to maybe 10. Maybe we can play someday too. I am currently officially a 15 but I really am borderline 14/15.