Lesson Plans for a Step by Step Approach on How to Play
When we teach go to newcomers we will generally follow these Lesson Plans. From time to time we will also include material from the The World of Go topics below to deepen the experience.
Welcome
Who we are
AGA Chapter
Meetup
Website
Introductions: Where are you on your Go Journey?
Why we play
Introduction to the Game of Go
Go equipment review
Board sizes – same rules
Stone placement
Building walls with stones to surround territory
Board edges are walls
Sketching territory efficiently
Objective: to get the most territory
Capturing
Liberties
Groups/chains/units
The last liberty
Atari, in atari
Atari on the second line
Inside liberties
Prisoners count too
Practice: First to Capture on 9×9
Safe/Living Groups
Two separated inside liberties
Two eyes to live
The price of dying vs living
Introduction to life and death problems.
Wrapping up
When is the game over?
End game moves
Dame
Komi
Passing
Scoring
Practice: Even games on 9×9
Basic Opening Moves
Where to start
Corner, sides then middle
3/4, 3/3 and 4/4 options
Introduction to Josekis
Introducing the big board, 19×19
Basic Patterns
Ladders
Nets
Double atari
Connections and the tiger mouth
Basic living groups: straight 4, L, Z, square, fat five, flowery 6, etc.
Practice: Even games on 9×9 and 13×13
Ratings and Handicaps
Win/Loss differences: divide by 10
Handicaps: 1 through 9 stones
Sanctioned Tournaments
Mobility
Intermediate Patterns
Snapbacks
Ko and ko threats
Capturing races
Seki – another way to live
Strong and weak groups
More on the big board
Review opening moves
Sketching territory
Influence
Power
Sent, gote and tenuki
Practice: Even and handicap games on 13×13 and 19×19
Introduction to Go Proverbs
Review: corner, side, middle
Proverbs are heuristics not rules
He who counts wins
Don’t approach strength
Don’t follow your opponent around the board
Cuts can be dangerous
Lose your first 100 games as quickly as possible.
How to get stronger
Play, play, playBe creative, humble and patient
Internet Go Servers
Online videos and problem sets
Tsumego
Game recording tools
Game reviews and analysis
Books to study
Teaching games
Resources
Practice: Even and handicap games on 13×13 and 19×19
The World of Go
History and Culture
Origins in China; myths
The four scholarly arts: the guqin (a stringed instrument), wei-qi (Go), shu (Calligraphy) and hua (Painting)
Professional Go in Japan and Korea
Western Go
Computer Go
AlphaGo – 2016
References:
-
- Learn to Play Go: 5 volumes – Janice Kim/li>
- Go: More than a game – Peter Shotwell – 2003
- The Go Players Almanac – Richard Bozulich – 2001
Tournament Play
AGA and the AGF
Go Clubs and Chapters
State Championships
US Go Congress
Women’s Go Championships
Tournament etiquette
Clocks
Byoyomi time
Fischer time
Potpourri
Zen Go
Pair Go
Team Go
Crazy Go
Mexican Go Congress
European Go Congress
Famous Go Players