Go/Wei Qi vs. Chess

As I play and progress in the game of Go I begin to wonder about the difference between these two games. Anyone who likes either board game is going to wonder this at some point. Even those who don't really play board games might think about it. They are both board games that is for sure. Chess pieces and Go pieces are obviously different in shape and size. Both are played on a grid but the chess grid has far fewer and bigger squares than the Go grid. Chess pieces are placed on top of the squares but Go pieces go on the intersecting points of the grid. In Chess each piece has one specific function and it can only move a certain way. In Go each piece has just one function and once you put it on a certain point it does not move. If you move it you are going against the rules of the game.

Such differences are apparent and we see that the two games are played in their own unique way yet I wonder if there are more profound meanings to these differences.

I actually learned Chess before Go. I don't remember how old I was but probably sometime in late elementary school. Go culture is practically non-existent in America whereas Chess culture is prevalent. It is probably the number one board game in most countries where English is commonly spoken. It's not that people like Chess so much that it's #1 but, I feel, it's actually mainly because of how tough and challenging the game is. If someone is good at chess people tend to think they are very smart. There are classes, competitions, clubs and professionals that promote the game of Chess in communities, schools and to the general public. People here see Chess on similar levels to math, science and the like.

Make no mistake though, Go and Chess are not the same thing. If you play one or the other does not mean you play both or will be good at both.

As a kid I played it but didn't really find Chess to be that fun. "Chess is for smart people" is what I heard and that actually kind of discouraged me from getting into it because I didn't think I was that smart. Sure I didn't think I was stupid but to be that smart was not how I felt about myself. Even though my high school and college had a Chess club I didn't think I'd bother joining or finding out about it. In high school I received a Wei Qi set from my father who was overseas at the time and I read a Japanese manga called "Hikaru No Go". It is a comic about a boy who starts off not caring about Go but then he meets a ghost who is a genius at the game. Due to the ghost's great desire to play Go the boy ends up playing the game and starts to see why it is such an impressive game. He then goes on to become a professional Go player in Japan. You couldn't imagine the funny, heartwarming, sad and joyful moments such a character goes through as they progress in their Go career to become one that people look up to. I'd encourage any Go enthusiast to read it because it shows what the game of go/wei qi/baduk is to people in China, Japan and Korea. 

Well I guess it is about the same as Chess in English speaking countries though I have yet to find a Chess comic as interesting as "Hikaru No Go".

To a person who doesn't like to play board games unless they are totally bored at a family gathering go and chess would amount to the same thing which is a tough board game only for very smart people. But to one who enjoys one or the other or both there are important differences to both games that they should take note of. If you lose your king in chess you lose the game. It is not based on points but on how well you can protect your king. Once your king is captured the game is over. In go you do not have a king, queen, rook, bishop or any other piece like that. You just have to gain as many points as you can and to do that you place one little round piece on the board until you don't have anywhere to place it anymore. Every piece has the same function in go and that is to take up one point on the board. You place it down and you do not move it anymore. Or should I say that you aren't allowed to move it. If you want to take over another point you must place another piece down.

In chess you learn how to protect your king and capture the other side's king. In go you learn how to gain points or territory and the more points you get the more you are the winner. Why does chess have a king and a queen but go does not? That is an interesting question.

Right now I'm better at go then I am at chess(where I'm a novice) but who knows maybe I will become good at both and I don't see any problems with that. I have begun to see that these board games seem to hold a deeper meaning than just being a game. I feel we can see our human lives in them and that they actually provide an interesting picture into what we want and strive for as humans. Do we as humans strive to build our own kingdom or at least our own way of life? Yes. Do people think having more things and a bigger place to call home is important? Yes. We can see our lives very much in these board games. Every day we work hard for more money, fame or things that we want and it is like a game if you think about it.

In chess you learn to protect your king and in go/wei qi you learn to build your kingdom. I think this is very interesting when it comes to these two board games. And don't forget Chinese Chess which is not the same as European Chess or Go. Chinese chess is call Xiangqi and it too has it's own rules and play.