The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [61]
‘How do you know all this?’ asked Hana, who sat cross-legged beside them, enthralled.
‘My father and I played every day,’ Ronin replied wistfully.
Jack noticed the faintest of smiles appear at the corner of the samurai’s mouth, but then it was gone.
‘He believed it should be a part of every warrior’s training. The game is essentially a martial art. And the best way for you to learn, Jack, is to play the game.’
Ronin slid the bowl of black stones over to him.
‘Black goes first. I’ll explain more concepts along the way.’
Stone by stone, Ronin and Jack played a mock game. At first Jack placed his stones randomly across the board, but soon found himself under attack from all quarters by White. As the game progressed, Ronin showed Jack how to connect his own stones, cut through his opponent’s groups, reduce their area of influence and invade another’s territory.
‘Life and Death is played out upon the board,’ explained Ronin. He pointed to two of Jack’s groups. ‘Despite having liberties, these are already dead since they can’t avoid eventual capture. So don’t waste your time playing these groups any more.’ He indicated one of his own units formed into a figure of eight. ‘This group is alive and can never be captured. See the two “eyes” in the middle here and here. You can’t place a stone at either point because, with no liberties, your counter would be committing suicide. Formations like this are the key to your survival on the board.’
They played through several matches, each time Jack lasting a little longer and gaining more knowledge of the game. Ronin introduced him to the concept of sente – a play that threatened capture and allowed development of other positions – and even when to sacrifice groups in order to carry out a plan in a more important area.
Jack felt as if his head would burst. There was so much to take in. He understood the basic gameplay and tactics, but the larger strategic concepts still eluded him. Go was far more subtle and complex than it appeared.
‘You’ll have to do a lot better than that!’ scolded Ronin. ‘Your mistake is to concentrate on single conflicts. You need to see the game as a whole, look for patterns and formations, as if commmanding a battle with many fights occurring simultaneously across the board.’
They started again. Jack was concentrating so hard that he lost all track of time and only realized it was lunch when a servant appeared with a meal of plain rice and water. They ate while they played on.
Taking Ronin’s advice, Jack decided to treat Go as a martial art and tried applying his Two Heavens training to the game. Just as he split his attention to wield two swords, he divided his focus between different areas of the board. The game transformed in his mind into a simultaneous duel against four swordsmen, and gradually he began to make gains against Ronin – first he captured an entire group, then he managed to create two ‘eyes’ and was even beginning to invade Ronin’s territory!
‘I think you’re winning!’ exclaimed Hana, delighted. Then she looked at Ronin’s grave face. ‘Jack is winning … isn’t he?’
Studying the board, Ronin went to reply when Kanesuke skulked into the garden and over to the tea house. He had a devious grin on his wrinkled face.
‘Time to play.’
38
A GAME OF GO
A table had been set in the middle of the garden’s chequerboard courtyard. The daimyo, in an all-white hakama, sat to one side, his expression solemn, as befitted a game of Go. Jack faced him, equally serious, trying desperately not to show his pre-match nerves. Despite the daimyo’s sombre attitude, it was still just a game for him, but for Jack it was a matter of life and death.
Ronin and Hana knelt at the edge of the courtyard, guarded by the six samurai. Kanesuke, having arranged tea for his master, settled at a respectful distance to the side of the board as official adjudicator.
‘I’m looking forward to this game, however short it may prove to be,’ daimyo Sanada revealed, taking a sip of sencha. ‘You see, I’m intrigued as to how the foreign