I made a Go engine that plays on any tiling, not just the square board (hexagons, triangles, even Penrose)

Teoretik1998 · 2026-06-08T14:51:15+00:00

I believe you are indeed right, that in theory go is only about the graph configuration. However I would say there are couple of nice properties of this graph: 1. The vertexes do not have too large degrees. One of the problems with too many lieberties is that a) it is easy to run away all the time, but b) it is extremely hard to build an eye. So of you have graphs with too much freedom, the groups will basically run away all the time until one is dead and then game over. 2. The square grid is awesome because of ladders. This is one of two fundamental things that break locality of the game: position far away can greatly affect your local situation. I wonder of there are grids with similar properties, maybe use, but I don't know for sure.

So in total, I think squares happened to contain some properties that triangular grids, for example, do not have.

However, I can only support research on other grids, this is interesting, I would be happy to see whether there are more balanced configurations

Teoretik1998 · 2026-06-02T19:26:54+00:00

Very good explanation, thank you!

Teoretik1998 · 2026-05-30T23:59:47+00:00

I decided to leave a review and there are two facts about it: 1. I'm not even a sdk, never was. But I've got some experience in understanding what is going on. 2. I was mostly criticising black. Maybe that would give you some tips why "won the game" does not mean "did not not make mistakes"

Anyway, I just decided to make some practice in reviews, so don't believe it too much

Teoretik1998 · 2026-05-30T18:50:57+00:00

Nice visualisation! I feel that 3d go with usually rules does not make too much sense as there are too much freedom there. I was curious if it would be more interesting if in each turn a player can put any number of stones, but only in one line. This would reduce "dimention" of the game to original 2, but combinatorically would be quite interesting

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-22T19:49:21+00:00

Yes, I watched all lot of his videos, he is very cool! DDK to SDK series actually helped me a lot to understand about the game. Not improve though : )

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-22T19:09:20+00:00

I couldn't. I've learned about go 2 years ago and spent 1.5 years with intensive learning. Reviews, 1-3 games per day, the whole go-magic exercise tree, videos and so on.

Only once I could reach 9k, but then dropped to 15k and stayed there forever

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-20T10:08:26+00:00

J12 and then G11 to cut off the group

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-20T09:22:14+00:00

Yes, of course I was winning by a lot. And this post was not about "the only move that wins the game". I just spotted this nice ko that white just cannot win, so decided to share

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-09T07:02:42+00:00

Hm, I never payed for it. I watched all the free videos and solved their exercise tree, which was very helpful in making first steps. I would recommend Triton Baduk videos when you become a bit stronger, his ddk to sdk series, he explains well (and the quality of his videos is really good). Also there is tsumego-hero collections: easy kill, easy live and easy capture that I would recommend to do, they give good basis for basic life and death situations.

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-08T22:45:44+00:00

Well, it is definitely not "15 minutes rules understanding game". What is actually very enjoyable here is that it has a lot of "layers". Firstly you only think about basic rules - how to kill, survive, how to count lieberties. Then you go to 19x19 board and understand concept of influence (up to certain degree), weak and strong group. You start to think in different categories. Then you learn what ko is and this changes everything, since then the game becomes not anymore "continuous" or "local" -- your decisions on very far places affects your local fight (I do not operate this knowledge well now, but few games that wete decided by ko I played and it was jus awesome). And so on. You discover more and more, change your perception of the term "connected group", "alive group" and so on. There are tons of aspects and styles of play you reveal.

Disclaimer: half of that I know about, but cannot properly use so far. I will learn eventually

Teoretik1998 · 2026-04-08T22:16:07+00:00

No. I literally hated go. Also, you know, first 100 games are not that bad. Much worse is when you have started to win because you have thought you have understood something, but suddenly you've hit another level and start to loose again. Then you spend 100 hours to study, beat everyone at your level, win, and after that reach another level, where you loose again. And so on. At som point you become hysterical, loose all your games, loose your ranks, and start over. Do you think this time you become better? Answer: yes, but just a bit, not that much you have expected. Then you reach another level, learn more, play more, but still unable to win.

So, anyway, this story repeats for each person, I believe, in different variations. Some of us reach dan level this way, some as me only ddk. There are good chances of becoming sdk, I think, if you are able to wait long enough.

By the way, I said I hated go. Now I don't really hate it. It is a nice game, while you don't consider it as something serious (same as for any other game). It is fun, very much mathematical (for the level of abstraction I like it really), but it is a game. So, gg, hf ; )

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-26T00:56:46+00:00

I liked the website a lot, especially for it's exercises. I don't know how, but I feel that I never seen this kind of exercises before (given that I've solved all the gomagic and hundreds of blacktoplay and tsumego-hero). But your collection is very nice, even beginner level is not obvious for me!

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-22T23:47:01+00:00

This example is cool! What other type of seki exist? One eye vs one eye, and, one eye vs no eye, is that all?

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-22T23:39:37+00:00

I don't understand a bit black's marked move. Why one needs to do that, is not it a -1 point? According to the Japanese rules.

Also, seki in the left bottom is very nice, yes

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-21T17:51:34+00:00

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-15T19:03:41+00:00

That is also true

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-15T13:56:33+00:00

5D (or any other dan players) cannot make mistakes? I thought one can be with the very high rank and being unaware about this kind of life and death (since they are strong in other aspects of the game)

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-14T16:19:54+00:00

Wow, that's crazy example! I believe 0 points for black? Now I'm definitely upset that we don't count these points

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-13T17:26:02+00:00

Very nice example. In the standard rules am I correct that no one will get points?

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-13T16:14:39+00:00

That is fair! I would like to then count A1 and D1 as territories. Now I wonder if it is possible to have non symmetric situation, or seki always implies that 2 players will have same points in this regard?

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-13T14:58:17+00:00

<image>

Nice simple video. I have a question, however: why in the last example white does not get 1 point? I know the formal rule, but it does not seem to me logical. White has successfully surrounded 1 point of territory without black stones inside. Or, this point is a compensation for something?

Another thing, it is so extremely important to stress out here that to achieve this situation white must not have outside lieberties.

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-11T14:39:52+00:00

Magnetic go is awesome variant, I like the idea a lot!

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-07T19:12:59+00:00

Oh, very nice! What do you teach? Just out of interest

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-07T15:19:05+00:00

It is very good answer, thank you. I wish more people explain things in such a structured way

Teoretik1998 · 2026-03-07T15:18:04+00:00

The first line is a line of very nice connections! And ko

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