Go equipment
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Go equipment refers to the objects which are necessary in order to play the game of Go. Although the equipment is simple, there is a varying degree of quality and material used in making the equipment, from the economical to the extremely valuable.
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[edit] History
The oldest known surviving Go equipment is a board carved from rock that dates from the Han Dynasty in China. Other examples of ancient equipment can be found in museums in Japan and Korea.
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Board
The Go board, called the goban 碁盤 in Japanese, is the playing surface on which to place the stones. The standard board is marked with a 19x19 lined grid. Other smaller boards include a 13x13 grid and a 9x9 grid used for shorter games often used to teach beginners. Some 19x19 boards have a 13x13 grid on the reverse side. 17x17 was used in historical times. Chinese boards are generally square; Japanese boards are slightly longer than wide, so that they appear square when viewed from a normal playing position. In Asian go parlors, the tables are slightly lower than the typical game table so that the players can see the position more clearly.
Traditional Japanese gobans usually follow the dimensions:
mm inch
Board width 424.2 16 23/32 1.4 shaku 尺
Board length 454.5 17 29/32 1.5 shaku 尺
Board thickness 151.5 5 31/32 0.5 shaku 尺
Line spacing width-wise 22 7/8 7.26 bu 分
Line spacing length-wise 23.7 15/16 7.82 bu 分
Line thickness 1 1/32 0.3 bu 分
Star point marker diameter 4 5/32 1.2 bu 分
Stone diameter 22.5 29/32 7.5 bu 分
(1 inch = 25.4 mm; 1 shaku = 100 bu = 303 mm)
Go boards fall into several types or styles.
- Economical boards are made of paper, plastic or laminate, which can easily be folded away and stored. They are often used by beginners or for when one does not have a proper set available. A board can be hand-drawn on a stiff piece of cardboard for the super-economical.
- Magnetic sets are also available, with magnets in the stones and a metallic board. They are useful for travelling. Large magnetic boards are also available for demonstration purposes, during lectures and other presentations.
- Wooden board one to two inches thick are commonly used. They are known as "table boards" because they are placed on a table (in contrast see "floor board" below.) The wood grain is pleasing to the eye, and the stones make a nice sound when placed firmly on the board. They can be made to be folded, or slotted together. Some have grids on the reverse. Although boards have been made from almost every type of wood including cheaper kinds made of pressed particle board with or without veneer; a light color with a fine grain that does not compete with the grid lines is considered most suitable, such as spruce or katsura 桂. The most valued boards are made from kaya, which is a mellow yellow in colour. Bamboo boards are also available; they appeal especially to those interested in fast-growing sustainable materials. Bamboo has a tensile strength similar to that of steel[1] making it very durable, but also heavier than other wooden boards of the same size.[2]
- A wooden floor board with legs is the most traditional, elegant and expensive of all boards. These boards were used in historical times in Japan where one would sit on tatami mats and play, and are still used for important tournament games in Asia. Chinese versions of floor boards are not always made from a single block of wood, and more closely resemble a small table with an inlaid go board. The legs raise the board to the correct height. The board can range from 14-21cm high, the thicker the more elegant. The underside often has a square recess (called a heso) to stop the wood from warping and to amplify the clicking sound of the stones hitting the surface. The best boards are made from Miyazaki kaya, which is rare. These are classified according to the quality of the wood grain. Itame refers to a bent or irregular grain; masame refers to consistent grain that runs straight across the top of the board. Masame boards are further classified as tenmasa (the top grain is straight, but grain along the cut end is curved, as in the illustration), and most-prized tenchimasa (grain is straight along the cut end as well as on top.) Prices of kaya boards range from $1,000 to $20,000 plus. Boards made of other woods, such as Alaskan spruce, Agathis or katsura are cheaper, around $500 to $2,000. The best boards are made in Japan, followed by Korea, which has good substitutes to kaya. China makes more economical ones out of cherrywood or bamboo.
[edit] Taking care of boards
Wooden boards should be stored in a proper place to prevent pieing, discolouration, woodworm, mould and other serious wear; prolonged exposure to sunlight can bleach the board. Boards transported between climates are likely to warp or crack if not stored with humidity levels similar to their origin (boards from humid countries should be stored in humid places). Wooden boards should be covered after use with a silk cloth to keep dust off. As chemical cleaning agents could damage or alter the board, wiping with a dry or slightly moist cloth is the best way to clean the board. Fine boards receiving heavy use should periodically be treated with carnauba wax.
[edit] Stones
Go stones, or go-ishi 碁石,棋子, are round objects placed on the board. They are coloured black or white, for each player, and normally number 181 for black and 180 for white or sometimes 180 each.
There are two styles or shapes of stones depending on where a player obtains them from:
- The Japanese style, which is lens shaped. This is the most popular style. This style is sometimes called biconvex.
- The Chinese style, called yunzi 雲子,云子, or 'cloud', which may have a flat bottom or be shaped biconvex. This is, as the name suggests, mostly used in China. Flat bottom stones can be used for post-game analysis; by placing stones upside down, players can easily keep track of which stones were part of the original game. However, they are harder to pick up when clearing them from the board.
The material varies. Some stones are made out of plastic, glass, porcelain or marble, but the traditional Japanese stones are made out of slate for black and clamshell for white. Chinese style stones can be made of glass, but to be considered true yunzi it must be sintered. The exact recipe is a well-kept secret and was in fact lost for a time in the early 20th century due to instability of the country.
[edit] Stone dimensions
Stone thickness can also vary, being as low as 4 millimeters or as high as 12.8 millimeters, with most between 7.0 mm and 10.1 mm for biconvex and 5-7 mm for single convex. Thick slate and shell stones can last for generations, slowly becoming thinner from handling, and gradually acquiring an ivory-like patina. The diameter of the stones is standardized to around 22mm +/- 1 mm, which can fit almost all Go boards. Black stones are slightly larger in diameter to compensate for optical illusion of the white stones appearing larger when placed with black stones of the same diameter. This mostly applies to Korean and Japanese stones — Chinese stones tend to be sometimes larger in diameter, but they do come in different standard sizes. A Chinese "large" size is about 23mm in diameter while "medium" is about 22mm. Chinese board dimensions is also accordingly larger to accommodate them. See also some comparative measurements of various go stone sets[3].
For the most expensive clamshell and slate Go stones, stone thickness is carefully controlled and ranked according to size. Typical stone sizes are size 25 (7.0 mm thick) to size 37 (10.4 mm), and even thicker stones are available for a correspondingly much higher price. Commonly used shell and slate Go stone thicknesses are size 32 (8.8 mm) and size 33 (9.2 mm) for most individuals and size 36 (10.1 mm) for professionals. Stones thicker than 10.1 mm are difficult to place on the board, while many Go players prefer stones that are 8.8 and 9.2 mm thick, considering these the optimum thickness for aesthetic and practical reasons.
[edit] Plastic stones
Generally, these are the cheapest stones available. They range from flat, counter shaped to the typical lens shape. Price ranges from around $10-$30.
One specific type of plastic stone is called the Ing stone, manufactured by the Ing Chang-ki Wei-chi Education Foundation. These are the official stones of the Ing Foundation and have some extra weight to them due to metal inserted in the middle of the stone. They are 10 mm thick and sometimes come in an Ing Bowl, specially designed to count them. (Ing rules require each player to start with exactly 180 stones.)
[edit] Porcelain stones
These are among the cheapest stones available for single convex stones, ranging from under $10 to $15. They often mimic the shape and size of Yunzi stones.
[edit] Glass stones
The most widely used and most economical. They range from thinner flat-bottomed style, to a symmetrical lens shape. Glass stones have the correct weight and can be grasped with ease. White stones are polished and black ones are buffed to a matte finish, giving a feel somewhat like slate and clam stones. Price ranges from $15 to $80 for glass stones with bowls. A cheap alternative is to buy glass 'gems' at an arts and crafts store; a full set of stones will cost $5 to $10.
[edit] Slate and clamshell stones
These are the most expensive stones one can get, since each stone is hand-made using mechanical grinding and polishing equipment. The black stones are made of slate, while the white stones are made from clamshells. Due to a single clam shell yielding only a limited amount of stones (around three), white stones are expensive to produce. The clamshells used to make the white stones used to be farmed from Japan, but since the supply is dwindling, most clamshells are harvested from Baja California in Mexico. These stones have three grades depending on the stripe or grain pattern of the white stones. All grades use the same uniform black slate stones. Shell stones may also rarely be made out of the giant clam (shako in Japanese) shell, as well as a clam shell that has a slight purple tint. Clamshell stones are cut as cylinders using a diamond coring drill, then professionally ground, sanded, shaped, and polished into the final product. Shell and slate stones are natural products that provide the ultimate in Go stone aesthetics, and even the lowest grade are far more expensive than the common plastic, glass, and ceramic stones. The price for a set of shell and slate stones ranges from $200 to over $5,000 according to grade, progressively thicker stones costing more within each grade. The finest slate and clamshell Go stones are made in Japan, but China also produces such stones.
- Jitsuyo (practical, standard, or utility grade) are stones with a coarse grain across the stone, with 7 or 8 wide stripes. The stones are cut near the joint of the shell.
- Tsuki (moon grade) are stones with a finer grain pattern, with more and thinner stripes covering about 70% of the stone. They are cut around the middle of the shell. These are considered the 'in-between' quality.
- Yuki (snow grade) are stones with a uniform, fine, straight grain across the stone, with many fine stripes covering at least 80% of the stone. They are cut from near the edge of the shell. These are considered the best by Japanese tastes, and are the most expensive considering it is difficult to cut a stone with a great deal of thickness since the edge of the shell is mostly thin. The price ranges from $200 to over $5,000, the thicker stones costing more.
[edit] Yunzi stones
Yunzi are delicately made with a jade-like luster yet are neither brittle nor slippery. The black and white pieces each have their special qualities. The white pieces are opaque with a tint of yellow or green. The black pieces are dark, and when held to the light hue a translucent green hue. With new technology, Yunzi stones can now be made pure white without any discolorations.
[edit] Stone etiquette
When not making a move, one should leave one's stones in the bowl. During the opponent's turn, it is considered rude for players to rattle stones in the bowl. It is also considered improper to hold a handful of stones. The "correct" procedure is to decide upon one's move, then remove one stone from the bowl and place it on the board. This produces the minimal amount of distraction for one's opponent.
When removing a stone from its bowl to make a move, place a flat hand on the edge of the bowl, with the fingers gently entering the bowl. Pick up a stone chopstick-style with the index and middle fingers, holding the stone between the index fingernail and the middle fingertip. The fingers extend almost straight, and the thumb is not tucked in.
When placing the stone, take care that long sleeves are brushed up to avoid knocking stones already played. To place the stone on the board, as soon as the fingertip of index finger is about to reach the surface of the board, it slips to the side, allowing the middle finger to aim the stone down towards the surface and connect (the other fingers and thumb naturally spread outwards). With a little practice a stone can be placed gracefully and forcefully and with a big click. The keys to a loud click are the force of the middle finger and the late release of the stone. Once the stone has been placed, the middle finger and hand slowly lifts off the stone (trying to avoid wobbling the stone) and gently retreats back to the player. [4]
Although it is permissible to place one's stone at times with a loud, satisfying "thwack", one who does so with every move would be considered crude or vulgar. For instance, when submitting to an opponent's threat, a quiet placement is more in keeping with circumstances; probing moves or clever responses may be slid slyly into place. The ability to express oneself in the manner of making a move explains why one of the names for the game is "hand talk" ("shudan" in Japanese, "shoutan" in Chinese).
[edit] Taking care of stones
New stones (of any variety except slate and clamshell) should be washed in warm (soapy) water to remove any oils or chalk by-products of their manufacture or storage protection, then dried thoroughly. Do not use soap when cleaning clamshell stones; new clamshell stones should not need cleaning. New slate stones should be cleaned of excess mineral oil with a cotton cloth. When using stones, one should not slap the stones down too hard. When finished, they should be either kept in their bowls or original packaging and stored away from sunlight and heat. Placing a soft cloth in the bottom of the bowl can help to minimize chipping of stones.
[edit] Bowls
Go bowls, or go-ke 碁笥 are the containers for the stones. Although not strictly needed to play Go, bowls nevertheless play an important role in storing the stones, and captured stones can be placed on the lids. Bowls are identical, with one holding the white stones and one holding the black stones.
A bowl's lid is usually rather loose and not tightly fitted. Players traditionally turn the lid upside down and keep stones there that they have captured from the opponent. The lid should be easily visible by the opponent, so each player knows how many prisoners the opponent has. (This tradition does not apply when using "area rules"; see go rules for a description of the different rule sets.)
The Go bowl can be made of several different materials.
- Plastic: Very cheap, they can be cylinder shaped or square shaped. The price is around $5. Quart size Tupperware containers can also be used.
- Straw: Mostly used by the Chinese. They are made of woven straw. The price is around $10-25.
- Wood: The most common material used to make bowls. The type of wood used affects the price considerably. Mulberry is the most striking and expensive. Intermediate woods are quince (karin in Japanese), kaya, cherry, keyaki, and rosewood. Cheaper ones are made out of beech or chestnut. The bowl can be polished. The best bowls are carved from a single piece of wood and have their grains highlighted. The price range varies from $50 to over $2,500.
Not all bowls can fit a full set of stones. Most can only hold stones with a thickness of up to 10 mm. Larger and more expensive bowls hold stones of thickness of up to 12 mm since one would buy thicker and more expensive stones to match the quality of the bowl. The bowls of highest quality and price should be used only for the best shell and slate stones, preferably of Yuki (snow-grade) quality. Lesser quality wood bowls should be used for Jitsuyo (standard-grade) and Tsuki (moon-grade) shell and slate stones. Glass stones should be stored in the least expensive wood bowls or plastic bowls. A list of woods used in Japanese Go bowls [5] with photographs is available.
