Regular readers will know that Sarge likes to play Go. He plays it online and is also a member of a local club. Though I believe the first rule of Go club is you don’t talk about Go club.
Anyway.
We’ve traipsed around game shops looking for what Sarge calls ‘a real Go board’ and even the right wood so he can make his own. A few weeks ago, we sat down to watch The Go Master, a biopic of Go Seigen. Before I watched this beautiful film, I thought of Go as something like Chinese checkers. I was wrong. And now I want to learn to play.
Sarge has tried to talk me through moves. When I look at a board, I still don’t know what I’m looking at. Except maybe black and white stones that make me want to eat Junior Mints.
Last night Sarge came home with a board that he’d ordered. I was writing, and he was on the couch. I thought he was happily playing out moves, and I went over to see if he was winning.
This is what I found:
A penguin! That’s definitely a penguin.
*Penguin is not actual game play.
We may even play a real game. When the penguin waddles off the board.
Three things: 1-Definitely Junior Mints, 2-the board/game are beautiful, 3-the penguin makes me smile with my heart.
I love the penguin! I think I tried to learn GO a long time ago, college maybe. So a good 20 years ago. I really can’t remember what I thought of it. The whole process of trying to isolate your opposition by trapping with your pegs and keeping more of the board under your control reminded me of playing mine sweaper in reverse. At least from a visual perspective and I’m a very visual person.
that’s a darn good penguin!
I think the penguin wins the game.
Just a note to let you know I nominated you for the Inspiring Blog Award
I especially like the bit about the Junior Mints!