In China around 400 CE, Go was called *”Shudan,”* which also means “hand talk” or “hand discussion,” suggesting that the game is a silent negotiation for control of territory, with the placing of stones instead of verbal exchange. That name was eventually replaced by others, but that name is very interesting to me because it helps explain what joseki are.
Joseki is a Nipponese word that means “settled moves.” Since Go has been actively played for the last 4 and a half millennia, it’s understandable that a lot of thought has gone into sequences of moves that may be common.
What’s interesting about joseki is that they’re well thought-out sequences of moves that benefit both players. You may be wondering “why would one want to play in a way that benefits one’s opponent?” (A good question.) The answer is that joseki benefit each player differently; you trade one benefit (like territory) to your opponent for a benefit to your own game (like influence). Knowing what each joseki (and there are thousands of them, by some accounts) trades is perhaps just as hard as remembering the sequence of moves.
Still, it seems silly to want to benefit one’s opponent unnecessarily, so you may wonder if it’s possible to break out of the sequence at some point and steal more benefit than you would normally get in the “deal.” The answer is: maybe. Of course, you are not required in any way to follow through with a joseki sequence, but you must keep in mind that dozens of millions of minds have analyzed joseki and they are in general bulletproof. Any stray from the sequence is almost certainly a mistake if your opponent can take advantage of it.
Studying joseki is pretty difficult in itself, but one of the hardest things to overcome is the almost inevitable automatic underestimation of one’s opponent if he or she doesn’t play joseki “correctly.” If you value joseki enough to learn them, then when your opponent misses a step, it’s very hard not to think that he or she made a fatal mistake and then gleefully go on to make your own fatal mistakes.
The hard reality is that knowing joseki doesn’t automatically make you better player overall. With every move, even in the middle of joseki, you must think through the consequences of every stone played. Every stone played in Go — not just in joseki — is a trade of some variety. The perpetual silent bartering, with your opponent and with the rules of the Universe and causality, is one of the thing that makes Go such a fascinating game.
18 Oct 2003, 08:31 #
