Hi Don, >I know of players who thought Go might be an interesting game, but >gave up quickly when they realized they could never play by Japanese >rules.
I am not saying the opposite, and again, I think the ideal rules for computer championships today are Chinese, but without penalizing pass moves. >It's been said that if Alien beings ever contacted us, it's likely >they would be GO players due to the simplicity of the rules. Let me use your SF argument to explain what I call "natural evolution": In The Beginning, Martians, just like Earthlings, use Chinese rules. Those who want to improve, count during the game, not after every move, but many times. They count komi +/- territory +/- the stones. With time, players find counting the stones annoying and pointless since only the difference in captures has to be considered and that does not need to be counted, it can be added to komi. They also naturally recognize which groups are worth defending and which are not. Without noticing, they have become Japanese players. Jacques. _______________________________________________ computer-go mailing list computer-go@computer-go.org http://www.computer-go.org/mailman/listinfo/computer-go/
