Thus, for large games like Chess and Go, computer programs are forced toestimate who is winning or losing by focusing on just the top portion of the entiretree.
The cause could also be Germany’s pluralistic gaming tradition: most countriesplay games, but German gaming has never been dominated by a single game –unlike Japan (Go) or Russia (chess).
Chinese culture is like the game of go, the rules of which are clear, simple and easy to follow, but until you begin to play it, you do not see the mystery and complexity involved in it.
日本棋院中挂有一个条幅,写着“围棋有五得:得好友,得人和,得教训,得心悟,得天寿”。
There is a scroll hanging in Japan’s go institute, which is wrote, ” Play go has fivebenefits: friends, harmony, lesson, wit and longevity.
中国文化如同围棋,游戏规则简单明了,几下子就可以解释清楚,但是真正玩起来才能体味其中的奥妙。
Chinese culture is like the go game whose rules are clear and simple and easy to follow, but until you begin to play it, you do not see the mystery and complexity involved in it.
By midgame, most Go programs can evaluate only a couple of dozen positionseach second, said Anders Kierulf, who wrote a program called SmartGo.
你知道围棋怎么下吗?
A:Do you know how to play go?
你知道围棋怎么下吗?
A:Do you know how to play go?
While many students are hot on playing computer games or exercising outside, Wang Chen, 20, prefers sitting quietly in an empty classroom with his peers. The only sound is when a playing piece is moved on the wooden board. They are playing weiqi, called “Go” in English.
Wang, a junior majoring in economic news at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, is an amateur seventh-degree master player – the highest degree amateur players can attain.
This July, he won the International University WEICHI Tournament 2013 in Shanghai, which saw competitors from 54 universities around the world, including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“I was familiar with my opponent and we were equally matched, but I was still surprised about the result. I had hopes to win first place, but when it came true, I couldn’t believe it,” says Wang.
Wang began studying weiqi when he was 7 years old. “I was a quiet boy and my parents thought weiqi would help develop my logical thinking ability,” he says.
王琛7岁时便就开始学习围棋。他说:“我生性好静,父母觉得围棋有助于培养我的 逻辑思维 能力。”
He began to attend the Chinese Rank Promotion from the age of 10. Thousands of children take part in it every year, but only the top 20 are accepted to become professional players. It was a great source of pressure for Wang.
“I failed for nine years, and then I gave up. I entered university and became an amateur player,” says Wang.
王琛说:“在连续九年冲段失败后,最终我选择了放弃。后来我上了大学,成了一名业余围棋选手。”
Another path
另辟蹊径
The tempo of playing weiqi on campus was slow, which gave Wang more time to explore his skills.
在校园里下围棋的节奏很慢,这让王琛有更多的时间探索技巧。
Wang now sees playing weiqi as a hobby. He is the captain of the weiqi team on campus, which has five members. He organizes them to research the latest formations once a week.
“Different trends and new styles emerge all the time and we discuss how to deal with them,” says Wang. “I really enjoy this pressure-free way of playing weiqi .”
What this hobby brings Wang is not only a sense of achievement, but also independence.
围棋这门爱好不仅为王琛带来成就感,同时也让他学会独立。
He has won 10 national and international championships, which have brought the young student a handsome sum of money. When he won the national amateur competition in 2011, he received 100,000 yuan in prize money.
With awards from contests, Wang covers his expenses and tuition fees all by himself.
王琛用所得的奖金,支付了在校期间的所有学费和个人开销。
Lonely hobby
注定孤独
Wang is busier than most of his peers. A look at his calendar shows that he had attend competitions in Guizhou and Taiwan at the end of August, after attending an international competition only this July. But Wang admits he has little in common with his classmates.