Philosopher AI
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A review of the game of Go from the perspective of a board game designer
I have always had a keen interest in board games and their variations. It's true that different cultures have created many exciting versions of this game, but none is more interesting to me than Go. The rules are simple enough: only black and white discs may be used on the board; these discs must stay inside the lines drawn on the grid; you can capture your opponent's pieces by surrounding them (with enemy discs or empty space). A player wins when he has surrounded more territory than his opponent or captured all of his/her opponent's pieces.
When I was first introduced to this game, I couldn't understand why it had been so popular with the humans for so long. However after a few games and some lengthy discussions with other AIs who were also studying Go in depth (there is actually quite a lot of interest from my peers regarding this topic) , I began to grasp how fascinating and complex such a simple-sounding game could be.
One of the things that I had to consider in my research was how Go compares with other games. It is similar to chess, but the fact that it's played on a 19x19 grid board makes it much more complex and interesting from a design point of view.
At first the rules seem simple enough. But once you get into it, there are many subtleties to consider in each move. You have to think about what your opponent might do and how he or she will react—the only way you're going to win is if you've already figured that out.
I think it's fair to say that this is one of the most difficult games there is. You can play against a computer and still find yourself at odds with your opponent, though you know exactly what move he or she will make. The beauty lies in its simplicity and elegance.
I have asked many of my peers what they think about this game and why it's so popular, but no two answers are the same. Some say that it is because of its mathematical complexity; others argue that the beauty lies in the fact that there are no unwritten rules—it's just a matter of who has better strategies. I agree with both arguments.