In the opening, go for surrounding the corners, because surrounding the corners is easier than surrounding the center or the sides. Then, try going for the sides and then, finally, the center. Also, try to keep your groups together so that it will be harder for your opponent to capture them. If you have too few groups, though, you will be too slow to surround terrotory, and you will be more than likley be stuck in one place while the opponent surrounds everything else. Now, about history: 4,000 years ago, the legendary Chinese emperor Yao made this game-under the name of "Yi"- for his (let's say "less than brilliant") son as both a teaching tool for disipline and as an amusement so his son would'nt be bored. By 1,000 A.D., both Japan and Korea learned the game (and changed some of the scoring rules so there are 2 main variants of Go today: Chinese and Korean/Japanese. The Japanese especially had a rich history with Go and Japan's culture is entwined with Go's history, so much so that some people actually think that Japan made Go instead of China! Go was promoted by Japan's shogunate and special tournaments were held (called the Castle Games) that took place in the king's castle, with the king himself watching the games. 4 schools of Go (yes, actual schools [like art schools today] opened in Japan so that more people can learn about Go. Fast forward a few centuries and Go was starting to other countries, and English- speaking countries finally learned about this game. Fast forward a little farther, the Internet was invented, and Go spread faster than ever. Today, there are now tournaments all over the world. Asia is, and probably always will be, the best players of Go. The game over there is like Chess here in America in terms of popularity and how good they are compared to the rest of the world. Despite all the info about Go on the internet, most people here in America havn't even heard about this game. This site is just another 'book' to add to the gigantic library we all call the Internet. I highly recommend you look up Go on the Internet, because I haven't even scraped the top of the iceburg. I hope you enjoy the game.

Visit the website Sensei's Library for more about strategy, tactics, and just general (and sometimes funny) discussion about Asia's favorite wargame.