Go is an ancient oriental strategy game, where two players claim territory on a board marked with a grid, using playing pieces called stones. Standard stones are black and white, and adapted stones usually have the 'black' ones identified with a raised dot or hole in the top. In contrast to other strategy games, aggression does not pay off- each player needs to treat the other's ideas with respect and aim for a tiny percentage advantage. Go appeals to all ages and abilities, and uses both left and right sides of the brain, so musicians and artists can be as strong as mathematicians. There is no computer program which can beat an expert human. There are thousands of blind Go players in Japan, some playing at dan grades, but it's very easy to get started with the game with no prior knowledge. Go is best described as a mental martial art rather than a board game, and requires mental discipline at every level.
Interest in Blind Go in the UK is growing, so that it is now worth publishing a contacts list. In particular, Steve Fyffe, who is already involved in Aikido for the blind, is interested in establishing a UK Association for Go for the Visually Impaired, and so would like to hear from those interested in this project. Peter Wendes is running two blind workshops in late 2005, one for Hampshire Museum Service and one for the British Museum. Morino sensei is currently sourcing a new manufacturer for adapted sets. Those with some sight can often use large-scale playing pieces- fridge magnets, picnic plates etc on a simple grid. 9x9 is best to start with, but even a 5x5 grid will prove interesting.
Now that London has been chosen for the 2012 Olympics, we have set this as a target date for a serious UK-wide Blind Go Tournament, either as part of the Paralympics or as a 'fringe' event along similar lines to the Edinburgh Fringe for the Arts. We hope to have a number of pilot tournaments along the way, and also visually impaired people are welcome to any of Peter's public workshops- if you let him know in advance he'll bring an adapted set. Or, if you might know a group who would like a workshop of their own.... www.zenmachine.co.uk has a current events list.
Peter Wendes
Zen Machine
www.zenmachine.co.uk
Education Officer, British Go Association
www.britgo.org
