Why Go is Going Nowhere (economist.com)
- Reference: 0180588582
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/01/15/1846223/why-go-is-going-nowhere
- Source link: https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/01/15/why-go-is-going-nowhere
When Go was registered with the International Mind Sports Association alongside chess and bridge, organizers had to adopt the American Go Association's rules because the East Asian trio failed to reach consensus. In 2025, China's Ke Jie withdrew from a title match at a Seoul tournament after receiving repeated penalties for violating a rule that the South Korean Go association had introduced mid-tournament. China's Go association responded by barring foreign players, most of them South Korean, from its domestic competitions.
It also doesn't help that the game's commercial appeal is fading. Japan's Nihon Ki-in, the country's main Go association, has started exploring a potential sale of its Tokyo headquarters. Young people across the region are gravitating toward chess, shogi, and video games instead.
[1] https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/01/15/why-go-is-going-nowhere
Mahjong (Score:5, Insightful)
Mahjong has so many regional variants that it would make your head spin. And in most places, especially China, people often insist their variant is the truest form. But yet Mahjong is not in decline, it's actually thriving. I think comparing everything to Chess, where it has been standardized for a relatively long time, is a mistake. Standardization is not really a barrier to getting a global footprint for a game (or sport), not for casual play and not for tournaments. Offering an interesting experience and an enthusiastic fan base is about the only requirement.
Re: (Score:2)
> But yet Mahjong is not in decline, it's actually thriving.
Post-kiddush gaming is keeping it afloat in the US.
Oh, the game (Score:2)
Reading the title I thought we'd have another Tiobe controversy and almost prepared the popcorn.
Re: (Score:2)
An I want congratulate the slashdot editors on pulling such a clever clickbait.
'I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed (Score:5, Insightful)
"China's Ke Jie withdrew from a title match at a Seoul tournament after receiving repeated penalties for violating a rule that the South Korean Go association had introduced mid-tournament."
Really didn't think I would care enough about this topic to take sides. But changing the rules in the middle of the game is the textbook example of unfairness.
Re: (Score:1)
It's Asia, Confucius allowed the rule change! /s
Re: (Score:2)
That's misleading though, since the tournament lasts for like a year. The rules were not changed mid-game.
> The Nihon Ki-inâ(TM)s online archives show that the first round of the 29th LG Cup was played on May 20, 2024; the semifinals started on October 2. The new rule was not even created until November, which means that the rules were changed during the course of the tournament, which is surely irregular.
[1]https://usgo.org/content.aspx?... [usgo.org]
The rules infringement occurred the following Jan 22.
[1] https://usgo.org/content.aspx?club_id=454497&item_id=126338&page_id=5
Nope (Score:2)
There's nothing stopping western interest in Go. Regardless of whether they use American rules, or a dozen different rules, Go could expand. It does not expand due to a lock of interest. It simply does not appeal to the average westerner, for reasons that I can't explain, but are not related to rule sets.
Westerners also don't much care for abacus. But, Asians don't seem to have a lot of interest in Dominoes. Different cultures, steeped in different traditions, have different interests. And that's OK!
Re: (Score:2)
I've heard one speculation that westerners find the uniformity of go too bland, as opposed to the interesting variety of movement found in chess pieces.
I only play ... (Score:3)
... by Systems Commonwealth rules.
C forever! (Score:2)
Ok, so that's not the "go" the article is talking about.
Go, the game, should catch on IMHO. I find it to be much richer than chess, both to play and to watch. Also, it has a kickass manga to go with it, so what's not to love?
"Commercial appeal" (Score:2)
I reckon it's hard to preserve the "commercial appeal" of a game you could play on a desert island with a bunch of rocks.
Re: (Score:2)
Nah, once you get into it you start wanting luxury rocks. Thick kaya wood boards with their own legs with shell and slate stones that make the "pa-chick" sound just so. Oh, and that kaya board needs to have the bottom hand carved by a master to get just the perfect resonance. Well worth the $3,000.00 price tag! (Provided you have someone to play with on the regular.)
But alas, I do not have a go playing friend. At least not in meat space. So I have a few cheap boards and play online.
Re: (Score:2)
That's true of Checkers/Drafts and yet it still has a sizable fan base and businesses have no problems selling sets.
Say again? (Score:5, Interesting)
"a rule that the South Korean Go association had introduced mid-tournament."
What. The. Hell.
Re: (Score:2)
Here is the [1]Wikipedia article on the controversy [wikipedia.org]. Looks like the tournament began in May 2024 and the new rules were updated in November 2024 and the finals were in January 2025. The complaint of the Chinese was that the rule change shouldn't be retroactive for the whole tournament. But it's not like it was a last minute change during a game, but during a long tournament. And the rule update was on where captured stones should be placed.
From the article:
> In November 2024, the Korean Baduk Association revised its rules, requiring that captured stones be placed on the lid of the Go bowl. A first violation results in a 2-point penalty, while a second violation leads to an automatic loss. These rules were communicated to the Chinese side before the Samsung Cup in November 2024.
> One of the major controversies of the 29th LG Cup was the retroactive application of the new rules, which were implemented in November 2024, even though the tournament began in May 2024. According to sports event conventions, rules should not apply retroactively to events that started before their implementation. The penalties imposed during the final were deemed unreasonable by many.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29th_LG_Cup_World_Baduk_Championship_final_controversy
Finally Fizzbin (Score:1)
gets a shot at the big-time...except on Tuesdays.
Sad (Score:1)
This is a shame. I suppose those tensions show up even in the naming: Go, Baduk, Weiqi. It's such an elegant, layered game. Who knows, maybe some things are better staying a little bit niche? I thought it was going to have more of a moment after The Surrounding Game and AlphaGo.
That explains a lot (Score:2)
It's been said that world leaders who play Go are more formidable than those who play chess. Now I understand why.
As intelligence declines what depends on it do too (Score:2)
it's only logical
go figure
Plus the programming language is worthless!! (Score:1, Funny)
Should have named the game after Rust...at least it would perform well.