‘Go’ gaining in popularity among Turkish people

ANTALYA - Anadolu Agency

Go has been played in Turkey since 1988 and there are now 300 active players. A course was opened in the Antalya Youth Center due to growing interest in the game and the number of students is 20 at the moment. AA photo

The game “Go,” which dates back to China 4,000 years ago, has begun drawing increasing interest in Turkey with a growing number of tournaments and places to play.

Go has been played in Turkey since 1988, Antalya Youth Center trainer Yılmaz Çalık said, adding that there were 300 active players in the country. The game is developing in Turkey, he said, adding that they opened a course due to growing interest. “We have 20 students right now, but the number is increasing every other day.” Çalık said Go was not based on the principle of “destroying” like chess. “There is a saying that if chess is the game of accountants, go is the game of philosophers. Everything depends on your imagination in this game,” he said.

None of the stones had dominance over the other, he said. 

Philosophy of Go

“The game is played with 361 stones, 181 are black and 180 are white. The goal is to lower the rival’s area and enlarge your own area. It is not necessary to use all stones in the game.” 

Çalık said that the philosophy of Go had determined war tactics. “For example, the Japanese used a strategy of this game in the Pearl Harbor attack. Go also has a connection with daily life. For example, when you say a bad thing, you cannot retract but you have to do something to correct your mistake. This game is something like it.”

The game began in China before becoming popular in Japan and spreading out to the whole world, Çalık said.