Using the Game of Baduk/Go/Wei-chi to Teach Across the Disciplines

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Using the Game of Baduk/Go/Wei-chito Teach
Across the Disciplines
G. Yakman Jinsoo Kim ISETL 2007

• A game that is easy enough for a toddler to
  learn, but can be complex enough to stump a
  genius.

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What is Baduk/Go/Wei-chi?

• Ancient Asian strategy game
• Developed in China about 4000 yrs. ago

• Originally played only by royalty
• Kept from commoners to hinder intellectual
  development

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Why Baduk/Go Stayed East

• High Class controlled game
• 600AD from China to Korea Japan
• Tibetian book Qi Jing 550AD references it
• Chess pieces - representative of European culture
• Baduk/Go pieces simplistic
• Difficulty for foreigners
• Restricted foreign travel -1842
• Gambling culture

7th Century 1st Baduk Painting in Tibet
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How the West Got Baduk/Go

• 300 AD Danish grave
• 925 AD Saxon Hnefatafl similar
• Jesuit missions into to elite
• Matteo Ricci d. 1610 wrote on topic

10th Century Hnefatafl
Montanus
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Compared to chess

• Easier to learn, harder to master
• Built in Handicap System
• Unlimited possibilities
• No computer yet able to play at master level

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Baduk/Go Schools

• K-12 devoted schools
• Baduk/Go/Chess Clubs at schools (50 across US)
• Professional Development Schools
• Collegiate Level
• Middlebury Huang Schumer (see syllabus)
• One collegiate Department of Baduk, at Myongji
  University Korea Founded in 1998 by Asso. Prof.
  Jeong, Soo-Hyun - 3 faculty
• Bachelors and Masters degrees, Nam, Chi-Hyung
  Choi, ll-Ho.
• Baduk Education, Baduk Research Methodology,
  Baduk History, Baduk Culture, Baduk Techniques
  and Education, Baduk Psychology

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Integrated STEM education

• The concept of teaching across the disciplines of
  
• Science
• Technology
• Engineering
• Mathematics
• with activities that cover content and
  application from each of the fields

Einstein with professional Baduk/Go player Fukuda
Masayoshi.
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media.mit.edu/quanta/people/kenbrown/Einstein.jpg
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What is STE_at_M Education

• The concept of teaching across all the
  disciplines by formally tying the STEM
  disciplines to the Arts fields, including
• Fine
• Physical Performance
• Manual
• Liberal Social
• (Education, psych., phil., socio., etc)

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.
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FUNctional Literacy

• Teaching across the disciplines directly supports
  transference of knowledge.
• Students not only learn to be literate in a
  singular (silo) field, but they become life-long
  learners who are much more capable of being
  functionally literate and advancing society.

AND ITS MORE FUN ENGAGING!
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Science Relationships
Boards Katsura wood Stones Slate, Shell,
Glass, Plastic Jade Bowls wood, woven
decorative The number of possible games playable
on this board has been reckoned to be more than
the number of molecules in the universe.
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Technology Relationships
Creativity Strategy Design Materials and
processes
http//www.hanjimadang.co.kr/make/baduk.jpg
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Engineering Relationships

• Excellent for
• Cognitive development
• Balance of design
• Computer programming
• Since the aim of a move is to control the most
  territory, the optimal move yields the maximum
  amount of territory -- a simple counting
  procedure and a chore computers excel at. Yet,
  the level of computer Baduk/Go remains about that
  of a human who has studied Baduk/Go for a month.
  - Richard Bozulich - http//www.kiseido.com/

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Mathematics Relationships

• Pattern recognition
• Binary mathematics
• Movie - Pi
• 360 intersections plus one.
• occupies the ultimate position and governs the
  four quarters.
• number of days in the lunar year.
• four quarters symbolizes the four seasons.
• 72 circumference points represent the five-day
  weeks of the Chinese lunar calendar.

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Arts relationships
History Ex WWII Japanese strategy US camps
Literature ex compares the four quarters to
the four seasons, the stones to night and day,
the 361 intersections to the days of the year,
and the center point on the board to the Pole
Star - 17th C Japanese playwright, Chikamatsu
Graphic Other Novels Education Ex Studying
Baduk/Go is a wonderful way to develop both the
creative as well as logical abilities because to
play it both sides of the brain are
necessary. Cho Chikun, one of the three great
prodigies in Go history - http//www.kiseido.com/
Philosophy Ex The balance of Yin and Yang is
the model for the equal division of the 360
stones into black and white. LaTour - ANT From
The Classic of Go, by Chang Nui - 11th C
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The Art of Playing

• Hold the stones between first and middle fingers,
  like chopsticks snap them down on the board
  with a sharp click
• Musical Boards

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Games
The traditional Baduk/Go board has a 19-line
grid. Beginners play on small 9 or 13-line boards.
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Begin Game
Goal Create territory by surrounding open
space Built in handicap system 9
points Players take turns putting stones on the
intersections Black goes first
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Playing Stones
Each intersection is a point of territory Once a
stone is put down it does not move unless its
captured Atari Check Each captured stone is
also worth one point.
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Ko- Repetition Rule
One may not play a move which repeats a previous
board position.
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Claiming Territory
Fenceposts Walls
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Living Groups

• A safe group of stones must have two eyes
• two or more, internal but separate empty points

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Game Over
Game End when all the walls defining the
territory is taken, and there are no plays left
to make. Captured Stones Are filled
in Counting Pieces are moved
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Resources

• Top 4
• American Go Association - www.usgo.org
• American Go Foundation - http//www.usgo.org/agf/i
  ndex.html
• Sensei Go - http//senseis.xmp.net/
• Goshawk Herrons Curriculum promo materials
• See accompanying 35 page list

Most major US cities have Baduk/Go clubs.