The Empty Triangle
July 8, 2024 12:28 PM Subscribe
A webcomic about learning and playing Go, the board game. Currently inactive but with several years of archives. Includes commentary from the author about the concept, development, or art below each one.
The Empty Triangle is the name of 3 stones placed in a 'bad shape' that is not advantageous in play.
Go previously on metafilter
The Empty Triangle is the name of 3 stones placed in a 'bad shape' that is not advantageous in play.
Go previously on metafilter
This is wonderful.
The comment on #3:
Thank you so much for sharing this, bq - I'm adding this to my daily reading list. Domo arigato!
posted by kristi at 12:45 PM on July 8
The comment on #3:
This one I drew with an ink-pen right away without making outlines with a pencil before - thus the low quality ^_^"... the comic looks good to me, perfectly fine quality. Hah.
Thank you so much for sharing this, bq - I'm adding this to my daily reading list. Domo arigato!
posted by kristi at 12:45 PM on July 8
I'm afraid it hasn't been updated in several years, so the archives are all we get to enjoy.
posted by bq at 12:47 PM on July 8
posted by bq at 12:47 PM on July 8
Something a Go instructor said that I always remember: "If your move results in an empty triangle, you made a mistake. Sometimes it really is the best move, but that just means you made the mistake several turns ago."
posted by baf at 3:55 PM on July 8 [13 favorites]
posted by baf at 3:55 PM on July 8 [13 favorites]
I wish I could grok Go. But I can't.
The endgame, and the different rules just mess me up to much. You have a large area, I drop a stone in there. It will take you at minimum 3 stones to kill it. that seems like a minus 2 to you. So I would do that all the time. It does seem like an elegant game, but, not a huge abstract fan to begin with. These are interesting, even if I don't get Go...
Had never thought about the triangle, but yeah, seems like you made an earlier mistake...
posted by Windopaene at 6:07 PM on July 8 [1 favorite]
The endgame, and the different rules just mess me up to much. You have a large area, I drop a stone in there. It will take you at minimum 3 stones to kill it. that seems like a minus 2 to you. So I would do that all the time. It does seem like an elegant game, but, not a huge abstract fan to begin with. These are interesting, even if I don't get Go...
Had never thought about the triangle, but yeah, seems like you made an earlier mistake...
posted by Windopaene at 6:07 PM on July 8 [1 favorite]
That sounds like a rules confusion to me, Windopaene. It might help if you play with Chinese scoring, which is more robust and internally consistent. Under such rules, stones are counted as part of each player's territory, so you can't reduce their points by invading unless you create a living shape.
posted by jy4m at 8:42 PM on July 8 [2 favorites]
posted by jy4m at 8:42 PM on July 8 [2 favorites]
I read the entirety of Hikaru No Go and I assure you I still have only a very basic understanding of how Go is played (and that may be overstating my comprehension).
posted by joelhunt at 5:47 AM on July 9 [1 favorite]
posted by joelhunt at 5:47 AM on July 9 [1 favorite]
The endgame, and the different rules just mess me up to much. You have a large area, I drop a stone in there. It will take you at minimum 3 stones to kill it. that seems like a minus 2 to you. So I would do that all the time.
jy4m already addressed this, but I would just add that this is a fairly common beginner confusion, along with confusion about different rule sets and counting methods... I would recommend actually trying this! Do it all the time as you say, and follow through to the final scoring. You'll quickly learn why this doesn't always work, but also you may find some of these invasions DO work if you look to exploit weaknesses in your opponent's position, and if you follow that curiosity to the opening and mid game, soon you'll be a go player. (or not if abstracts aren't your thing, my point is that playing and experimenting is really the best way to get over this beginner hang up)
posted by okonomichiyaki at 7:06 AM on July 9
jy4m already addressed this, but I would just add that this is a fairly common beginner confusion, along with confusion about different rule sets and counting methods... I would recommend actually trying this! Do it all the time as you say, and follow through to the final scoring. You'll quickly learn why this doesn't always work, but also you may find some of these invasions DO work if you look to exploit weaknesses in your opponent's position, and if you follow that curiosity to the opening and mid game, soon you'll be a go player. (or not if abstracts aren't your thing, my point is that playing and experimenting is really the best way to get over this beginner hang up)
posted by okonomichiyaki at 7:06 AM on July 9
The opponent can also respond by doing the same thing elsewhere on the board or good placement with a lesser amount of stones will render the attempt at invading unviable.
posted by ndr at 3:30 PM on July 9
posted by ndr at 3:30 PM on July 9
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posted by HearHere at 12:34 PM on July 8 [1 favorite]