Go-bang

How to play Go-bang

From the book's pages

• Two players, white and black stones, on a Go board or any board of at least 13×13 squares. The stones are placed in turn on a point of free choice — in the squares, or as in Go on the points where the lines cross.
• A stone once placed is not moved, and the opponent's stones cannot be captured.
• The winner is the first to form a row of five stones in a line, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
• The Japanese place the fifth stone quietly, without any triumphant outburst, hoping the opponent will not notice that he has just been beaten.
• Optional rule for masters: two, and only two, stones of the same colour can be captured and removed from the board if they are caught between two of the opponent's stones. If black has two stones in a row with a white one as the third, white can place a stone on the other side of the two black ones, and the two black stones are captured.

My choices

What the book does not say, or what the picture cuts off, has been filled in like this.

• The stones are placed on the points, as in Go. Black begins, as in Go. A row of six or more also counts as five.
• The masters' rule is off unless chosen otherwise. With it on, a pair is captured only when the opponent places the stone that closes it; a pair that places itself between two of the opponent's stones stays. Three or more in a row cannot be captured. Captures do not win by themselves; the page of the book that says how they count is cut off in the picture.
• If the board is full without a row, it is a draw.
• The machine looks for rows and threats a few moves ahead. It is a sensible opponent, not a master.

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