128. The art of Weiqi (Go/Baduk) war (碁#14) 震 (☰/☷)

Like all games of chess, from whatever country or culture they came from, the end result or aim is always the same: Dominion over one's defined territory. That "defined territory" is marked by the outer borders of the game itself. And both players elect by the rules of the game to stay on or within those marked lines. Hence, people who are good at Weiqi are also very good at fighting civil wars. The stronger the player, the better they are at turning the fears and uncertainties of the chaotic situation into a profitable exercise. So if that is the case, why then, do civil wars last far longer than wars between two or more countries? The simplest answer, that which I have seen, observed and experienced through Weiqi is that the strongest player plays a powerful defensive hand. That's right! In all forms of chess - playing offensive is the weaker hand. While it may not seem obvious, when the master in black, who goes first always and is gifted one extra stone thereby having a two stone handicap, places their black stone on the board, it is a powerful statement declaring: "That this board is mine!" And "I challenge you to do something about it!". The degree of offensiveness to the challenger is marked by how close the stone is placed to the physical body of the challenger in white. Most players, who dream of one day becoming professional - play for money - weiqi masters, the lesson is to play close to home and follow established principles that in the professional world have proven consistently reliable in the long run. And when playing on a board that's typically about 50cm squared, this opening shot is hard to see. But as soon as one plays on a board larger than the standard size, and witnesses the black player leaning over to play their first stone then it starts to get noticed. And it is at that moment of needing to start covering up their moves, that the two masters go beyond the battlefield of the board itself and enter the realm of the Chinese Yinyangshi 阴阳师 or the Japanese Onmyoji. Forget what the official texts say on the matter. Official texts deal with ghosts the way the ancient Egyptian pyramids were falsely built by aliens from outer space. Here we are talking about that mysterious office employee that's never around but somehow gets paid more than you! Is he a ghost on the company books to hide disappearing funds or an office ninja, who's role is to put the opposition at a disadvantage? ⚔️圍棋戰聖