Listed as Go (game) on Wikipedia, this very old game is, in my view, the best two player all strategy game in existence. The play is far more complex than chess, though Go has fewer and simpler rules. Most articles on Go lose the forest for the trees, and assault the beginner with a blizzard of detail. Why is Go uniquely valuable?
(1) The adjustable handicap system allows players of widely different strengths to play consistently close games against each other. In most no luck two player games, the stronger player wins time after time. If a handicap is attempted in other games (leaving out a piece in chess, for instance), it distorts the fundamental structure of the game.
(2) Go can be played on the standard 19x19 board, on a 13x13 board, or on a 9x9 board, permitting games of varying length. It can be played with a clock, speeding things along and eliminating stalling.
(3) You cannot win at Go with just memorized opening sequences, eliminating the drudgery of acquiring these.
(4) Go teaches balance and perspective. Too aggressive or too defensive? You lose. Too focused on one spot or on a "whole board" strategy? You lose. This kind of balance and perspective makes the principles of Go more applicable to real life than any other game I know.
(5) Computers did not beat the best human Go players until the middle of the last decade, and then only with a really sophisticated approach. The movie AlphaGo (2017) about how this was done is a fine film and a must see for anyone at all interested in games and artificial intelligence. Computer cheating is not common to this day, even online.
(6) Go has a self defining ranking system with numbered ranks. The "dan" ranks are higher in ascending order (5 dan is stronger than 3 dan) like positive numbers. The "kyu" ranks are like negative numbers (5 kyu is weaker than 3 kyu). No club or committee sets your rank - it is determined by who you can defeat. Two total strangers ranked 2 kyu and 6 kyu should be able to play close games with the 2 kyu player giving the weaker 6 kyu opponent four handicap stones.
(7) The internet has online-go.com. providing plenty of play and a blessed freedom (at this April 2022 writing) from trolls, cheaters, fees, and advertising.
(8) Go (Japanese) Baduk (Korean) Weiqui (Chinese) has hundreds of years of customs, traditions and recorded games, for those who care about such things. It is played all over the world, and especially in East Asia.
Per hour invested, Go is an outstanding game for anyone. If you are bored with shooting computer monsters in "race to the button" games or with hoping that your next card or hand will be better than your last, spend a little time with Go.
