howard@cpocd2.UUCP (Howard A. Landman) (06/18/87)
Please followup to rec.games.go only, since this isn't really a bio topic. In article <301@iris.randvax.UUCP> lincoln@iris.UUCP (Tom Lincoln) writes: >It is interesting that the Japanese have competative categories that lie >above the present masters. I believe that the top 35 master categories >for the game of GO are empty. We, by contrast grade on a sliding scale.. It would be interesting if it were true, but I've been playing for 20 years and I've never heard this. The top "normal" Japanese rank is 9 dan, and there are many players of this rank. (I've had the privilege of watching my game get ripped apart by a couple of them!) The rank of 10 dan is reserved for the winner of a particular tournament; if you win it enough you can get to be "honorary 10 dan" like Sakata Eio. This doesn't mean that the Japanese believe that they are playing perfect Go. Every professional game has at least one or two known mistakes, and probably many more unknown ones. And if 19x19 Go is ever perfected, there are always larger boards ... -- Howard A. Landman ...!{oliveb,...}!intelca!mipos3!cpocd2!howard howard%cpocd2%sc.intel.com@RELAY.CS.NET "Half a mile from Tuscon, by the morning light"