2024 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Breadth courses
Cultivating the Power of Execution by Go Game
- Academic unit or major
- Breadth courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kenji Amaya / Tomoya Hirata / Asami Ueno
- Class Format
- Lecture/Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Wed
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAW.X202
- Number of credits
- 110
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 3-4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 17, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
[Course description]
Professional Go player begins with the explanation of the rules of Go to students who don’t know Go.
Aim at not only the experience level but also the game on 19×19 board.
Explain the history and art of Go.
[aims]
Learn ability of independent ideas, logical thinking and power for executing ideas.
Course description and aims
Through Go the students will be able to:
1) Develop an understanding of the traditional Japanese culture.
2) Master the global communication.
3) Learn ability of independent ideas, logical thinking, broad viewpoint and finally power for challenging the unsolved problems.
Student learning outcomes
実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)
lecture by Mr. Hirata and Ms. Ueno, professional Igo players, from Nihon Ki-in.
Keywords
Go, Global Communication, Ability of Independent Ideas, Logical Thinking, Broad Viewpoint, Making Decision, Power for Executing Ideas, Brain Science
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
1) At the beginning of each class, solutions to exercise problems assigned during the previous class are reviewed.
2) Students practice games.
3) Towards the end of class, students are given exercise problems related to what is taught on that day to solve.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Guidance | Introducing AI in Go and the history of Go, conducting exemplary matches on 9x9 and 19x19 boards, explaining basic Go rules. Also, outlining the entire course curriculum. For applicants, requiring a composition (submitted online), determining participants after the course ends. |
| Class 2 | Basic Rules | Explanation of stone capturing and forbidden points. Followed by an explanation of game conclusion and territory counting. |
| Class 3 | Elementary Technique ① | Capturing techniques: Ladder, Net, etc. |
| Class 4 | Elementary Technique ② | Connection (cutting) techniques: Bamboo Joint, Diagonal Move, etc. |
| Class 5 | Elementary Technique ③ | Stone life and death: Two Eyes, False Eyes, etc. Explanation of difficult life and death problems and experiments using life and death evaluation software. |
| Class 6 | The practice of playing on a 13x13 board (1) | Basic shapes and Go terminology (Star Point, Komoku, Jump, Knight’s Move, etc.) |
| Class 7 | The practice of playing on a 13x13 board (2) | Fighting tips and handling close combat situations |
| Class 8 | The practice of playing on a 13x13 board (3) | How to apply tsumego (life and death problems) in actual games |
| Class 9 | The international spread of Go and Pair Go | he global spread of Go, including the Asian Games and Pair Go |
| Class 10 | The practice of playing on a 19x19 board (1) | Opening strategies: Corner → Side → Center, focusing on the 3rd and 4th lines, etc. Introduction to common joseki (corner patterns) and fuseki (opening strategies) |
| Class 11 | The practice of playing on a 19x19 board (2) | Learning large-scale strategies from real games (Part 1) |
| Class 12 | The practice of playing on a 19x19 board (3) | Learning large-scale strategies from real games (Part 2) |
| Class 13 | Practice the game with lecturers | Students divided into teams and play a handicap game (9 stones) against the instructor |
| Class 14 | Short Test | Short Test and Explanation of the mini test and its answers |
Study advice (preparation and review)
Textbook(s)
None required
Reference books, course materials, etc.
None required
Evaluation methods and criteria
Students’ course scores are based on attendance and short tests.
Related courses
- None
Prerequisites
We make class capacity (50 students) since the class goes with practice. On the first day (guidance) the applicants are requested to submit the questionnaire (experience of Go, reason for taking the class and so on) and then class members are decided.
Other
Go is currently enjoyed by more than 45 million people in 150 countries in the world.
Go is an attractive and effective means to enable us to communicate with people from all over the world without languages, and is also called “hand communication”.
Let’s master the power of global communication through this course.