GB2528620A

GB2528620A - New game "Shiki"

Info

Publication number: GB2528620A
Application number: GB1520487.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yoshihiro Mizutani
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-04-25
Filing date: 2013-05-02
Publication date: 2016-01-27
Also published as: WO2014174687A1; US20160074747A1; JPWO2014174687A1; GB201520487D0; KR20160003057A; CN105246565A

Abstract

[Problem] The problem to be resolved is to invent a new game independent from the domain of a Go game in order to dramatically extend the possibilities of the same to the world of a different dimension. [Solution] The first is an improvement of the board. With respect to the 19Ã—19 board of a Go game, the new game adopts a 27Ã—27 board. The second is an improvement in how a stone is put. I know that it is necessary to address the same using a method in which stones are put alternately two moves at a time, and adopted the same. Thereby, it becomes possible to configure a game that is twice larger, quantitatively speaking, using an equivalent number of moves and amount of time as in the prior art, and to be more pleasant, in a shorter amount of time. The third is an improvement in the rules. In the new game, in order to maintain fairness between the players who move first and second, the first placement, i.e., the first move of the player moving first, is set to be one stone only. In addition, with regard to the handicap "Komi" imparted to the player moving second by the player moving first, it is set that 8 stones be imparted to the second player's turn from the first player's turn. The above-mentioned three points are significant features of the new game, and are critical components for functioning as one balanced superior game.

Description

Specification

Title of the Invention: New Game Shiki'

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is a new game independent from the domain of the game of go which dramatically expands the possibilities of the game to a world of different dimensions.

Background Art

[0002] Go is a historic table game which has been familiar to the Japanese since ancient times. In all countries, the game is played on a 19 x 19 board. In the rules, stones are placed alternately and the outcome of the game is determined by the number of stones used to capture territory.

Basic Go Rules 1. First, your opponent's stones can be captured. In go, a stone of your opponent is captured when the stone is encircled by your stones. A stone is encircled only on vertical and horizontal points. Oblique points do not count.

A stone may not be encircled using the outermost grid points of the board.

2. In go, a stone can be placed anywhere a stone has not already been placed.

However, there are two exceptions. First, a stone cannot be placed where it will be instantly be captured. This is because the territory will be lost, and such a move is to your opponent's advantage and not your own. This is referred to as the counterproductive move rule. Once your stone has been placed at a point that cannot be taken but is later taken, you must place a stone elsewhere on the board before playing another stone at that point. This is referred to as the 1w rule. Under this rule, another point must be selected before playing that point again.

3. Go is a game of territorial conquest and of life-and-death. Therefore, decisions are made by asking where placement of a stone will result in the capture of territory. When a location is surrounded by black stones vertically and horizontally, the location becomes black territory. When two points are encircled, the territory has two eyes'. The points on the outermost grid of the board cannot be used to create territory. Next, a white stone is placed inside a seven-eye' black territory. In this situation, the position is surrounded and is black territory. This means the white stone is in black territory and cannot escape. It is therefore dead'. Stones are either alive or dead, and this stone is called a dead stone'. Therefore, decisions are also made by asking which stones will live and which stones will die. In other words, a stone which has been encircled is dead and a stone which has not been encircled is alive. For example, a three-eye' territory is encircled by black stones. When this territory is encircled by white stones on the outside, the three-eye' territory was first white, then black, and finally white. The encircled black stones are all captured, and the black stones themselves are considered dead. An enclosed open point is called an eye', and a group of stones with at least two separate eyes is said to be unconditionally alive'. In the two previously mentioned examples, the stones could not stay alive because there was only one eye.

4. A point that lies between black and white stones belongs to neither side and is considered a dame' or neutral point.

5. Seki' are mutually alive pairs of white and black groups where neither one has two eyes. For example, in a pattern of stones in which black and white stones surround each other, a dame' is formed. When the dame' has two eyes, the opponent's stones cannot be captured because they remain alive.

This would require filling in the two points in the middle. However, any stone played there would be taken by the opponent. If one of the two remaining points were to be taken, the other player would take the remaining point and capture the stone. This situation is referred to as a seki' in which the black stones and the white stones cannot take each other as the stones are still alive.

6. The end of the game occurs when a player no longer believes territory can be gained or lost by playing another stone and passes, and the opponent then comes to the same conclusion. Afterwards, territory is calculated to determine who won and who lost. When a player comes to the conclusion that the game cannot be won during the course of play, the player can announce I've lost' and quit the game. This is referred to as resignation'.

7. Go is ultimately a game of territorial conquest, but four items are counted in determining the winner. First, the size of the conquered territory on the board is determined. This is done before all else. Second, the number of opponent's stones that have been captured is counted. These stones are referred to as hamaishi'. Third, the number of dead stones is counted. These stones are not removed from the board, but are treated in the same manner as hamaishi'. Finally, the kom! handicap is applied. Because black gains a slight advantage from playing first, white is given a komi handicap. This ranges from five and one-half to seven and one-half points.

The four items are determined to calculate the number of points and declare a winner.

Black White Territory 25 points 22 points Captured Stones 2 points 3 points Opponent's Dead Stones 4 points 2 points Handicap 0 points 6 1/2 points Total 31 points 33 1/2 points Because white has 2 1/2 more points, white is declared the winner.

[0003] However, when an image of the board surface is provided, a wider field of view and higher resolution are realized and the big picture can be readily grasped. The board currently uses a 19-line grid pattern. Black stones and white stones are alternately played on a 19 x 19 line grid pattern to determine the relative skill and ingenuity of the players. Here, 19 x 19 = 361 landing points. In the first 30 moves, a picture begins to emerge as the ideas and vision of the players develop. During the next 30 moves, dominance is established as various aspects are secured. Third, in the next 30 to 50 moves, the players aim at establishing formations. Finally, in the next 150 to 250 moves, various tactics and strategies are employed which ensure victory or lead to defeat. Many people are inspired by the nearly limitless patterns that emerge in head-to-head battles.

[0004] However, in an age in which astronomical numbers are processed instantly, 19 x 19 = 361 landing points is an easy quantity to manage. It is eye-popping to many that computers can be programmed to defeat professional players.

In the past ten years, software that surpasses human ability has become commonplace. The combination of supercomputer and computer software can make three hundred million moves per second. This may eventually become a major threat to the dreams and expectations of humans.

[0005] In order to dispel this anxiety, I have devised an entirely new game. Three methods were employed to create this game. First, the board has been improved. The new game uses a 27-line grid board. In contrast to the 19-line grid board used in go, the 27-line grid board of the new game can be expected to lead to a wider, almost limitless, variety of situations. Second, the placement of stones has been improved. The 27-line grid board provides a 27 x 27 grid on which there are 729 landing points. This increases the number of landing points by an approximate factor of 2.019. In order to play a game in the same amount of time as before, the rule governing the alternating play of a single stone has been changed. I realized that there was a need for the alternate placement of two stones in each turn. Therefore, while the number of stones placed on the board increases by a factor of 2.019, there is only a l.9% increase in the number of times stones are played. In this way, it has become possible to create a game that is twice as large, quantitatively speaking, but allows for an equivalent number of moves in the same amount of time as before. This allows for the play of a more enjoyable game in a short amount of time. Third, the rules have been improved. In go, the first player to make a move is considered to have an advantage. Because two stones are played in each turn in the new game, the first player to make a move is considered to have an even greater advantage. Therefore, in order to level the playing field between the first player to move and the second player to move, the first player to move only places a single stone on the board in the first move of the game. Also, the komi handicap given by the first player to move to the second player to move is increased to eight points. This increases the handicap from one-half point to 2.5 points over the game of go. These are the major features of the new game.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents [0006] Non-Patent Document 1: Seiko Ogawa, Proficiency at Go: Opening Moves', New Star Press, 2002

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention [0007] The problem to be solved is to invent a new game independent from the domain of the game of go in order to dramatically expand the possibilities of the game to a world of different dimensions.

Means of Solving the Problem [0008] First, the board is improved. In contrast to the 19 x 19 board of the game of go, the new game adopts a 27 x 27 board. Second, the placement of stones is improved. I recognized the need in this game to alternatively make two moves at a time, and adopted this method. In this way, it became possible to create a game that is twice as large, quantitatively speaking, but allows for an equivalent number of moves in the same amount of time as before. This allows for the play of a more enjoyable game in a short amount of time. Third, the rules are improved. In the new game, in order to ensure fairness between the player who moves first and the player who moves second, the first player can only place one stone on the board in the first move of the game. As the komI handicap, eight stones are given by the player who moves first to the player who moves second. This increases the handicap from one-half point to 2.5 points over the game of Go. These improvements are major features of the new game.

Effect of the Invention [0009] First, in contrast to the 19-line grid board used in go, the 27-line grid board provides a 27 x 27 grid on which there are 729 landing points. This increases the number of landing points by an approximate factor of 2.019, leading to a wider, almost limitless, variety of situations. Second, in order to play a game in the same amount of time as before, the rule governing the alternating play of a single stone has been changed. So, while the number of stones placed on the board has been increased by a factor of 2.019, there is only a l.9% increase in the number of times stones are played. In this way, it has become possible to create a game that is twice as large, quantitatively speaking, but allows for an equivalent number of moves in the same amount of time as before. This allows for the play of a more enjoyable game in a short amount of time. Third, the rules have been improved. In order to level the playing field between the first player to move and the second player to move, the first player to move only places a single stone on the board in the first move of the game. Afterwards, the players alternately place two stones on the board in each turn. Also, the komi handicap given by the first player to move to the second player to move is increased to eight points. This makes the game fairer between the player who moves first and the player who moves second. As a result, incandescent game developments can be expected.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram used to explain the various names in the new game. (Key to the Drawings) [FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram used to explain how the new game is played. (Example 1) [FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram used to explain how the new game is played. (Example 1) [FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram used to explain how the new game is played. (Example 1) [FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram used to explain how the new game is played. (Example 1) [FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram used to explain how the new game is played. (Example 2) [FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram used to explain how the new game is played. (Example 3) Embodiment of the Invention [0011] In contrast to the 19-line grid board used in go, the 27-line grid board provides a 27 x 27 grid on which there are 729 landing points. This increases the number of landing points by an approximate factor of 2.019, leading to a wider, almost limitless, variety of situations.

Example 1

[0012] FIG. 2 shows the opening moves in the new game (Example 1) in which the big picture and the vision of the players emerge. FIG. 3 shows the situation in which dominance is established as various aspects are secured.

[0013] The new game uses a 27-line grid board. Two black stones and two white stones are played alternately in each move on a grid with 27 vertical lines and 27 horizontal lines as situations of superiority and inferiority emerge. Here, 27 x 27 = 729 landing points. In the first 50 moves, a picture begins to emerge as the ideas and vision of the players develop. During the next 50 moves, dominance is established as various aspects are secured. Third, in the next 50 to 80 moves, the players aim at establishing formations. Finally, in the next 250 to 400 moves (number of stones), various tactics and strategies are employed which ensure victory or lead to defeat.

[0014] In order to play a game in the same amount of time as before, the rule governing the alternating play of a single stone has been changed. I realized that there was a need for the alternate placement of two stones in each turn.

Therefore, while the number of stones placed on the board increases by a factor of 2.019, there is only a l.9% increase in the number of times stones are played. In this way, it has become possible to create a game that is twice as large, quantitatively speaking, but allows for an equivalent number of moves in the same amount of time as before. This allows for the play of a more enjoyable game in a short amount of time.

[0015] FIG. 4 shows the situation after 50 to 80 moves in which the players aim at establishing formations.

[0016] FIG. S shows the conclusion of the game during turn 344. Both the player who moved first and the player who moved next have passed and the conclusion of the game declared. Because two stones were placed on the board in each alternating turn, the stones of both players occupy roughly half of all occupied landing points. In FIG. 4, the players have each had 172 turns.

[0017] In FIG. 5, the four items are determined to calculate the number of points and declare a winner.

Black White Territory 209 points 175 points Captured Stones 0 points 4 points Opponent's Dead Stones 26 points 7 points Handicap 0 points 8 points Total 235 points 194 points Because black has 41 more points, black is declared the winner.

Example 2

[0018] FIG. 6 shows the conclusion of a second game in turn 168. When it was determined that placing more stones on the board would not alter the outcome of the game and both parties passed, the end of the game was declared.

Because two stones were placed on the board in each alternating turn, the stones of both players occupy roughly half of all occupied landing points. In FIG. 6, the players have each had 84 turns. The second player to move or the white player clearly has the upper hand. The second player to move or the white player is declared to have won by a wide margin.

Example 3

[0019] FIG. 7 shows a tactical problem associated with a filling technique in which black is still alive. Black 1 and Black 2 make a capture threat, White 3 and White 4 are effectively handled. Black 5 and Black 6 complete the fill.

Industrial Applicability

[0020] The new game uses a 27-line grid board. The new board has 27 vertical lines and 27 horizontal lines for 27 x 27 = 729 landing points. A star is placed on the center point, and stars are placed on every sixth point for a total of 25 points. This makes positional relationships more visible, and helps eliminate false starts.

Key to the Drawings [0021] 1: New Game Board (FIG. 1) 2: Black Stones (FIG. 1) 3: White Stones (FIG. 1) 4: Star (FIG. 1)