Go (Weiqi/Baduk): History & How to Play 🀄️

Welcome to Ancient Gaming! Today I bring you a long one, so pick a cup of [insert favorite beverage here] and relax, because we’ll go to ancient China to delve deep down the rabbit hole that is weiqi!

Weiqi (or, as is popularly known in Japan and the west: the game of Go) is one of the juggernauts of ancient gaming. The legends date the game back to the period of Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (2852 BCE to 2070 BCE), but the game is very likely much younger than that, being the first reference from the Zuo Zhuan (722 to 468 BC).

My website: https://luduslabmedia.com/
My instagram: @ancientgaming_ludus

● Like, comment & subscribe if you liked the video :)! Your amazing support keeps this channel growing and helps me make more content. Write down below what game would you like me to cover next and, as always, see you in the next one!

PUBLISHED RESOURCES:

● Moscowitz, M. L. Go Nation: Chinese masculinities and the game if weiqi in China. University of California Press, 2013.
● Bruun, O. An Introduction to Feng Shui. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
● Yang, L. & An, D. Handbook of Chinese Mythology. ABC-CLIO, 2005.
● Shotwell, P. “Go and Ancient Chinese Divination: A Commentary on A Journey in Search of the Origins of Go By Shirakawa Masayoshi (Yutopian 2006)”. [self-publication], 2007.
● MacFadyen, M. The Game of Go: Learning and Mastering the Most Challenging Game in the World. Carlton, 2002.
● Shotwell, P. “The Game of Go: Speculations on its Origins and Symbolism in Ancient China”. [self-publication], 2008.
● Kiin, N. Go: the World Most Fascinating Game (Volume 1). Nihon-Kiin, 1973.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

● https://www.usgo.org/top-ten-reasons-play-go
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788340/
● https://www.pandanet.co.jp/English/essay/goancientchina.html
● http://bs.dayabook.com/home/zuo-zhuan/book-v-duke-xi
● https://online-go.com/

OTHER CLIPS USED IN THIS VIDEO

** The Great Wall of China - UAV Aerial Footage **
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne0OagUqhWs&ab_channel=sawyerhartmansawyerhartmanVerificada
- Clip Media

**《围棋》 第四集 手谈 | CCTV纪录 **
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac0VbUiNn10&ab_channel=CCTV%E7%BA%AA%E5%BD%95
- CCTV纪录

** 囲碁棋士５　卞聞愷（びゃん　うぉんけい）三段 **
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXqCL97G9E0&ab_channel=%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%A3%8B%E9%99%A2%E4%B8%AD%E9%83%A8%E7%B7%8F%E6%9C%AC%E9%83%A8%E3%80%90%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F%E3%83%BB%E5%9B%B2%E7%A2%81%E3%80%91
- 日本棋院中部総本部【公式・囲碁】

** The myth of Prometheus - Iseult Gillespie **
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_u91SjrEOE&t=3s&ab_channel=TED-Ed
- TED - Ed

** INTRO | Avatar La Leyenda de Aang (LATINO) 60FPS ** [intro of the famous Avatar animated series aired by Nickelodeon]
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy9JGut1WJQ&ab_channel=FilmClipLAFilmClipLA
- FilmClip LA

** Hikaru no Go Best Scene | Hikaru's god speed game **
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB7dFjQxCIk&ab_channel=AnimeOverdose
- Anime Overdose

** Lee Sedol Hand of God Move 78 Reaction and Analysis **
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzZWPcgcRD0&t=41s&ab_channel=ClipMediaClipMedia
- Fun Call Centre

** Confucius 2010 HD (Subtitulada en español) **
●https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXdhJf21G08&ab_channel=Pel%C3%ADculasEspiritualesPel%C3%ADculasEspirituales
- Películas Espirituales

MUSIC

Intro: Chinese Fantasy Music - Night of the Soaring Dragon (群龍乘星)
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cc94Knv86w&ab_channel=AdrianvonZiegler
- Music by Adrian von Ziegler [this guy has AMAZING music, check it out!]
0:00

Main: The Moon in Autumn
- Music by The Ugly (this is a work of various authors, see below)
● https://soundcloud.com/theugly19/the-moon-in-autumn
3:38

ADDITIONAL NOTES

● I’m aware the most popular version of the Yao myth is the one where it is not Yao himself, but the archer Hou Yi, the one that shoots down the 9 suns (under Yao’s command). There are several versions of this myth, in some of them it is indeed Yao the one shooting the arrows.

● Go, as other games in Japan, has a particular rule of etiquette, and the stones are meant to be placed in a certain way. I, however, do place the stones like the barbarian I am, that’s how it is!

● Bloopers at 22:34 !

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
1:30 History of Go
3:39 The Yao myths (Han Dynasty)
6:24 Tang Dynasty
7:18 Chinese cosmogonies
8:35 Song Dynasty
9:17 Go and astrology
12:30 How to play Go
20:15 Outro