u3a

Wem & District

Go and Chess

Status:Active, open to new members
Group email: Go and Chess group
When: Monthly on Tuesday mornings 11:00 am
Fourth Tuesday of the month
Venue: Members home

Chess is a strategy board game that most people already know about.
"Go" is also another strategy board game for two players.  The aim in GO is to fence off more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China, (the earliest written reference is from the 4th century BC) and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. It was considered one of the four essential arts of the cultured aristocratic Chinese in antiquity.
Despite its relatively simple rules, Go is extremely complex. As with many other Japanese /oriental activities the skill level is rated in Kyu ranks for students of the game, whilst Dan ranks are considered Master Ranks. These are generally available up to about 7th Dan  (professionals up to 9th Dan).  None of the players here have any ranking yet.
Compared to chess (which in Japan also uses Kyu & Dan Ranks), Go has both a larger board of 19 x 19 grid , with more scope for play, longer games, and on average, many more alternatives to consider per move, estimated to be over 10 to the power 80.
 We have 5 chess sets and 2 Go sets, the space to play, and also the ability to store any unfinished games should it be needed.