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From: [e-mail] (Kevin Moore)
Subject: Re: Teaching Children to Play
Date: 18 Jun 91 15:40:45 GMT

Because of the recent discussion on teaching Go to children,
I have contacted both the American Go Association and the author
of the following article so that I would have permission to post it here.
(It may even be worthy of being put in the Go archives)    :-)
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This article is from a back issue of the American Go Journal, published by the
American GO Association
P.O. Box 397
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY  10113

AGJ Vol. 15, #4   July/August/September 1980

Teaching Go To Children
By Gary A. Klein

Beginners are usually taught to play on the large 19 by 19 line board,
exposing them to all aspects of tactics and strategy simultaneously. Trying
to learn basic skills during these long, complex games can be confusing and
frustrating. The effectiveness of this approach can be judged from a
Japanese Go proverb which states that a player of average ability would
have to play daily for thirty years to attain the lowest professional rank.
In attempting to teach Go to beginners, and especially to children, we have
found much greater success using a 9-line board. This keeps the size of the
game manageable. Anything smaller lacks sufficient complexity and scope.
Larger sizes are not necessary for the purposes of instructing beginners.
Little is gained by confusing the learner with options and theory that cannot
be understood. The use of the 9-line game allow us to show the beginner
how situations will evolve. It helps the beginner get through those first 20-
30 games, while they are still acquiring a feel for what is going on, and are
susceptible to discarding the game for something simpler and more
manageable.

In addition, we suggest the use of full-sized Go stones. Because children
may have trouble with eye-hand coordination, it is important not to use
miniature Go stones, which can be hard to pick up and place accurately.
The goal of starting with a 9x9 board is to help the beginner to learn to see
the implications of moves in advance. Games are brief and enjoyable. The
beginner is getting a concentrated dosage of experience in a short period of
time.

In general, children are ready to learn strategy games sooner than most
adults realize. Some four-year-olds can be taught to play Go, although only
by an understanding adult. By the time children reach school age they can
master enough basic skills to play independently with peers.
The first thing to remember when teaching children is to go slowly with
new material. Preschoolers should have lots of opportunity to handle the
stones and spread them over the board as a readiness activity before any
rules are discussed. Then teach one basic skill at a time, playing several
"games" to apply each skill before moving on to the next skill.


Game 1:
The object of the game should be expressed as "building houses."
The child can play either black or white stones. Don't worry about what type
of "house" the child builds; just play the game. Stones are played on
intersections, and when you are both done, you may ask the child which
house is bigger. But no one wins. The use of the 9-line board keeps the game
simple and manageable.
A variation of this game is called "invading houses." The child simply builds
a house, and you try to invade it with your stones. Players alternate moves.
Try not to suggest moves+', but warn the child of your intentions and plots.
For younger players (4-5 years old), you may have to start by roughly
sketching out a house, and let them fill in the borders.


Game 2:
The capture game. The adult places stones on the board, for the child to
surround and capture. Begin with one stone in the center. Work on to two
stones, three in a row, four in a row, one on the edge, two on the edge, one
in the corner. After a while it may be helpful to count out the number of
stones the child will need to make the capture. This will help the child
realize that he/she does not have to cover up diagonal points. Eventually, the
child can be challenged to guess the minimum number of stones needed.
Gradually more complex shapes can be used for the 4-5 year old. But don't
push too quickly. The games of surrounding and of building and invading
houses are useful ones. let the child become proficient at them, and enjoy
playing them, before trying to move on.


Game 3:
The game of being captured. This is just a reversal of the capture game. The
child constructs a formation, and you have to surround it. This game has
several virtues. It allows the child to trade roles with you, rather than
always taking the role of solving a problem. Also, it provides experience in
seeing how to set up formations that are easy and hard to capture. Often the
child will try to make very complex formations, making you use many
stones. This is a praiseworthy activity. Sometimes the child will make
formations with two eyes, so that you can't make the capture. This is even
more praiseworthy.
This game has a tendency to mushroom. The advantage of playing it on a 9-
line board is to keep it within bounds.


Game 4:
The sanctuary game. The child constructs a "safe" formation - one that he or
she feels is impossible to capture. Then the game starts. Both sides try to
surround territory, and capture opponent's stones. The child, using his/her
sanctuary should be able to establish dominance.
Be amazed at the child's clever moves to thwart you. And let the child win
often, but not always. For some children, especially firstborns, anything
less than a 95% ration of winning may be too frustrating. For others, more
used to being knocked around, a ratio of 85% success can be tolerated.
If you do not feel comfortable letting the child win, or not playing your best,
perhaps you should wait until the child is older and better prepared to
handle frustration.
For children who are nine or older, losses do not seem as traumatic as for
those seven or below. It is up to you to know your customer. An advantage of
playing on a 9-line board is that games can be short, so losses can easily be
followed by a series of victories for the child.


At this point, you should be able to begin playing a four-stone handicap
game. Enjoy your new opponent.
Only after the child grasps the territorial nature of the game should you
move on to Life and Death, Ko, and Seki. Tactics and strategy amount to
seizing early opportunities to play the 3-3 points in each corner, then
blocking each of the adult's advances.

For teaching general concepts of strategy and tactics, once the beginner has
reached this point, see the article by Milton Bradley in the May/June 1978
issue of the "American Go Journal."

Playing Go with children is not only enjoyable for all concerned, it's also
good training in basic  decision making and analytical skills. These, and the
perceptual skills developed thought playing, are important pre-reading and
pre-math readiness activities that can help support academic success in
school. Some people believe that there is a connection between these two
facts: Go is the national game of Japan and the Japanese have the highest
national I.Q. average in the world.

==================================================================

Gary Klein, Ph. D., has been playing Go for over 15 years, and currently plays
as a 3-kyu; he is a research psychologist studying the way complex skills
are trained. He and Ralph Welton, a shodan and a first-grade teacher,
developed the Easy GO-ing approach while teaching their own children to
play. Since then it has been used successfully with other children, and with
a wide range of beginners.
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end of article

AGJ Vol. 15, #4   July/August/September 1980