From: Martin Mueller <mueller <at> ETL <dot> GO <dot> JP>
Date: 8 feb 1999
Subject: Re: shogi and go

>It's interesting that nobody has mentioned go except in passing.  Even
>though this is a shogi mailing list, I'm fascinated by the contrast between
>shogi and go.  Go seems to me to have much more varied openings than chess
>or shogi (even with standard josekis, the fact that there are four corners
>to play them in makes each game completely different) and enormous tactical
>complexity (albeit of a vastly different kind).  The main area where shogi
>surpasses go is in the endgame, which (barring stupid blunders) tends not
>to be too tense in go, but of course is very exciting in shogi.

Well, it depends. If a Go game is decided before the endgame, then I guess
you are right. However if the game is close, then the endgame is actually
the most tense and difficult phase of Go. On the professional and even on
the high dan amateur level, many games are close. One slight inaccuracy
here can destroy all your previous hard work to get you a promising
position, so you definitely cannot relax before its over. Losing just one
point in a Go endgame can be just as bad as getting your king captured in
shogi.

        Martin (20k shogi, 6d Go player)