A quick trawl of the internet confirmed various connections, such a small board and a tsumego series. There also seems to be some link with Hikaru no Go.My colleague recommended Assassination Classroom manga [暗殺教室], and I got a copy but I see it’s got a game of go design on the back. Have your go community heard of it? It’s not about go, but go must have some significance.
The main character is some sort of octopus, and there is a go saying takan no yako that describes a bottled-up group with limbs sticking out.
But beyond that, I can't see the connection. Does anyone know?
(This may seem more appropriate on reddit
)