The Go Stone
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:04 pm
Go equipment is a marvel of ancient engineering for a lot of reasons.
1. Eye shaped cross section of the Go stone.
a. It's the minimal volume shape which is self stablizing and which holds an easily graspable, elevated edge horizontal. It's always right side up of course. The minimal volume matters because 181 stones have to fit comfortably in a bowl, not a bucket. Besides the stone's shape being of minimal volume, it has to fit together well with like shapes. Go stones fit together more snugly, i.e. with less airspace per stone, than do marbles for example.
b. Go stones absorb energy from board and stone collisions by rolling, and then release the energy as friction from continued back and forth rocking on the board while possibly brushing against neighboring stones.
2. The board is undersized in the latitudinal direction, why? Is it to make the board appear more square from a seated position?
No. For one thing, the stones, the focus of the game, appear less round from a seated postion. A square looking board is little consolation.
Visual overlap. Like-colored stones in a group appear more group-like when they visually overlap. Like-colored stones in longitudinal sequences tend to visually overlap because of the seated angle of view. But the seated angle of view has no affect on the appearance of a latitudinal stone sequence. By making the board too small in the latitudinal direction, the stones are forced to zigzag slightly, resulting in visual overlap from a seated position.
3. Black stones are slightly larger, why?
A gap between adjacent white stones isn't nearly as unsightly and distracting as the same size gap between black stones because of the light board color. White gives up a little of his stone diameter to Black to compensate.
4. Stones of both colors have more room than they need in the longitudinal direction, why?
Ergonomics. More room can be allowed for the easy placement of stones since the stone height is sufficient to provide visual overlap, even with a little longitudinal space between the stones.
Moreover, any zigzagging in the longitudinal direction would appear exaggerated from a seated position. Zigzagging in the latitudinal direction creates the opposite effect. Latitudinal zigzagging appears scaled down when viewed from a seated position.
When you look at the ancient design of Go equipment from the perspective of visual balance, and from the perspective of a seated player, the relative stone and board dimensions fall into place.
4. The Goban - huge block of wood. Tables and chairs of the time weren't tree stumps. Why the goban? Inertia. If you stub your toe on a goban, you get a stubbed toe. This would speak to the severity of ancient Go play. The crime of disrupting a game in progress must have been a serious one.
5. No "frame". The stones are flush with the board edge, why? Economy perhaps, in the usual sense. You'd want to make the most of the giant wood block you created. But I think economy of form would have been more important. Go is a study in minimalism. 5 faces of the block are blank and the sixth face is lines and stones - not lines, stones, and a frame.
6. Philosophical considerations were undoubtedly paramount in the ancient design of Go stones. The clam comes from the ocean. It's white and alive. Slate comes from underground, etc.
How would you improve on the Go stone? It's like the wedge. Go equipment has been optimized in every way possible, not the least of which being aesthetic and ergonomic.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
I saw the black/white stone diameter disparity explained as compensation for the optical illusion of black objects appearing smaller (witlesspedia). The problem with this theory is that there's only a difference of about .3mm out of 22mm, making black stones 1.3% larger than white stones. This minute difference is absolutely imperceptible, even between two different color stones pressed together in your fingers, never mind out on the board. However, .3mm goes a long way toward closing tiny, but conspicuous, gaps between adjacent black stones in a group, against the light wood background.
1. Eye shaped cross section of the Go stone.
a. It's the minimal volume shape which is self stablizing and which holds an easily graspable, elevated edge horizontal. It's always right side up of course. The minimal volume matters because 181 stones have to fit comfortably in a bowl, not a bucket. Besides the stone's shape being of minimal volume, it has to fit together well with like shapes. Go stones fit together more snugly, i.e. with less airspace per stone, than do marbles for example.
b. Go stones absorb energy from board and stone collisions by rolling, and then release the energy as friction from continued back and forth rocking on the board while possibly brushing against neighboring stones.
2. The board is undersized in the latitudinal direction, why? Is it to make the board appear more square from a seated position?
No. For one thing, the stones, the focus of the game, appear less round from a seated postion. A square looking board is little consolation.
Visual overlap. Like-colored stones in a group appear more group-like when they visually overlap. Like-colored stones in longitudinal sequences tend to visually overlap because of the seated angle of view. But the seated angle of view has no affect on the appearance of a latitudinal stone sequence. By making the board too small in the latitudinal direction, the stones are forced to zigzag slightly, resulting in visual overlap from a seated position.
3. Black stones are slightly larger, why?
A gap between adjacent white stones isn't nearly as unsightly and distracting as the same size gap between black stones because of the light board color. White gives up a little of his stone diameter to Black to compensate.
4. Stones of both colors have more room than they need in the longitudinal direction, why?
Ergonomics. More room can be allowed for the easy placement of stones since the stone height is sufficient to provide visual overlap, even with a little longitudinal space between the stones.
Moreover, any zigzagging in the longitudinal direction would appear exaggerated from a seated position. Zigzagging in the latitudinal direction creates the opposite effect. Latitudinal zigzagging appears scaled down when viewed from a seated position.
When you look at the ancient design of Go equipment from the perspective of visual balance, and from the perspective of a seated player, the relative stone and board dimensions fall into place.
4. The Goban - huge block of wood. Tables and chairs of the time weren't tree stumps. Why the goban? Inertia. If you stub your toe on a goban, you get a stubbed toe. This would speak to the severity of ancient Go play. The crime of disrupting a game in progress must have been a serious one.
5. No "frame". The stones are flush with the board edge, why? Economy perhaps, in the usual sense. You'd want to make the most of the giant wood block you created. But I think economy of form would have been more important. Go is a study in minimalism. 5 faces of the block are blank and the sixth face is lines and stones - not lines, stones, and a frame.
6. Philosophical considerations were undoubtedly paramount in the ancient design of Go stones. The clam comes from the ocean. It's white and alive. Slate comes from underground, etc.
How would you improve on the Go stone? It's like the wedge. Go equipment has been optimized in every way possible, not the least of which being aesthetic and ergonomic.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
I saw the black/white stone diameter disparity explained as compensation for the optical illusion of black objects appearing smaller (witlesspedia). The problem with this theory is that there's only a difference of about .3mm out of 22mm, making black stones 1.3% larger than white stones. This minute difference is absolutely imperceptible, even between two different color stones pressed together in your fingers, never mind out on the board. However, .3mm goes a long way toward closing tiny, but conspicuous, gaps between adjacent black stones in a group, against the light wood background.
