First, here is the real novelty of this piece. We believe it is the first time a sunjang handicap game has appeared in a western medium.
(1 ~ 25)
We will just give the first few moves here to make clear the handicap and the nature of the opening play. This is called a 6-stone game, referring to the extra six black stones on the 7th line. They are offset by a white stone being on the centre point (and by white playing first) but it is still called a 6-stone game. Similar arrangements, always with white in the centre, for up to 8-stone handicaps applied. A one-stone handicap is as described on the previous page, but it should be noted that there was also a system of alternating handicaps over three games, so the gradations between players were rather finely tuned.
The other thing to note about this game is the way that White begins in the centre, but then dives into the lower left corner. It may be significant that White was a Japanese player. We only know he was called Hara, was 3-dan and had a go school in Korea. He normally taught Japanese-style go, of course, but in this case his opponent (and pupil) was the famous newspaperman and novelist Yi In-chik. The game was played in 1909 when Yi was trying (even then!) to popularise sunjang baduk. Hara impressively went on to win by 3 points even though Black lost no groups, but it has to be said that his plan of playing early inside a corner, while perhaps justifiable in a large-handicap game, stands out as quite different from the later experts.
Before we go on to look at a game by these experts, here are some samples from Sinjeong Gibo. First, the start of another handicap game, this time with 7 stones. Apparently these positions in the magazine came from actual games. Compare White's play with Hara's.
(1 ~ 30)
Next are two examples of josekis. They could occur in ordinary go, but seem better confined to sunjang baduk. Note that this is how the diagram appears in Sinjeong Gibo, with no centre stone.
(1 ~ 14 and 15 ~ 24)
Now an example by real experts. The following is the start of a game between Yun Kyeong-mun (White) and Son Teuk-chun. It was played in 1927 but not published until 1938. It was then serialised in the Maeil Sinbo over nine issues, in the style you may be more familiar with from the Yomiuri 10-game matches of the same era in Japan. That is, discursive mini-essays on each diagram by distinguished writers. No variation diagrams, but that does not mean go content was lacking - far from it. In fact, the first diagram in the newspaper showed only White 1 (called a one-space jump, believe it or not; and starting with White 1 rather Black 1 in the centre was unusual presentation). But what followed was then a beautifully succinct exposition of opening theory in sunjang baduk, brought to life by contrasting the styles of the two players.
The writer is not identified beyond a literary pseudonym (Master of the Pavilion Deep in the Clouds), but he had apparently been present when the game was played. By 1938, however, Yun had died, and Son, too, though full of promise, had suffered an early death at the age of 27. According to the writer, Yun had spent decades teaching the game and was recognised as the kuksu or national champion.
As regards style, Yun apparently was a builder, Son a destroyer. Yun liked to use solid thickness, Son dispersed his attacks. Yun was good at frontal attacks in the centre, Son was good at more unorthodox attacks combining more than one element, and making use of stones in the corners and on the sides. Yun liked to concentrate his forces, Son like to spread his stones around. This all apparently coincided with the style of the two top players of 1938, No Sa-ch'o and Min Chung-sik. No, incidentally, met Kitani Minoru in 1944, and on that occasion played a Japanese-style game with White against Honda Kazuko, 1-dan, which gives us some idea of the strength of the Korean players.
Mention of Kitani brings to mind the possibility that the emphasis of centre play in sunjang baduk may be not entirely inherent in the setup. There is a chance that it was influenced by Shin-Fuseki in Japan, though 1927 seems a little too early for that.
Whether the players' stylistic attributes are clearly discernible in this game is something you will have to decide for yourself, but the position after Black 36 is typical of the surviving game records - most of the activity is in the centre. In fact, the early part of this game was picturesquely described as "hunting the deer across the open plain."
(1 ~ 36)
The rest of the game can be seen in the sgf file here
. The game is marked
"interrupted" after 93 moves but it is not clear whether this was an editorial
act by the newspaper or whether the players left it unfinished. In any event it
was seen as a masterful game by Yun (White). Among moves that were highlighted
were White 41 (attacking on the side), White 43 (combining attack and defence),
White 53 (missing a chance to attack the upper left black group, perhaps),
Black 62 (masterly - a "profit for me, nothing for him" move).
There are several sunjang baduk games in the GoGoD database, and more information in the GoGoD encyclopaedia. But some of the information here was gleaned from a new book called (using New Romanisation for ordering purposes) Dasi sseu-neun Hanguk Badug-sa (357 pages; New History of Baduk in Korea), ISBN 89-7990-145-3 (published by the Hanguk Kiwon).
The author, An Yeong-i, is Korea's best known go historian. He was actually born in Osaka, and has of course researched the Japanese end of things thoroughly. He discovered the Yi-Hara game above by browsing through some go magazines in the National Diet Library in Japan when looking up the much better known game between Honinbo Shuei and Kim Ok-kyun.
As regards knowledge, presentation and content, this book can be very highly recommended. It has lots and lots on sunjang baduk, and a chapter on An's visit to Sikkim in 1996 to research Sikkimese/Tibetan go (written up as a travelogue diary - fascinating stuff). Be aware, however, before you fork out, that it is mostly text, and because of the nature of the subject has many large chunks in Chinese or old Korean (characters and old grammar, including obselete jamo - but mercifully no idu!).
Two small things also caught our eye. One was the first good photograph we have seen of Takabe Dohei. Looks like a great guy! The other was page 56. A rare example of text written in three directions on the same page: left to right, right to left and top to bottom. Enjoy!
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