For Zhaonian Chen, it’s “The length of and depth of the game.” Jeremiah Donley says that
“Regardless of AI, each player has a unique style and it shows. No one can really escape their inner mind unless they drastically change themselves.” We asked each of the competitors in the NAGF ProQual to tell us their favorite thing about the game of Go, and these were their responses.
“Whole board strategy, endless variations, life philosophy enclosed,” said Yinli Wang. Nathan Morse says “The close analogy between moves and language makes games feel like stories. I love great stories, and my favorite thing about Go is that it's an endless source of them.” “Fabulous variations, artistry and self-improvement,” said Edward Zhang. “To an extent, Go moves reflect players' thought process,” said Stephen Lin. “Reading beyond the sequences adds extra flavor to this game and makes it more interesting.”
Joel Kenny found it “Hard to say” what his favorite thing is; “Tsumego and AI study are fun ways to relax, but I'm always looking forward to the next tournament.” “Tsumego,” agreed Abraham Florencia, and for Emil Garcia, it’s “How (Go) reflects your own self on the game.” Eric Yoder says it’s “The importance of small details, and super deep variations.” And Eric Lee, quoting Mikhail Tal, said "You must take your opponent into a deep, dark forest where 2 + 2 = 5 and the road out is only wide enough for one."
Top-board games at the event, which begins this Sunday, August 6, will stream on the AGA’s homepage. Round 1 is at 9:30 PST on Sunday, Round 2 is at 2:30 PST.
Screenshot from NAGF ProQual teaser video