Go Spotting: Every Man A King
Chris Garlock | Published on 12/18/2023
Go is featured in Walter Mosley’s latest novel.![](//s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/454497/graphics/2023.12.18_Every_Man_A_King-Mosley_124153907.jpg)
“Lawrence Gross and Phil Straus spotted Go in the first King Oliver book by Walter Mosley, Down The River Unto The Sea as you reported on 9/11/23,” writes Michael Goerss. “Well, the sequel, Every Man A King, has the main character play Go in two places in the novel, once with his psychopathic friend and once with an underworld kingpin.
“On page 99, Mel had set up a table with a Go board built into it. The pieces were made from very high-quality jadeite gems, apple green and snow white.
“Unfortunately,” Goerss continues, “on pp. 100-101, The now-and-then maniac smiled, placed another green jewel in an unexpected square. So maybe the author doesn’t know the game well? Reminds me a bit of when Don Winslow in Satori, the sequel to Trevanian’s Shibumi after the author’s death, mentions moving a stone in a game of Go.
“On page 196, the main character wants information from the underworld kingpin and asks if he plays Go: When he pulled out the Go board from a bottom drawer, I knew I’d hit the right note. Made from oak, it was old and battered, with pitted stone disks that had rattled around in their lambskin sack for at least half a century…’I’ll tell you what,’ he said, ‘I’ll discuss your problem between moves. You have until I defeat you to get what you need.’
Spotted Go? Email us at journal@usgo.org