Winning Through Mental Discipline

The Ten Commandments of Go, by Otake Hideo pro 9-dan from Kido February 1985 translated by Bob Terry

The "Ten Precepts of Go" were written by Wand Chi Shin, a high government official during the Tang dynasty (AD 618 to C. 907). Wang Chi Shin was a top player of his time and a famous legend has it that he was initiated into the secrets of the game by an old woman. It seems that Shusaku took this ten precepts of Go as the credo of his career, and elaborated on them for the sake of a player named Ishitani Kosaku. When the collection of Shusaku's games, The Reverberations of Tapping Precious Stones, was published in 1897, these ten precepts adorned the opening page and have been linked to Shusaku ever since.

#1 - GREED (Codicia/avaricia/gula) DOES NOT GAIN (no beneficia) WINS (victorias).
If one is greedy, one overplays (sobreestimar/hacer hincapié); trying for too much upsets the balance, ensuring a loss.
Surely this needs no further explanation. I'm sure you have had many experiences trying to take too much territory and sufering a resounding defeat instead, or trying to save the useless tail end of a group of stones and winding up losing the whole lot. This happens because the mind wanders (deambula/divaga). If the overall balance of the board (goban) is kept paramount (ante todo/principalmente) in one's mind, overplays, unreasonable moves, (and/or) greedy moves cannot be played. One wants to set up one's game in the center of the board, calmly and imperiously.
Dia. 1
Suppose in a handicap game White jumps right into the corner quickly with R3 in Dia. 1. In reality this is a terribly greedy play. But if the weaker player (black) is concerned only about the corner and timidly blocks at A, he allows White to hane (Hane: playing diagonally to a tsuke. Tsuke: placing the stone inmediately next to another stone/hacer contacto con una piedra del oponente) at (marked point) B. The unreasonable move prevails over the principle.

The most important factor to consider here is what to become of white's two triangled stones in Dia 2; the corner territory is not an important matter at this time.

Dia.2

Therefore, play the powerful sagari (To descend straight down towards the edge of the board) of 1. Don't worry about White taking the corner trough 10. If Black develops toward the center with either important point of A or th one at B, he's on his way to an overwhelming win. The sagari of 1 is just the thing to show up White's move for the out and out greedy play that it is. If greedy prevails because of a mistake by the opponent a good result may develop, but this is not the correct way to play go.

#2 - ENTER THE SPHERE NICE AND EASY.
The sphere is the opponent's sphere of influence. Easy means gently, with plenty of room to move. Avoid getting into a fight in your opponent's sphere of influence; it's better not to play in too deeply.

First, consider Dia. 3 (at the right) which is from one of Kitani Minoru's games.

Black played 1 to erase White's promising moyo on the upper side. This invasion might seem rather deep but since White has a defect around A, he can come in this far.
When White pushes up at 2, Black skips lightly to 3. After White defends at 4, Black jumps again to 5. This is certainly "entering the sphere nice and easy"; without starting anything he quickly beats a retreat (batirse en retirada).

White tests the water by occupying the big point on the lower side with 6. Of course he is eyeing from afar the B stones that just jumped to 5. Accordingly Black fixed the shape with 7 and 9 and jumped again to 11. That is because if he is capped by White 11 he will come under attack.

It is the lightness, the easiness so clear in Dia. 3 that this precept tries to teach. It might seem too light, but it is definitely not.

Generally speaking, if one side takes profit, the other creates thickness, By making 20 points of territory one can expect the opponent to develop thickness worth around 20 points. What will become of those 20-odd points of thickness... If one plays such that thickness is converted to 20 points of territory, it's good enough. Since this side made 20 points of territory originally this is sufficient. It adds up doesn't it?

#3 - IF YOU ATTACK YOU OPPONENT, LOOK BACK AT YOURSELF.
If you attack despite weekness in your own position it will only invite failures. Rather than initiating a rash (racha/precipitado/imprudente/impetuoso) attack, secure your own footing before setting things in motion.
I imagine that this is quite an easy precept to understand. Doesn't everyone have the scars to prove it? Slugging it out (arremeter/abatir/aporrear) in a knock-down (bajo/barato/derribo/atropello) drag-out (alargado/a) brawl (reyerta/pelea) is fine, but before you know it the cuts and wounds are too much to handle.

Dia. 4 (at the left) comes from a game I played as Black. It seems that the disposition of White's two stones on the right side will prove to be the key to this game. With that in mind I built up my position with Black 1 (O-6). This is a very fine point which defends the cutting point at A. One can have no qualms (escrúpulos/duda) about occupying such a good point.

White 2 (F-16) is a big point. Black starts attacking with the checking extension of 3 (R-14). In answer to White 4, Black strikes at the vital point with 5. Since Black has first secured his footing with 1, he can attack as strongly ass he wants. Black 1 and 3 are perfect examples of "honte" (honest, genuine moves - the Real McCoy).

Expending a move at the star to defend a weak point looks slow-footed and plodding (pesado/laborioso). But the funny thing about Go is that, while in the beginning one plays at a slow pace, afterward one picks up speed. Actually, this is quite natural since playing slowly, even a bit ploddingly, leaves few defects of weakness to exploit. A breackneck pace (paso ó ritmo extremadamente rápido) to take the big points or territory necessarily entails (suponer) leaving a wide range of weaknesses. If one solidly, assuring oneself of a secure footing, when the time to attack comes one can do so worry-free and press the issue to its conclusion. Then you can leap (saltar) ahead.
This is the beauty of playing a thick game.
However, one cannot declare that the thick game is superior to the running game. If one's thickness cannot close the gap (apertura/blanco/claro/vacío/laguna) that the running game has opened up one will lose on points. It is essential to develop a technique for utilizing thickness. If you attack your opponent, look back at yourself. However, a word to the wise: one can amass latent power by protecting a weak point but it may conceivably turn out to be an unnecessary or weak-kneed (cobarde/débil) move.

#4 - ABANDON THE SMALL FRY ("piedras de poca monta"); FIGHT FOR THE INITIATIVE. Discard stones but take sente. Do not cling to small groups of useless stones, but consider the whole situation and turn elsewhere.
You may shrug (encogerse de hombros) at this and say, "It's obvious, what's the big deal?" But in the midst of a battle one's vision becomes clouded and inevitably one gets enmeshed (atrapado/enredado) in the local situation. For example, what do you think of Dia. 5?

(It'll be continued...)

#5 - DISCARD THE SMALL, CLING TO THE BIG.
It is essential to discern the difference between the big and the small.
One's ability to perceive the difference between big and small is determined by how frequently one plays. This is not a matter of the relative value of endgame plays. At all stages of the game, plays come up that tax one's ability yo assess the balance of profit and loss; in fact, this is the most difficult aspect of the game to master. In the broadest sense, one struggles to determine the comparative value of plays from the very first move until the very last as far as I am concerned.
It is a simple matter to calculate territories but this is only one of the fundamentals of the game. Questions of a stone's influence, strenght, how it contributes to shape or defense must be mulled over ("deben ser reflexionadas") before one can correctly determine the size of a move. [...]

#6 - IF ONE MEETS DANGER, IT IS NECESSARY TO ABANDON SOMETHING.
Do not regret to abandon a precariously positioned stoned. Trying to yank it out (remolcar/tirar/jalar) only makes matters worse, adversely affecting one's position troughout the board.
[...] one can hardly be proud of the stupid-looking empty tryingle one must take in order to escape. With Black's heavy stones as an object of attack, White can channel the action in whateevr direction he wishes (Dia. 9 and 10) [...]
By abandoning stones for the moment, one always reserves the option to play forcing moves (kikashi) which threaten to rescue those stones. By running those stones cut, one is commited to saving them and one's outlying (aislado/a) positions will suffer as a result. The point is clear: meeting danger, always abandon something.

#7 - USE DISCRETION, DO NOT FLIT (revolotear) LIGHTLY AND QUICKLY OVER THE BOARD.
Take careful stock of (evalúe cuidadosamente) the advantages and limitations of your position. Do not fly blindly, running hither and yon (hasta acá y hasta allá/ aquí y acullá).
It is difficult to explain the "light, quick" concept here, and it is open to interpretation from many viewpoints: but I will relate my own reasoning. The Ten Precepts of Go do not deal only, or even primarily, with mental discipline but will all aspects of the stones and thus the LIGHT QUICK stones are literally light (ligero/suave/luminoso) and quick.
What this preecpt teaches is that one should handle the stones with discretion, weigh them in one's palm before one plays. Do not scatter (esparcir/desparramar/dispersar) them about the board indiscriminately, looking for a quick profit (provecho/beneficio/ganancia). [...]
Just as in life, there are people who shine through making no brilliant contribution to society, there are stones which display (demuestran/disponen/despliegan/manifiestan) a similar aspect.
[...] Kyu players anywhere: if you aspire to the higher dan levels, understanding this situation (Dia. 11 and 12) completely is a prerequisite. The move is so big it makes one want to cry.

#8 - RESPOND IN KIND WHEN NECESSARY.
If the opponent starts to move out you must battle for position every step of the way, with such vigor as to put yourself on top.
[...] When a hand to hand struggle begins one must see it out to the end and not play elsewhere. Playing even a single move elsewhere will cause one's whole position yo collapse. Furthermore, once a lull (calma/tregua) in the action has been reached one must not play a single move in the same area. The battleground after an action is not a fertile place to sow seeds. Therefore, when a lull is reached one must turn elsewhere.
The opponent says (with his moves), "Come on, let's go at it!" and delivers some sharp blows (golpes astutos/definidos/bruscos/penetrantes/avispados/marcados/perspicaces); one must stand up to him eye to eye and make some kind of response. Should one neglect to do soan d he lands a couple of solid blows, one is guaranteed an unpleasant experience. Go is a game where a single move makes no big difference in the action, but two solid moves in a row can take a frightening toll (espantosas pérdidas). Think of the effect two moves in a row have during a ko.
Accordingly, if one's opponent starts a fight in an important sector one must answer with all one's might (fuerza/poder).

#9 - IF THE OPPONENT IS STRONG, PROTECT YOURSELF.
If the opponent is strong, defend your shape, play solidly. Do not approach a strong position too closely.
"Stay away from a strong position and attack a weak one" simply makes common sense as a fighting technique. From the world of politics to a playground spat (?)... Go has strong roots as a war game and aspects of it are reminiscent of power politics. It's not a game for the little guy, undemocratic if you will. But hen on the other hand go's essence is naked struggle for existence and perhaps that's where its attraction for our age lies.
[...] If one can feel intensely this question of strong stones vs weak, thickness vs. thinness, one's game will become so much deeper.
[...] If there are no weak stones to attack, the value of thickness is cut in half.

#10 - WHEN YOUR GROUP STANDS ALONE AGAINST A POWERFUL FORCE, TAKE THE PEACEFUL COURSE.
If your stones are isolated in the opponent's sphere of influence, do not fight, think about how to settle (colocarse/instalarse) yourself.
This is closely allied (aliado) to the precept of entering the sphere nice and easy.
[...] One weighs considerations regarding the whole board, balancing quistions of the speed of stones, balancing strengths and weaknesses, balancing profit and influence...
Human beings tend to give full reign (reino/rienda suelta) to their greedy impulses if unchecked; doing so precludes (exluye/evita) playing a Go game well, with balance. One cannot take twenty without begruding (dando de mala gana/envidiando) the opponent even ten. However, try doing that to a strong opponent: I guarantee that you will be set on your ear.
Finally, consider this: balance is the essence of Go, one plays a move and then opponent makes a move. The precepts here are all for developing not only one's strenght in Go, but a sense of style as well.