Infomag - MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN KOREA

	Infomag 〉

Baduk- Strategy Board Game

Aug / 2010

Like Chess, Baduk is a game of skill - it has been described as being like four Chess games going on together on the same board - but it differs from Chess in many ways. The rules of Baduk are very simple and though, like Chess, it is a challenge to players' analytical skills, there is far more scope in Baduk for intuition.

Baduk , is an ancient board game for two players that is noted for being rich in strategy despite its simple rules.The game is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones on the vacant intersections of a grid of 19×19 lines.

The game originated in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago, and although it is not known exactly when the game was invented, by the 3rd century BC it was already a popular pastime, as indicated by a reference to the game in the Analects of Confucius. Archaeological evidence shows that the early game was played on a board with a 17×17 grid, but by the time that the game spread to Korea and Japan in about the 7th century boards with a 19×19 grid had become standard.

The game, also known as “Go” is most popular in East Asia, but has gained some popularity in other parts of the world in recent years.

Baduk is a territorial game. The board, marked with a grid of 19 lines by 19 lines, may be thought of as a piece of land to be shared between the two players. One player has a supply of black pieces, called stones, the other a supply of white. The game starts with an empty board and the players take turns, placing one stone at each turn on a vacant point. Black plays first, and the stones are placed on the intersections of the lines rather than in the squares. Once played, stones are not moved. However they may be surrounded and so captured, in which case they are removed from the board as prisoners.

The players normally start by staking out their claims to parts of the board which they intend eventually to surround and thereby make into territory. However, fights between enemy groups of stones provide much of the excitement in a game, and can result in dramatic exchanges of territory. At the end of the game the players count one point for each vacant intersection inside their own territory, and one point for every stone they have captured. The one with the larger total is the winner.

Capturing stones is certainly one way of gaining territory, but one of the subtleties of Baduk is that aggression doesn't always pay. The strategic and tactical possibilities of the game are endless, providing a challenge and enjoyment to players at every level. The personalities of the players emerge very clearly on the Baduk board. The game reflects the skills of the players in balancing attack and defense, making stones work efficiently, remaining flexible in response to changing situations, timing, analysing accurately and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. In short, Baduk is a game it is impossible to outgrow.

According to the Korea Baduk Association, there have been six stages in the history of Korean Baduk: its introduction (Old Chosun until Unified Silla), its popularization period(Koryo until the mid-Chosun),the dominance of Sunjang Baduk(until the end of Chosun), the introduction of international rules(to 1945),the rising standard of Korean Baduk(1954-1989), the golden age(1989-present day).

The earliest Baduk story is told in Samguk-Sagi (History of the Three Nation) in the volume 'Paekche-bongi,Kae-ro-wang', which is the earliest history book, written retrospectively by Kim Bu-sik about the Three Nation period. This story is about a monk Do-rim from Koguryo.

"The expansionist King of Koguryo, Jang-su, sent his national Baduk master, the monk Do-rim, to the rival state Paekche to infiltrate the King's court, posing ad an exile. Kink Kae-ro of Paekche befriended Do-rim as a fellow player, and he persuaded Kae-ro to undertake extravagant public works such as new palaces. Once Paekche was depleted of its resources, Do-rim sent word to King Jang-su, who promptly invaded successfully in just seven days, with a minimum of conflict. King Kae-ro was killed and the Crown Prince escaped with his life to Ungjin to rebuild what was left of his country."

This took place in about AD 475, and is the most important international incident in which Baduk was intimately involved. Several stories involving Baduk are contained in the semi-historical book Samguk-yusa(Tale of the three Nations)demonstrating that Baduk was quite widespread and influential at national courts.

That Baduk was the preferred game in the three nations that cecame Korea, is also suggested by the 'Koguryo-jeon' chapters of Sindang-seo Xin Tang Shu(New Tang Histories), running to many volumes, and 'Paekche-jeon' chaprers of the Huju-seo.

Popularization Stage (Koryo until mid-Chosun)
In Koryo before the Japanese invasion of 1592 (mid- Chosun era), Baduk came to be played throughout the upper classes. Thanks to many books we know that Baduk was played by the Kings Ye-jong and Kongmin- wang of Koryo; the Princes Yang-nyeong and An- pyeong of Chosun; the Senior Ministers Wu-tak, who was responsible for the celebrated mountain rock- hewn Baduk board, Lee Sek, who wrote the first Baduk literary note 'Gigi' , and Chung Mongju; the generals Kangjo, who played Baduk in camp, and Choi Chung- hun; the scholars Lee Gyubo and the Jukrim-chilhyun(seven wise men of Bamboo Wood, an intellectual retreat).

In particular, many scholars of the early Chosun period - Lee Gyubo, Seo Geojung, Sin Sukju, Lee Seok- hyung, Seong Hyun and other - regarded Baduk as a social refinement and wrote many Baduk poems, and literary notes.

The Golden Age of Sunjang Baduk (mid-Chosun until End of Chosun)
Through the end of 16th century, Baduk grew in popularity with both of the Yang-ban (equivalently ranked parallel civil and military upper classes).

It was one of the four gentlemanly arts (music, Baduk, painting and
calligraphy) which they had to study. The intelligentsia of the time have left us many writings about Baduk: General Lee Soon-sin' s Campaign Diaries, the female poet 'Hyuk-gi'(the first Baduk literary essay), Chung Won-yong 's ' Ki-seol ' (a baduk literary note), are prominent amongst numerous surviving documents demonstrating Baduk 's popularity at this time.

This is the period when Yu Seong-ryong is believed to have devised Sunjang Baduk. The Kuksu (national master) title was first recognized during this period, and the succession is still maintained to the present day.

Famous strong Baduk players included Lee Deok-won who played with Li Rusong, the general of the reinforcing Chinese army, Yun Hong-yim, Yu Chang-hong, the artist Choi Buk, Sin Gyeong, Whang-O and others.

Until the end of the Chosun period, Sunjang Baduk exclusively was played in Korea. Around the beginning of 20th century, the international rules of Baduk became just as popular. The Japanese improvements leading to modern Baduk were readily accepted. During the early decades of the 20th century both styles were played with equal support. Modern Baduk gradually took the limelight, backed by public perceptions of the superiority of 'modern' cultures.