From: kring@efes.physik.uni-kl.de (Thomas Kettenring)
Newsgroups: rec.games.go
Subject: Go variant: Surprise Go (was: ...-spiel games.)
Date: 26 Aug 92 15:14:55 GMT
Organization: FB Physik, Universitaet Kaiserslautern, Germany

I couldn't write a shorter article, sorry.

I wrote:
>I sometimes play a Go version where you need three boards, four players, and
>an umpire.  It's the funniest game I ever played, but it's difficult to find
>four others who want to do it...

I have been asked for the rules.  Here is an overview:

    Board 1       Board 3       Board 2

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
O                                           O
O     +---+         +---+         +---+     O
O  B1 |   | W1      |   |      B2 |   | W2  O
O     +---+         +---+         +---+     O
O                     U                     O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


Rules:
------
The players are B1, B2, W1, W2.  U is the umpire, O onlookers.  B1 and B2
are a team, using the black stones, and W1 and W2 are a team, using the
white stones.  B1 and W1 can see only Board 1, B2 and W2 can see only Board 2.
U can see all three boards.

The thing is just a normal game of go played on board 3, only that each
"player" consists of two persons with limited (and different) knowledge of
the board - e.g. B1 don't know what B2 and W2 do.

B1 makes the first move on board 1.
U puts a black stone at the same place on board 3.
W1 makes the second move on board 1.
U puts a white stone at the same place on board 3.
B2 makes the third move on board 2.
U looks if the same place on board 3 is occupied.  If yes, he says, "There
  is already a black stone" or "There is already a white stone," and B2
  places a stone of that color on board 2.  B2 is in a new situation and
  chooses another move, and so on until he has found an allowed one.
  U puts a black stone at the same place on board 3.
W2 makes the fourth move on board 2.  Again the umpire tests if the move is
  allowed as above.
B1 makes the fifth move, and the umpire test it.
etc...

Here are the sentences the umpire is allowed to say, or has to say, when B1
makes a move (modulo paraphrasing):

 B1 made a forbidden move:
  "There is already a black stone." (A black stone is added on board 1) 
  "There is already a white stone." (A white stone is added on board 1)
  "That is suicide." (B1 will try the adjacent points and find out why)
  "That is not allowed because of the ko rule." (as above)

 B1 made an allowed move:
  "W1 to play." (This is important because it's very common that someone
     doesn't know it's his move)
  "Black puts White in atari.  W1 to play." (optional.  W1 will find out why)
  "Black captures n stones." (U shows where these stones were on both boards)

Atari on own stones is NOT announced because it would be unfair.

Onlookers are allowed to laugh and talk but they should of course make
only remarks that are cryptic enough so that the players can't extract info
from them.

Tactics:
--------
As a player, just try to play a normal game.  Normal fuseki, normal joseki.
The umpire and the onlookers will laugh, as your shimari is part of a silly
bulk on board 3.

Sometimes you will get a nasty surprise: the ladder does not work; your
bamboo joint has been cut; one of your two eyes is filled in by your partner
(who too thinks he has two eyes, but in other places.  You will become aware
of that when the neutral points are filled and you are suddenly in atari);
there is already a living group in what you took for your moyo.


Example:
--------
The best occurrence I encountered yet: From the fuseki of a game five or
six years ago.

B2 has just intercepted at the 4-5 point, and W2 has answered with an atari.

B1 played in another corner.

 Board 1              Board 3              Board 2

 +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--+--+--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |
 +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--+--+--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |
 +--+--#--+--+--+--   +--+--#--#--+--+--   +--+--+--#--+--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |
 +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--+--+--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |
 +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--O--#--O--+--   +--+--O--#--O--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |
 +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--O--+--+--   +--+--+--O--+--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |
 +--+--+--+--+--+--   +--+--+--#--+--+--   +--+--+--#--+--+--
 |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |

W1 plays the shoulder-hit at 4-4.  The umpire (that was me) says: "White
captures one stone."  Imagine B1's feelings: You have a stone on 3-3, the
corner is yours, and your opponent plays a ponnuki next to it.
Imagine B2's feelings: You try to cut a one-point jump because you speculate
other black stones will help you, you are put in atari, and you are captured
before you can do anything. 

-- 
thomas kettenring, 2 dan, kaiserslautern, germany
Definition:  Idiot-proof  -  you are idiot-proof when you NEVER flame anybody.