What is the difference between "live chess" and "dead chess" in Go? How to tell?

Hey everyone! Today we are going to talk about what the "live chess" and "dead chess" in Go are and how to distinguish them.

Don’t be afraid, we will never make tongue twisters on this topic, we will only use the simplest words to explain it to you.

The difference between live chess and dead chess:

First of all, we have to understand what "live chess" is. As the name suggests, a living chess piece is a chess piece that is still breathing. Just like when we yawn, it can still hang around on the chess board for a few times.

In this kind of chess, although others may be surrounding it, you can still break free and create space for it to be born, and it will be as happy as a little fish returning to the water. To put it simply, a live chess piece is a chess piece that is not easily surrounded by others.

Let’s talk about “dead chess”. This is not a good thing, just like when we were children playing hide and seek, if we were caught, we would be in a "dead" state and could no longer play.

The dead move in Go also means this. Being surrounded by opponents and unable to find a way out is like being trapped in a dead end. Even if it was a big living person before, once it is ruthlessly surrounded, it can only stare, waiting to be taken away and become the opponent's trophy.

How to identify them?

It is actually not that difficult to distinguish between "live chess" and "dead chess" in Go, just like distinguishing delicious dumplings from sour dumplings. Let’s use the simplest words and bring some of our own experiences to see how to distinguish them.

The eyes are king:

Imagine that I am walking around on that chessboard and see a bunch of chess pieces, like a group of people, well, the eyes of this group of people That's the key. To play chess, you need two eyes, just like two brothers, helping each other see the way without fear of being blocked by the opponent.

Once I played a chess piece and was immediately blocked by my opponent. Then my chess piece turned into a person with "closed eyes". I struggled so hard, but in the end I was surrounded by my opponent. It's like being stuck in a dead end, it's just too difficult.

Connectivity is the key:

Being close to friends is like our family walking together and holding hands with each other. Living chess means being connected with your own people. Everyone forms a big family and shares resources.

But one time I didn’t pay attention and my chess piece ran too far away. As a result, I lost contact with my own people and became like an orphan. I was caught one by one by my opponents. It was so miserable.

The general trend cannot be ignored:

It’s like playing hide-and-seek. If you hide in a small corner and are surrounded by people trying to catch you, can you run away? Of course not! It's similar to Go. If a chess piece is surrounded by opponents on all sides, it is like a caught mouse and cannot escape.

I once thought that my chess piece was very powerful, but my opponents immediately surrounded me. I was ashamed, as if I was being laughed at by my friends.

That’s it. The “living chess” and “dead chess” in Go are actually quite similar to our lives. Sometimes, we will encounter a dilemma like a dead end and feel that we have no way out, but as long as we have the support of friends, we have a chance to escape from the dilemma and stand up again.

So, whether it is on the chessboard or in real life, you must learn to distinguish which roads are the way to survive and which roads are dead ends, so that you can go further and live more flavorfully.

Beibei has something to say

Go is not just a board game, it also has profound philosophical meaning. Living chess and dead chess are sometimes like opportunities and dilemmas in life.

People living in this world also have to face various situations. Sometimes you may find opportunities to break out of the world like a chess piece; Forced by the environment, he was like a dead chess player, helpless and unable to move forward.

We can learn from this that even in adversity, as long as we find opportunities and create space, we can make ourselves live again. At the same time, we must also be wary of those seemingly lively opportunities that may inadvertently turn into "dead chess" in our lives.

That’s it for today’s topic! I hope that through Go, everyone can better understand the living and dead chess in life. Remember, on the chessboard of life, we are all trying to find our own "eyes" and create a "territory" that belongs to us. Come on, boy!