This document discusses the board game Go and how it can be used as a metaphor for complexity. Go has a larger board and simpler rules than chess, but results in vastly more possible game configurations. Pattern recognition and intuition are more important for success than domination. Go represents the complex and emergent nature of human society. Basic Go rules and gameplay are explained, and tips are provided for playing better. The document emphasizes that Go teaches key lessons about ambient awareness and adaptive ability for managing complexity.

1. Complexity & the game of Go
Stuart French
www.DeltaKnowledge.net
@DeltaKnowledge

2. Knowledge Managers
need to be
Complexity Experts

3. Dave Snowden

4. Cynefin Framework

5. Knowledge Managers are
Complexity Experts
Complexity
keeps CEOs
awake at night!
“While eight out of ten CEOs
anticipate significant
complexity ahead,
less than half feel prepared
to handle it.”

6. Knowledge Managers are
Complexity Experts
1 We need great metaphors
to teach others how to
manage in complex
environments
2 We need a way to practice
recognising and managing
complex environments

7. Getting a grip on Complexity
Q. If you knew all the causes,
would you always be able to
determine the outcome?
Lets find out!

8. Getting a grip on Complexity
If you knew everybody’s choices
before-hand:
1) Could you have predicted
everybody’s final position?
2) Could you plan a layout as
quickly as we just did it?
Even with a computer?

9. “When you make the complicated simple,
you make it better.
But when you make the complex simple,
you make it wrong.”
- Dave Gray, Founder XPLANE

10. How this idea got started
Chess = Complicated Go = Complex

11. What is Go?
• Go is a board game • It is played all over
• It originally came from the world, but
Tibet / China mainly in
• Created ˜ 2300 B.C. • Japan (iGo),
• China (Weiqi) &
• Korea (Baduk)
• Who here has seen
it before?

12. Complicated versus Complex
Chess Go
• 8 x 8 board • 19 x 19 board

13. Complicated versus Complex
Chess Go
• Play in squares • Play on lines
• Kings, Queens, Bishops, • Black stones and White
Rooks… stones of equal value

14. Complicated versus Complex
Chess Go
• Aim: to kill the other • Aim: to surround more
players King territory
• 1st 3 moves = 4,352

15. 1st 3 possible moves = 46,655,640

16. Complexity & the game of Go
In Go the 4.6x10 170 permutations!
Pattern recognition and intuition are key.
Rather than dominate, one seeks
incremental influence of the board
as the nature of the game
is revealed.
Go can be seen as the story
of Human Society:

30. Basic Rules
• Start with an empty board
• Black plays first
• Take turns placing stones
• The aim is to surround as
much territory for
yourself while reducing
your opponents territory

31. Encirclement
• Each stone has liberties
surrounding it (marked by
the green squares)
• When a stone has no
more liberties it is
captured and taken from
the board

32. Encirclement
• If black plays on any of
the green squares white
stones will be captured
• The bigger an army is, the
harder it is to capture

33. What does a Go game look like?

41. Each side is loosely claiming territory (probes)

45. Things are getting crowded

46. The white stone in Atari. Only one liberty left.

47. White has joined and the army is safe with 4 liberties

53. Black’s two stones are in Atari

56. How should black avoid a Double-Atari here?

61. White’s 3 stones are in Atari!

64. Lets try it for ourselves!
The game finishes when both players Pass

65. First person to capture
3 stones wins!
Tolerated failure imprints learning better than success. Dave Snowden
Ponnuki Go >> Play Fast, Learn Fast!

66. The Suicide Rule
“A stone cannot be played if it
has no liberties after it has
played”
•White cannot play at A
because he will have no liberties
A

67. The Suicide Rule
“A stone cannot be played if it
has no liberties after it has
played”
•However if white surrounds
black first, then a Play at A is OK
A because black will be captured
giving A four liberties

68. A few hints to play better
1. Don’t start near
the edge
7 1
8 2 3
4 5
6

69. A few hints to play better
1. Don’t start near
the edge
2. Place fence posts
then the palings
1 3
2

70. A few hints to play better
1. Don’t start near
the edge
2. Place fence posts
then the palings
3. Surround as
much area as
possible
White Black
will win will win

71. A few hints to play better
1. Don’t start near
the edge
2. Place fence posts
then the palings
3. Surround as
much area as
? possible
1 2
? 4. Try not to play
right up against
the other player

72. Scoring a Go game
Black: 18 + 1 = 19
The winner is
determined by
their score
Score = Points
Surrounded +
Prisoners taken
White wins!
White: 15 + 5 = 20

73. Influence & Future Constraint
The famous ear-reddening game – 1846 Inseki (50yo) v Shusaku (17yo)

74. Influence & Future Constraint
Why is move 127 so powerful?
It strongly influences many possible future moves

75. Key Lessons:
1. Ambient Awareness
2. Adaptive Ability

76. More resources
Interactive Go Tutorial Complexity Tutorial
http://playgo.to/iwtg/en/ http://bit.ly/4sfHYG
Go Software: David Snowden’s Blog
•iGoWIN (free 9x9 game) http://bit.ly/1BOdoN
– http://bit.ly/Qt9Tb
•SmartGo Pro (iPhone) Troy Anderson’s book
•American Go Association Software List “The Way of Go” ISBN: 0743258142
Go”
– http://bit.ly/5BORFw Articles:
Managing under complexity: Where is
Australian Go Association Einstein when you really need him?
•http://www.australiango.asn.au/
Coping with Complexity
Kids Images:
•Hikaru no Go – Anime video Thanks to IGS, FracturedPixel, Guitarfool3951
Stuart French
www.DeltaKnowledge.net
@DeltaKnowledge