Kosumi never seemed to fit in to life in the city of Canterlot and it doesn't help that he doesn't even have his cutie mark yet. One day, he meets an old unicorn that teaches him a fascinating unicorn game called "go." He loves the game, but after playing it for months he begins to wonder if earth ponies can even get a cutie mark in playing a unicorn game - most unicorns would agree he can't. Perhaps a trip to the Canterlot Go Club will determine just how well he can play this ancient game.
This story is about ponies playing the real world game of go. It does feature Japanese terms used in the game of go, because it was written by a go playing brony for go playing bronies. If you are curious what the game is (or just what it looks like), Wikipedia has an article called "Go (game)" that you can look at.
Currently on hiatus as I have too much going on. If it makes you feel any better, one of the big distractions is my continued study of the game of go.
2 words.
Self. Insert
2865467
Yeah, I agree.
Why is FIMfiction surrounded by Self Inserts?
2865508
I don't know.
I don't really understand what you guys are getting at. Yeah, I play go, but I didn't learn go from some old shop keeper or even start playing go when I was very young. I definitely have never felt singled out in some way because I play go, whereas Kosumi is trying to face the issues involved in being (as far as he knows) the only earth pony that plays this game.
If you want to make a comment about my story, then please say something about the story itself instead of accusing me of somehow basing this story on my own life. I was a bit concerned about posting a fan fiction like this, but I never expect that kind of criticism.
2865517>>2865508
So you're talking to yourself now so it looks like someone else shares your same beliefs?
2865567
This is Theatercritic you are talking to. Both of them. He's just a thirteen year old kid who turned bitter after too many people pointing out his Gary Stu self insert. He does this to everyone.
I've actually always wanted to learn how to play Go but I don't have the greatest patience for learning new hobbies. I gave this a thumbs up.
Sorry about my other comment. I didn't know 'Go' was actually a game.
2865568
Eh?
The fanfic still sucks.
2865579
My OC isn't a Self Insert. Nor is he a Gary Stu. He's just an OC.
2865601
I'll let someone else argue that.
2865612
Leave the conversation to the professional.
2865617
Professional what?
I just get tired of the same conversations that you ignore or just simply disappear during. You have the maturity of a toddler when things don't go your way.
2865634
Oh, really? Can you give me proof?
2865653
Proof of what?
If you guys have any comments on the story, I did mark it as "Complete" because this is basically the story I'm trying to tell, but if you guys feel there is anything that needs to be added, I'd appreciate the input. I wrote this in about 3-4 hours after making the OC image and realizing how hard it would be for the earth pony to actually play a game like go so I'm sure there are some mistakes and there is definitely room for more.
2865655
Give me proof.
2865662
How about this. Make a blog and see if anyone agrees with me.
2865658
I'd like to read more. I thought it was entertaining. If you made future chapters I'd certainly read them.
My main complaint is the various names, they don't sounds lore-friendly at all with Equestria.
It's immersion-breaking for me, I want to read a story about PONIES, not about some chinese peoples. And the names of streets, ponies or clubs being non-ponylike bother me.
I've seen some errors, nothing a good proofreader can't fix.
Facing should be face.
But it's not a bad story compared to the usual trash landing here.
EDIT : and the global idea is interesting, the OC not bad, it's rare to see a story where the MC is struggling like this with his passion. So thumbup for me.
2865727
I wasn't exactly sure how to name go playing ponies, so I decided to take their naming from the Apple family. Everyone in the Apple family is named after some kind of apple or apple product, so I figured that go ponies could be named after moves in go or things related to it.
For example, "Kosumi" means a diagonal move in go. "Komi" refers to the bonus points white receives for going second. "Kirichigai" is a cross-cut. "Aki-Sumi" is the name of the restaurant the club meets in and that means an empty corner. Some of the terms are a bit more obscure, even to go players, but most know what "komi," "atari," and "kosumi" mean. I suppose I could have given them English names instead. I guess "Cross-cut" and "The Empty Corner" sound more like people and places in Equestria. I think I'll change the names for the English terms. That would probably sound a lot better. (Some don't really have translations, like Komi and Atari, so those will need to stay, and I also like Kosumi's name, but the rest I'll change.)
Thank you.
On a side note: I suppose if this story were written in Japanese the characters would sound just like Equestrians.
Hikaru no go this is not, but good shot. I was actually hoping to have this more serialized, so I could ask for go puzzles to solve at the end of the chapters.
There is some improvement since chapter 1, but you have a while to go. I am glad that you don't directly rip the plot from Hikaru, because that gives you a bit of creativity, though there are some similarities. Still, at the end, can you put down a puzzle for the readers? Just give the solution in the next chapter afterwards.
2901620
I actually was trying to pay homage to Hikaru no Go with several details. Kosumi's appearance is directly based on Hikaru and the description of Mr. Komi is based on Sai (white coat, purple mane, and a yellow fan on a go board for his cutie mark). I knew people would compare this to the manga, so I thought it would be fun to throw in some visual Easter eggs (although I'm not trying to keep them hidden).
Apart from that, I'm hoping there aren't too many similarities beyond the fact that the story involves a young person learning and playing go. I'm not trying to copy Hikaru no Go. There will be no possession by ancient go spirits or Internet go games against reigning title holders.
As for adding go problems, I'll give it a shot starting with this chapter.
2902582Thank you so much! Black 1-2.
Now I want try playing Go...
I have to say, Chapter 1 felt like a solid wall of jargon and Chapter 2 still was finding its voice, but Chapter 3 is some engaging storytelling. It's definitely still for Go players only — the game-analytic language here is dense — but at least it's digging a little more into the implications and the head-games and that makes for a more commanding story than the dry play-by-play.
Incidentally, 1-3 works for last chapter's challenge as well (because of putting the RH group into atari).
As for this chapter's challenge, I'm having to do this all in my head, but I think it's B, because that forces a response two moves to the right, staying in sente (otherwise you descend there and have your second eye). When black blocks to the right, then play C, which gives you an eye and a large space to get your second one. At that point I think the spaces one and two to the left of A are miai to create your second eyespace, and all of your disconnected groups are connected by bamboo joints.
But if I'd played it in a game, my first instinct would have been to play directly below the left-side bamboo joint to finagle some eye-space in the upper left … no, that gives up sente when black responds. To play at the star point, then, and when the fight began, to cut the central black group off from eyespace in the corner and fight the liberty fight to try and kill it first. I'd have to set that up on a board and play it out though.
7910036 Thanks for taking a look at this story. I've often thought of rewriting the first few chapters to make them less technical and more like a regular FiMFiction story. This story was the first one I wrote on the site. I had hardly read any fanfictions at that point and the idea for this story just started from me creating the OC and thinking about how hard it would be for an Earth Pony to place stones.
Honestly, of all of my stories, this one may have one of the better concepts, but it is poorly executed from a fanfiction standpoint. It has too much jargon, too little relevance to the show, and the images for the go problems no longer work on the site. I agree that this chapter is much stronger, and that makes sense - it was written months later after I had exposed myself to more on this site. That said, the idea of a pony struggling with their cutie mark because of which race they were born into is one that I haven't seen explored elsewhere. The thing holding it back is that most non-go playing readers likely gave up during the description of the first go game.
When I finish the current story I'm working on, and the one I'm working on for after that, I may rewrite these chapters and continue. I have the general outline and beginning for Chapter 4 sitting in a file from my old computer. The story of Komi's fall from professional stardom is a bit lackluster, but if I work on it with my current writing skill, I can spruce it up; I think the general idea is fine.
And yes, the first problem did have 2 correct solutions. That was my mistake. Like I said on my user page, I wasn't as strong of a player back then. As for your response to the go problem from this chapter: Did you consider what happens if black plays one to the left of C? The only option to save all the stones if for white to connect. And then, after the connection, what if black extends to C? The response to this sequence must also be considered for a full solution.
Thanks again for taking a look at this. Years ago, I told myself this story wasn't worth touching unless anyone bothered to comment, favorite, or at least like it. I still can't say it will be a high priority, but perhaps there is something here.
7915215
Re the chapter problem: Ugh, you're right, left-of-C extending to C wrecks the hell out of things. I didn't see that. I don't think that's recoverable for white, so that rules out starting at B. Starting at C prevents that initial attack, but then black descending to the upper-left of C forces a connection to save the upper left, and black playing at B then kills the group. So C doesn't work either.
So by elimination the answer has to be A. Answering A with black left-of-C can then safely be defended by connecting: black either extending to C, or playing on the first line to connect from the left, can be answered by extending left from A. If black instead pushes inward to reduce eye-space by extending down to the upper-left of C and on the first line on the left, then the spaces to the right of C and two to the right of B are miai for creating space for two eyes.
I shouldn't be working on life or death problems right now -- I've got some hard deadlines tonight -- but I went down to our local coffee shop to work and some of the guys from the local go club are playing a few tables away.
7920469
Update: My friend Rob came over to my table, took a look at the problem, and immediately said B, and then played out a move tree on Eidogo. So B apparently does in fact work.
Edit: Now that we're actually playing it out, we can't find a way to kill ANY of A, B, or C with best play on both sides. Can you show some kills after White starts at any of those points?
Edit 2: Is it possible you have the problem backward, with Black to kill? If the very first move is Black B, I think the group is dead with best play, but it's got some tricky wriggling to reduce eye space.
7920577
I find it interesting that you are having the same sorts of reactions as I did when I discovered the problem. This in turn means you are having the same reactions as Kosumi, as I based Kosumi's reactions on my own.
White C is a simple matter of pushing down in the upper gap of white's stones. After this, white cannot save everything. C is the solution that Kosumi discounted.
The solution for black to kill after White A is the most difficult. A is the move that Kosumi first tried and was shown why it was wrong.
The correct answer is B for the reason you and your friend figured out. But, as you saw, that solution is hard. I wasn't kidding when I said this problem was rated at the dan level - I found it originally on GoProblems.com during my own studies where it has a rating of, if I recall correctly, 2 dan. Maybe that's a stretch? But the problem is much harder if the solution isn't limited to 3 options.
Here is an EidoGo of the various options with, as best I can tell, best play by both sides. If you see something else, or have any other questions, let me know and I can upload a more complete solution.