Abstraction

Today I learned something new.


The board is a simple, square grid, nineteen lines crossed by another nineteen lines in opposition. The pieces are smooth, perfectly round stones, half of them black and half of them white. That is the entire physical presence of this game. The board sits in the middle of the table and the pieces reside in matching wooden bowls, one on each side of the board.

When the game is played it takes on meaning much greater than the pieces of wood and stone can while they are still. Each tiny crossing point becomes a citadel waiting to be captured and each stone is an army of invaders. Generals man the board and begin taking territory for themselves. The tension is almost nonexistent as they begin conquering lands on opposite ends of the earth, but soon one side wants what the other has and they move toward each other.

Soon a battle has erupted. Each side continues taking turns, but they no longer move over a friendly map. Now the black and white stones are placed with deliberation as each side desperately tries to hold on to places to breathe. A fatal move is made and a small pack of white stones die. They are removed and their absence highlights the gains for the black side.

The game continues, a constant struggle on each side, gaining and losing ground with quick placements of the round stones that are battalions and the sky all at once. New land is taken and old land changes hands. Countless battles are carried out and the map is in constant flux. Then the game is over and the pieces are simple stones once again. They are swept aside and laid to rest in their bowls, the wooden board is put up and the war just fought returns to being an abstraction.


-Kat