185. The art of Weiqi (Go/Baduk) war (碁#22) - The Physics of Wall Street

When the tides of fortune are flowing in your favour, problems can now be resolved. Even if a situation has reached a stalemate because too many obstacles stand in the way of further progress. This is because the other side's condition is not in their favour anymore and they have decided to make a strategic withdrawal, even though, they appear to be in a stronger position. For observors of the game, the situation upon the Weiqi (Go/Baduk) board has reached crisis point. There is a sense that the pressure is of such magnitude, that something has to give. And yet, any hope of success means taking huge risks! Situations like these come and go all the time. And yet, very few of us are able to take decisive advantage. Even if we have repeatedly experienced it. And unless you have access to the nuclear option and are willing to use it, the popular slogan of quote - taking massive action - unquote, is just not a card option on the table. So what's to be done about this betting connundrum? The answer is to employ Suntzu's strategy number thirteen regarding spies. Placing stones on the Weiqi (Go/Baduk) board in such a way, that one's opponent unwittingly reveals their hand or at the very least is forced to change their strategy and tactics. And by staying aware of the changes of states between the before and the after, this is the Art of Mindfulness when it comes to the Art of War. If you don't believe me, in one of the books I'm currently reading, which is called "The Physics of Wall Street: A brief history of predicting the unpredictable", by James Owen Weatherall, there is a line on page 95 (of my version) under chapter four called "Beating the Dealer" which says: Information flows and your money grows. And it has to do with an equation called the Kelly criterion or Kelly bet size. Now I won't get too deeply into this book except to inspire you to read it for yourself. Through the book's influence, I have started teaching my children the card game Blackjack or Twenty-one to help them get better at mathematics, spotting patterns as it relates to information gathering and how casinos work the numbers to always stay in profit. Without me having to do anything much, my children very quickly discovered that they enjoyed being the dealer more than betting their Easter eggs. As I've told my kids on numerous occasions, casinos very rarely go bust. But if they do, then something else is at work. The weaker white stone challenger is meant to, by the deliberate disadvantages place upon it, find creative solutions to beating the black stone master. While the black stone master's role, if he or she is not a teacher of the game, is to find the resolve to stay number one without imploding into civil war. This is partly done by using your eyes and ears to feel the pulse on the ground by learning a little about the physics of Wall Street from a higher plane of fortitude ⚔️圍棋戰聖: For further details the publisher is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, or in Oceania by Scribe Publishing ISBN 9781921640452