85. The art of weiqi (go/baduk) war (碁#6) ☷

The Art of Weiqi (Go/Baduk) war is more than just surrounding stones on a board with yet more stones. The game is about finding an opponent's tipping point and then gently nudging your opponent over the line. Ideally it is done in such a way that the opponent must react to you move with maximum firepower while all you did was put a stone on the board. How this is achieved depends on how well you know your opponent. As Suntzu said, " Know thy enemy - know thy self". People who are pre-set to committing seppuku have a really hard time in getting good at playing Weiqi. Hence seppuku is forbidden in the game. Seppuku is self-defeating victimhood. Seppuku means committing suicide. One only has to look around the world and realise that the overwhelming majority of suicide attacks and acts of terror are committed within the terrorist's own country and community. It is the ultimate form of selfharm that does nothing to address the abuse done from without. So in Weiqi (Go/Baduk) seppuku is forbidden. The game (by the rules) forces you to play somewhere else, and try another move that may seem counterintuitive. It only does it for one turn. But that one turn, while seemingly like a retreat, may infact be the excuse needed to make the move required to win the war and win the game. Whether you knew it at the time or not. The real art of war is the ability to look like you are retreating because the rules force you to, and using the mask of retreat to be in truth attacking somewhere else without arousing an opponent's suspicion. As the saying goes: He who let's go shall have and he who has shall have nothing ⚔️圍棋戰聖