User:HisTreS/sandbox

= Pair Go =

History
Pair Go was created in Japan in 1990 by Taki Hsiao, the founder of Guru Navi, Inc."年" /> The origins of Pair Go was Team Go, an ancient variant of Go. In Team Go, two Go boards are placed side by side, and several players play in turns. The players play the move on the neighboring board on the board in front of them, though this has the effect of lessening the competitive meaning of the game. Based on this, Mr. Taki conceived of Pair Go, in which two players are matched against the other two players while using just one Go board. This game was considered to be more interesting because as several players take part the number of variations increases.

At the first tournament, held in 1990, Ishida Yoshio acted as chief referee. He addressed Pair Go as “an interesting game when you try it.”

Gameplay
Pair Go is a competitive game played in pairs, with each team holding either black or white stones. Each team consists of a male player and a female player who share a Pair Go board. The members of the teams play as such:


 * 1) Female player of the black team.
 * 2) Female player of the white team.
 * 3) Male player of the black team.
 * 4) Male player of the white team.

Players of the same gender can form pairs, but the Japan Pair Go Association's official rules specify that a pair is formed by a male and female player. In general, to popularize Pair Go and to promote exchange, almost all Pair Go events adopt the male/female format. The inventor of Pair Go, Taki Hsiao, had a strong wish to popularize the game among females.

Rules
The official rules, as determined by the Japan Pair Go Association, are listed below.


 * A male player and a female player form a pair; the members of the pair sit on the same side of the Go board. Players of the same gender face each other over the board.
 * The male and female players play alternately. The first move is made by the female member of the pair taking black; next, the female member of the pair taking white plays; next, the male member of the pair with black plays; next, the male member of the pair with white plays. This rotation continues throughout the game.
 * The members of a pair must not consult each other or give advice. The conversation is permitted only for deciding to resign or to check whose turn it is to play.
 * In consulting the partner about resigning, the player whose turn it is asks their partner, who must reply with yes or no.
 * When a mistake is made in the order of players, an objection can be made only about the move just played. When a rotation error has been made, a move cannot be replayed. A penalty of three points is levied on the pair that made the mistake.
 * If it is confirmed that partners have made an illegal exchange of information, the pair concerned forfeits the game.
 * When passes are made in succession, the game concludes.
 * When handicap games are played in tournaments for amateurs, the ranks of the two players in a pair are added, then divided by two to calculate the “pair points.” The handicap is decided by the difference from the pair points of the other pair.

The rules are available in five languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. (The rules were formally defined in 1991. Drafting was supervised by Yoshikuni Ichiro, Honorary President of the Japan Pair Go Association and previous director of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau.)

Studies
Researchers in artificial intelligence are also paying attention to Pair Go. The design of Pair Go as a game in which the player has to understand not only the planning of the opponent pair but also communication, (not as a conversation but in the sense of “transmission”) with their partner may mean that Pair Go may be useful for basic research in communication between humans and artificial intelligence, as humans can engage in contests while coordinating with someone without visual or audible forms of communication.