The Three Little Players

by Ian Davis

Once upon a time, there were three young brothers who loved to play Go. Every day they got up, worked tsumego* problems before breakfast, played lightning games until lunch, then studied professional games and opening theory for the rest of the day. Their mother got fed up with them being so lazy, and threw them out of the house.

"You sit around all day playing that stupid game, and you never help me with any of the housework. I am sick of you all. Get out! Go and make your own way in the world." she declared angrily.

So the little brothers ventured out into the wide world on their own. Of course, the first thing they each did was to find a nice place to play Go. The first brother decided to build a comfortable tree house. He chose a nice oak tree with a good view of the surrounding area. This allowed him to notice passing Go players. One day a wolf passed by and called up to the first little Go player.

"Let me in, Let me in. I want to play Go." cried the wolf.

"Never you stupid wolf!" cried back the little Go player, and he taunted the wolf.

The wolf became very angry, and threatened to eat the little Go player if he wasn't let it.

"You will never climb up my tree you silly wolf!" shouted down the little Go player, and he taunted him some more. However, the ladder worked for the wolf, and the little Go player had to flee as fast as he could to his brother's house.

The second little Go player had set up his home in a snug underground cavern, with a very narrow entrance. Sometimes passers by would fall in, and he wouldn't let them out again until they had learned to play Go. He was rather pleased to see his brother arrive, and immediately they sat down together and began to play a jubango.** After a while the same wolf passed by their house and called down to them.

"Come out, come out." cried the wolf "We can have a picnic and a nice game of Go."

"No way fatso!" cried back the little Go players, who were most cross at having their game interrupted. The wolf became enraged, and threatened to eat the little Go players if they didn't come out at once.

"You will never fit into our cave you big smelly wolf." they shouted back confidently. "We are going to stay here and play Go, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

The wolf howled with rage. He ran to a nearby tree and snatched a bee's nest from the branches and tossed it down into the cave.

The throw-in worked for the wolf, and the little Go players had to run as fast as they could to safety at their brother's house. The third little Go player lived in a cottage in the countryside. He had built it himself, using rocks and boulders to reinforce the intersections of the walls. He had added a nice pond where he could wash his Go stones, and a patio to let them dry in the sunshine.

Soon enough, along came the wolf. He knocked on the door politely and asked to be let in. "Let me in! Let me in!" cried the wolf. "We can play a nice Rengo*** together."

"Not a chance you evil wolf!" shouted back the little Go players.

The wolf was incensed, and threatened to eat them all up if he was not admitted directly. However the little Go players taunted him with abandon and told him to "Get lost four legs."

The wolf circled the cottage looking for a way in, but seeing that they had stones in all four corners, the wolf realized he had no chance. He turned his tail and headed for home.

Click here to download a pdf version that includes a related classroom activity.

*Tsume-go: Life-and-death” problems in which the object is to capture or secure a group of stones.
** Jubango: A ten-game series in which the handicap changes after each game.
*** Rengo: Team Go.

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