Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Batoo

Batoo is a recently invented igo variation (maybe properly baduk variation, since it was invented in Korea).

The name batoo, came from the name baduk and chantoo, which means battle.

The game is different from baduk.

Here are some rules:
1. It is played on a 11X11 board
2. At the beginning of the game, both players put 3 stones anywhere.
3. There are +5 points intersection, they are A6,F1,F11,and L6 (circle marked). The player who plays a stone there, gets 5 points.
4. There are -5 points intersection, they are C3,C9,J3,and J9 (all sansan intersection, marked square). The player who plays there, gets 5 points reduction.
5. You have a "special weapon" called nuclear, er... I mean "hidden move". It means that you can play a move, but you don't put the stone on the board (or it is hidden). An interesting idea.

6. The turn is decided by bidding. So, if A bid 4 point, and then B bid 5 point, then B play as black and the game's komi is 5 points, but if B didn't bid higher, A play as black and the game's komi is 4 points.

It seems that lot of money has been invested to make this game popular. Seems that this game try to atract more people (especially children) to play baduk, since the number of interested people, become lower and lower.

Maybe something like Hikaru no Go is needed to attract more people. I am also one from many people who play igo, after reading that comic ;)

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