
A board can be hand-drawn on a stiff piece of cardboard for the super-economical.

They are often used by beginners or for when one does not have a proper set available. Economical boards comprise paper, plastic, or laminate, which can easily be folded away and stored.Go boards fall into several types or styles. Traditional Japanese goban usually follow the dimensions: In Asian Go parlors, the tables are slightly lower than the typical game table so that the players can clearly see the positions of the stones. Chinese boards are generally square Japanese and Korean boards are slightly longer than wide, so that they appear square when viewed from a normal playing position.

Some 19×19 boards have a 13×13 grid on the reverse side. Smaller boards include a 13×13 grid and a 9×9 grid used for shorter games that are often used to teach beginners. The standard board is marked with a 19×19 grid. The Go board, called the goban 碁盤 in Japanese, is the playing surface on which to place the stones.
GOBAN 19X19 PRO
In that regard, it's also worth looking at what has been achieved by blindfolded players, especially by Bao Yun (close to pro standard).An empty Go board, with the 19x19 intersecting lines GoGoD's New in Go (available with the GoGoD database) has featured several articles on blind players, and the database has some games so you can check out the incredibly high standard that can be achieved. There is also a Korean maker of traditional boards for blind players, at (they have an English page). if you have friends in Osaka who can contact Morino via the Kansai Ki-in). Īmong pros, the Kansai Ki-in 9-dan Morino Setsuo has long been a keen supporter, especially of blind go tournaments in the west of Japan (Hiroshima, Nara, Kyoto etc), so that may be an easier route (e.g. If you want to search wider for such boards in Japan you could try googling on 視覚障害者用改良型碁盤の製作, or more specifically go straight to. The 19x19 board problem has been solved in principle, it's just a still difficult question of volume and availability. One of the problems he faces is the manufacture of 19x19 boards - 9x9 and 13x13 are more usual, for obvious reasons, but his dream is to see a blind player become pro. He is trying to promote go among blind schoolchildren. Dialogue in the Dark) and has recently been featured in the Mainichi and on NHK. He is photographed on the Nihon Ki-in site, but is very active elsewhere in promoting blind activities (e.g. He is a blind player himself, about 40, and living in Machida City, Tokyo Prefecture (about 30 miles west of Tokyo). Otherwise, the best way to start is to e-mail I expect this will get you in touch (via the Welfare Association) with Mr Kakijima Mitsuharu 柿島光晴 who also goes by the nickname of Kakki. I haven't got the contact details any more but I'm sure he and she are easy to find. This post by TheCannyOnion was liked by 4 people: Bonobo, EdLee, Galation, hyperpapeįor an Italian, probably the best way to start is contacting Ivan Viganò, husband of pro Shigeno Yuki. Audouard once represented France at the World Amateur Go Championship. I unfortunately do not have his contact information, but I'd imagine he can be reached via the French Go association because Mr. Pierre Audouard directly and ask him how and where he got the board. Pierre Audouard) who has what appears to be the same board. The contact information is here (please use Google Translate):Īlso, I know there's a blind French gentleman (Mr. I don't know who sells this board, but people at the Japanese Welfare Go Association can point you to a seller. This Nihon Kiin article talks about Go equipment for the blind, and you can see a photo of the board:

I did some digging around, 19x19 Go boards for visually-impaired are available in Japan. I will share contacts through PM if you need. Is there anyone able to give me some more information?Īny news will be more than welcome, do not hesitate to contact me even in private, It seems that a goban with proper characteristics exsists in Korea, but I cannot find a link to contact the builders and buy it. I tried here and there, on the web, but without any result. I am looking for a 19x19 goban usable for blind people: with embossed grid and magnetic stones, I guess, as is used for Chess. I translated his text and post some pictures that we found in the web and through sensei library here also found a Japanese society for visually impaired but they only provide a 9x9 goban I ask your help to give some support to a guy that contacted my Go Club (North Italy).
