Do you have Go board?

I got real Go board last weekend, but don’t know where to put it because there isn’t enough room in my place… If you have Go board, tell me how you put / display it.

Rest it on top of a cleaned tatami surface in the centre of a dedicated, Japanese-style room. There should be a clean water source outdoors, whether powered artificially or found naturally. Install a Japanese bamboo fountain there and let the sound of trickling water sooth your mind. Next, I recommend a fine sprinkle of aged gyokuro tea, served in an extravagant ceramic teapot on a small table (or on the floor if it tickles your fancy) around the goban.

For ideal condition of play, plant a sakura tree near the bamboo fountain and lightly decorate your surroundings with a zen garden. Some fine grained sand and large rounded marblestones fits well with the scene. I recommend making 3 rotations with the iron rake around each marble stone for best aesthetic effect.

If the atmosphere feels lacklustre still, try growing some native Japanese ferns in medium sized ceramic pots. Neatly arrange them on a browned wooden bench, preferably beside the bamboo fountain and no more than 2m away from the sakura tree.

Ideally, play on a fine weather and keep the sliding doors open so that the outdoor scenery is fully visible throughout the game. The drifting sakura leaves in times of bloom is a rather pleasant view.

As with all serious Go player, a warrior’s fan will instil the kiai of a truly masterful go player in you. The kind that unfolds with such a crisp sound – every last millisecond of it oozes confidence. The fan should span five times your palm size. Use it when you’re deep in thought. To intimidate your opponent, add a subtle smirk as you wave the fan, as if everything is going according to plan.

Last but not least, don’t forget the nice cushions to kneel on for both your and your opponent! For the full experience when budget allows, purchase some kimonos too.

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I usually put the board and the bowls on my small study table:

I put them on my bed when I need to use that study table:

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Well, to be honest I do actually store it in a dedicated “japanese style” room :smiley: I am still working on the tatami though. I use the room mainly for tea but goban seems to fit as well… :stuck_out_tongue:

And I don’t mean to be cynical or anything but if you do not have room then just stick it under the bed or something… Or do you sleep directly on the tatami? :smiley:

What do you mean by aged? Six months or 5 years?

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It would be super nice if I could follow your advice :smiley:

Thank you for the pictures! I’ll adopt your idea!

You have japanese room?Nice!

Well, it’s not really japanese and it is not a whole room tbh :smiley:, but yeah, as I am a big tea enthusiast, I do have a separate eastern themed space where my goban can rest in peace as I do not really have anyone to play in real life on a regular basis :-/

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To answer your question, I do have a Go board! I pestered my father to buy one (please note I’m still a teen so I can’t buy it with my own money), in fact. I just store it in a biscuit box and place it in the drawer. I don’t have any family members who are familiar with the game, so I rely on this website lol but yeah. Find a suitable box to store the set to prevent it from scratching or anything and then put it in a place that you are familarised with. Hope this helps :relaxed:

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I bought cheap leather-like board, so I can keep it anywhere in scrolled state. Of course, playing isn’t as pleasant on such a soft material, but I can take it anywhere without any special box, so it’s very convenient.

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I have several Go boards, perhaps a dozen, including an elderly Katsura Goban and all those 13x13 and 9x9 ones.
Note: I am the local Go club, and I instructed a weekly Go workshop in the local village school for a few years, so that explains the number of boards :wink:

MY nicest board (Kaya, perhaps 3.5 cm thick, four pieces) is always on the table in my “Go salon” under the roof, so … if anybody should visit me, we’d be ready to play within a few minutes—after I have (probably) made tea for the visitor and (for sure) coffee for myself. Three people already took up on my invitations, from Korea, USA, the Netherlands … I wonder where the next one will come from.

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i have a rather cheap wooden board which came with plastic stones and is mostly out for display (it is quite decorative with the goke on it, even if it is nothing fancy). recently i aquired nicer glass stones and a foldable go-mat to take with me if i want to play somewhere else.

if you have trouble finding a box pretty much any piece of cloth will do the job. i suggest an old pillow case. :slight_smile:

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I have only been playing for a month, but bought some nice Go equipment since I know this will be a lifelong pursuit like chess has been. I started out buying a bamboo etched table goban with bamboo bowls and size 33 Yunzi stones from Yellow Mountain Imports. I love this set and have been getting a lot of use out of it with friends, family, and at the Empty Sky Go club where it has been getting many good compliments.
I also just bought a set of size 32 slate and shell stones on ebay and a Hon Kaya table goban from Mr. Kuroki in Japan.

http://shop.kurokigoishi.co.jp/en/item/1050

This I am keeping at home to study with until I reach the single digit kyu ranks, and then I might bring it out to the Go club or for an AGA tournament. I keep my equipment in my bedroom closet and take it out to my desk when I want to use it at home.

I was looking for a good carry/storage bag for my large 2 sun Hon Kaya goban, but unlike chess bags for wooden chess boards, there are none to be found. I did find a forum thread where they recommend using a pizza bag that delivery guys use as it is about the right size for a goban (18"x18"x5"), so I went for that. That way I can keep the goban stored in the bag so it doesn’t get damaged, and if I ever take it out of the house it will be a little more safe.

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You’ve got 19X19 board? If so, the biscuit box must be big :slight_smile:

Cloth would be nice. Thanks!

Playiing Go anywhere…nice :+1:

Do you run Go salon in Germany? Great.

You got Hon Kaya table goban and slate and shell stone…!
I only got goban (3 cm thick) and plastic stones.

Is the pizza bag is like this?

I never thought of carrying Go board, but it looks so perfect.
Thank you for the info :slight_smile:

Yes, that is what the pizza bag looks like!

I have only a bamboo board from Yellow Mountain. It sits on a piece of “felt” ( actually made from shredded soft drink bottles tan color) from Joanne Fabric. I also have a sleeve from the same material for when I take it to the club or coffee shop.