Go is astrological in origin, you say? I say not a chance!

[bugcat]

I know OP knows this thread, but we should still link it in:

A hypothetical precursor game rules of ancient Go

I’ve read in the book The Evolution of rules in Go, hypothesis that Go originated as a type of AtariGo, and where a group only required one eye to be alive. But I still feel those are still more rules than necessary. Hence, I’d like to propose a simpler ruleset that required very few assumptions and priors, even without rules regarding territory, but still looks like it would naturally evolve to Go as we know it today. #1. Each side places a stone on the intersection of the board. One after an…

If I understand correctly (and I haven’t reread it recently), the model of @claire_yang is basically that Go models a conflict over water in a classically Chinese sedentary farming society, with the lines and intersections representing irrigation canals and wells / ponds, and the squares standing in for the rice paddies that needed the water to thrive. One controls the water to control the land.