[Tidbit] Ten Rules of Go

Ten Rules of Go 围棋十诀

　　不得贪胜，入界宜缓。
　　攻彼顾我，弃子争先。
　　舍小就大，逢危须弃。
　　慎勿轻速，动须相应。
　　彼强自保，势孤取和。

不得贪胜 Don’t be greedy for victory.
Don’t overextend. When you are ahead in the game, strengthen your weaknesses before taking additional risk. Keep situations simple when in a winning position.

入界宜缓 Move cautiously into contested areas.
When your opponent is building a moyo, the right moment to invade is often just before the end of the construction of his moyo. Be unhurried to enter an opponent’s territory. In an opponent’s sphere of influence, avoid sharp conflict and don’t move in too deeply. Be prepared to move back out quickly and lightly when reducing.

攻彼顾我 Attack the enemy while taking care of yourself.
When you attack an opponent, it is necessary to also pay attention to your own position. If you can strengthen by attacking an opponent’s group, it will be a superior strategy. Fighting must not be the main focus of go but should be held in reserve and carried out with extreme care.

弃子争先 Sacrifice stones to gain sente.
Think globally, discard the useless stones, and take the big points in sente. Sometimes you need to sacrifice stones to regain sente.

舍小就大 Give up the small; Take care of the big.
The value of the potential of stones depends on the styles of the players and the formation and balance of all the stones on the whole board.

逢危须弃 Whenever you face a dangerous situation, it may be necessary to sacrifice to avoid a worse situation.
When in danger, consider discarding stones. Turn peril into safety. The Modern Chinese legend Guo Ti Sheng 过惕生 has a famous saying: “What move scares you? It’s not the move capturing your stone, it is the move allowing you to capture.”
[Ni Wei Ping is the inner circle disciple of Guo Ti Sheng and received his advanced teachings. 聂卫平是他的入室弟子。]

慎勿轻速 It is prudent not to make hasty moves.
If you play too quickly and carelessly, you risk making big errors and missing powerful maneuvers. Play thick shapes and do not blindly contend for sente. Plan out strategies with careful calculations before committing moves.

动须相应 Before executing a local strategy, make global preparations in sente which can be used in concert later.
If you want to launch a fight or destroy a moyo, you need to make preparations beforehand.

彼强自保 When the enemy is strong, protect yourself.
When your opponent’s influence is thick, it is best is to make yourself thick rather than play close to your opponent’s thickness. Keep away from thickness. Quietly look for ways to settle your groups.

势孤求和 When isolated and weak, it is best to seek a peaceful solution.
If you are in a delicate situation with several weak groups, it is better to find a compromise than to fight. Consider ways to stave off immediate attacks on the weak groups to keep aji for later use.

[The above is compiled from various sources including parts from “Mysteries of Weiqi ——- The King’s Golden Rules” by Youyi Chen]