Origins of Go

Go, Igo, Weiqi or Baduk, whatever you choose to call it, is a easy game to understand, but the possible strategies are endless. It began almost 3 millennia ago. The game, that is. It was developed by two immortals that, like most immortals, became bored. They couldn’t lift their boredom no matter what they tried.
They tried fighting, but after several centuries they decided it would be a draw and sought something else. They began practicing music, which they also got tired off. Calligraphy, painting, whatever they tried, they couldn’t get rid of their boredom.

One day one of them had a suggestion.
‘We have lived for untold years now. Whatever we do, we always grow tired of it eventually. And we can’t die. But, if there is nothing existing that can lift our spirits, let’s try to create something that can.’
And so they started. It took them several centuries to make it. Constantly arguing about the right board size and which way to capture a slate. But it was worth it. When they finally completed it they had gained a growing group of followers. These followers were the ones that have spread the game and the reason why almost 30 million people play it today.

And what has become of the immortals? They have started a game that they have yet to finish. In a secret place that only the descendents of their original follower now know of, they are a site of pilgrimage for those that want to understand the truth of the game. Each move may take a few seconds or a few centuries, but when it is made the earth trembles. Some say that when their game is done that the world will cease to exist, others say that is the moment that paradise becomes earth. Either way, it will be many millennia before they finish their game and we should await that moment, playing go in their honour.