Card Games

Table GamesPub GamesGiant GamesBoard GamesOutdoorsTiles and DiceCard Games

 

Go Bowls

Wooden Go Bowls

These bowls are suitable for any style or size of Go Stone. Made from beautiful Limewood or Beechwood in keeping with the aesthetic nature of the game.

The lighter bowls are natural in colour while the darker bowls are stained either a mid-Oak colour (above) or a 'redwood' colour (right). They are also available in pair of one light and one mid-oak if prefer your stones to match your bowls.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Dimensions are approx. 6.5cm x 16cm diameter (2.5 x 6 inches). Suitable for a full set of stones up to 10mm thick.

Change to $
Change to C
UK pounds
(ex.VAT)
Pounds
(incl.
VAT)
Typical
ETA in
wkg days
Add to
basket

Wooden Go Bowls - Pair 'natural wood' colour

£63.90 £73.49 2 + transit time

Wooden Go Bowls - Pair 'mid-oak' colour

£63.90 £73.49 2 + transit time

Wooden Go Bowls - 1 natural wood, 1 mid-oak colour

£63.90 £73.49 2 + transit time

Wooden Go Bowls - Pair 'redwood' colour

£63.90 £73.49 2 + transit time
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location.

 

Kaya Bowls

Kaya Go Bowls

Kaya is generally accepted as the premier wood for Go equipment. These bowls are turned from real Kaya wood in the traditional oriental style. They are highly polished on the outside with a natural wood interior.

Dimensions are approx. 18cm diameter, 8.5cm deep. Suitable for a full set of Go stones up to 12mm thick.

Change to $
Change to C
UK pounds
(ex.VAT)
Pounds
(incl.
VAT)
Typical
ETA in
wkg days
Add to
basket

Kaya Go Bowls (pair)

£150.35 £172.90 2 + transit time
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location.

Masters Traditional Games


 

Product Index
View Basket
About Us


Game Rules

 

Shortcuts
Go
Bowls
Chess
Skittles
Croquet
Mah Jong
Dominoes
Poker Sets
Fair Games
Party Games
Casino Games

Back to Go

Printable version of this page

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Origin of Go

Wei Qi (also spelt Wei-Ch'i) as it's known in China, Baduk (Paduk or Pa-dok) as it's known in Korea or Go, as it is known in Japan and generally in the West, is considered by most Oriental game experts to be the worlds greatest strategic skill game, far surpassing Chess in it's complexity and scope. Wei-Ch'i means "surrounding game" or "surrounding chess" and the object is simply to capture territory by placing down counters on the board. 

Wei Qi is the most perfect of board games from several perspectives.  Of all the serious board games, Go has the fewest rules and yet, the game itself is is the most intellectually challenging.  No computer program has yet been written which has been able to compete with the best Go players. The mathematical elegance of the rules is complemented by the great beauty of the boards and stones - of all board games in the world, Go has been raised by the Japanese to a pinnacle of aesthetic beauty.

According to Chinese history, Wei-Ch'i was invented by Emperor Shun (2255 - 2206 BC) to help develop the intelligence of his son, Shokin. A alternative version attributes the invention of Go to U, who lived during the reign of Emperor Kieh Kwei several hundred years later. Under non-Chinese history, it is thought more likely that the game originated in central Asia from where it spread eastwards through Nepal and Tibet to China.

The Go board can either be a flat table board or the more traditional floor-board with legs (Go-ban). The wood used, the quality of the grain and how the grain is oriented is of prime importance. Most common are Itame boards in which the grain is bent or irregular. Better boards are Masame which means the grain runs straight across the top of the board. Best of all are Tenmasa Masame boards that have grain running from bottom to top as well as straight across the top.

The best Go stones are made of slate and clamshell and the quality and the grain on the clamshell matters. There are two grades of Go stone based on the white pieces, Yuki - snow white and jitusyo - ordinary. The thickness of the stones varies according to personal taste. There is a knack to playing a stone - it should be held between the index and middle fingers and placed with an audible click. The Go bowls which hold the stones should also be of good quality wood with straight grain.

You can learn more about the History of Go from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.

All material on this site - © Copyright Masters Games Ltd.