All Things Go

This episode is from All Things Go, a podcast about the board game Go, also known as Baduk in Korea and Weiqi in China.
Episode Summary
At one of Toshiki Fujimori's Go salons in Japan, the youngest players might be six years old, while one of the oldest is 92. For Toshiki, that captures something special about Go salons: people from very different generations meeting across the board as equals.
Toshiki has spent nearly two decades running Go salons and building Go communities in Japan. Joined by his colleague and interpreter Mutsumi Nakanishi, he shares what visitors can expect at a Japanese Go salon, why so many have disappeared, and how he's working to attract a new generation of players.
The conversation explores the impact of COVID, online salons that preserve face-to-face interaction, late-night events in Shinjuku, and efforts to introduce children to Go through Hikaru no Go and Kumon. Above all, it's about preserving the human connections that make Go special.
Resources
Shinjuku Go Salon — Toshiki's Tokyo salon, with late-night hours and events.
Yokohama Go Salon — Go lessons, events, and community programs.
Kawagoe Go Salon — Another salon operated by Toshiki's team.
IGO PRO — Toshiki's organization supporting Go education and promotion.
Hikaru no Go Donation Project — Bringing the manga and beginner Go materials to children.

Full transcript, episode notes, and more:
https://allthingsgogame.com/
Join the All Things Go Discord community:
https://discord.gg/uf3jgEAA4J
Theme music by UNIVERSFIELD & background music by PodcastAC
Show your support here
Email: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com
Episode Sponsors
BadukPop - Learn the rules of the ancient Chinese board game Go - also known as Baduk (바둑) or Weiqi (圍棋) - with a fun, interactive tutorial. Sharpen your Go skills with daily random Go problems (Tsumego) at your choice of difficulty level. Play games online or with a variety of AI opponents, each with its own unique playing style and strength.
SmartGo One - Your complete app for the game of Go. Learn to play, practice against the computer, study master games, solve problems, and read Go books. Free to download. Recent updates include direct OGS support, plus a new feature that can turn a photo of a Go board or book diagram into an SGF file. You can also read the Go books Relentless and Shape Up! for free inside the app. Find SmartGo One in the App Store or at SmartGo.com.

This episode is from All Things Go, a podcast about the board game Go, also known as Baduk in Korea and Weiqi in China.
Episode Summary
At sixteen, Tang Tianyuan left school and moved to Beijing to train as a professional Go player. He looks back on the long days inside a Chinese Go dojo, repeated attempts to qualify, and finally earning professional status in 2020. He also shares how he thinks about direction of play and why he has gravitated toward teaching and commentary.
Tang also explains why he suspected AI assistance during games against another online Go creator, and why he decided to speak publicly. In a closing segment, Eric (Jobless Baduk) talks about returning to Go and creating BadukTeacher.com, which connects students with Asian Go teachers through real-time translation.
Resources
BadukTeacher.com — Eric's platform for Go lessons with real-time translation. promo code ALLTHINGSGO2026 which gives 20% off to both new & old students from Oct 25 – Nov 30, 2026 only.
Tang Tianyuan's teaching profile — Tang's background and lessons.
Tang Tianyuan on Bilibili — His Go commentary and live streams.
Tang's introduction on Reddit — Connecting with Go players internationally.
SmartGo One — Episode sponsor.
BadukPop — Episode sponsor.

Full transcript, episode notes, and more:
https://allthingsgogame.com/
Join the All Things Go Discord community:
https://discord.gg/uf3jgEAA4J
Theme music by UNIVERSFIELD & background music by PodcastAC
Show your support here
Email: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com
Episode Sponsors
BadukPop - Learn the rules of the ancient Chinese board game Go - also known as Baduk (바둑) or Weiqi (圍棋) - with a fun, interactive tutorial. Sharpen your Go skills with daily random Go problems (Tsumego) at your choice of difficulty level. Play games online or with a variety of AI opponents, each with its own unique playing style and strength.
SmartGo One - Your complete app for the game of Go. Learn to play, practice against the computer, study master games, solve problems, and read Go books. Free to download. Recent updates include direct OGS support, plus a new feature that can turn a photo of a Go board or book diagram into an SGF file. You can also read the Go books Relentless and Shape Up! for free inside the app. Find SmartGo One in the App Store or at SmartGo.com.

This episode is from All Things Go, a podcast about the board game Go, also known as Baduk in Korea and Weiqi in China.
Episode Summary
Travis explores two very different sides of what makes Go endure. First, game designer and researcher Cameron Browne shares ideas from his written interview about the history and evolution of games, the Digital Ludeme Project, why Go may sit in a rare strategic sweet spot, what he learned while designing the three-dimensional Go variant Margo, and why superhuman AI does not make human play less meaningful.
The second half turns to the physical side of the game with Kuroki, a Japanese Go-equipment artisan who works for Mitsuishi, the company behind Kuroki Goishiten, and who asked to be identified by family name only. He explains how traditional clamshell stones are made, why black stones are slightly larger than white, how kaya boards age, what grain and tachi-mori grid lines can reveal about an old board, when restoration is worthwhile, and what owners should avoid doing if they inherit traditional Go equipment.
Resources
Cameron Browne - Game design, research, publications, and projects.
Digital Ludeme Project - Research into modeling and reconstructing traditional games.
Ludii Portal - Playable database and general game system developed from the project.
Margo - Cameron's three-dimensional Go-inspired game.
Gonnect - A connection game combining ideas from Go and Hex.
Kuroki Goishiten - Traditional Go stones, boards, bowls, and equipment from Japan.
The Tale Behind the Go Stones of Kuroki Goishiten - Background on Hyuga clamshell stones and Go-stone production.
How to Choose a Go Board - Guide to Go-board materials, grain, and construction.
The Art of Board Making with Naoki Kumasu - Related All Things Go episode on traditional Japanese Go-board making.

Full transcript, related episodes, and additional resources:
https://allthingsgogame.com
Join the All Things Go Discord community:
https://discord.gg/uf3jgEAA4J
Theme music by UNIVERSFIELD & background music by PodcastAC
Show your support here
Email: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com
Episode Sponsors
BadukPop - Learn the rules of the ancient Chinese board game Go - also known as Baduk (바둑) or Weiqi (圍棋) - with a fun, interactive tutorial. Sharpen your Go skills with daily random Go problems (Tsumego) at your choice of difficulty level. Play games online or with a variety of AI opponents, each with its own unique playing style and strength.
SmartGo One - Your complete app for the game of Go. Learn to play, practice against the computer, study master games, solve problems, and read Go books. Free to download. Recent updates include direct OGS support, plus a new feature that can turn a photo of a Go board or book diagram into an SGF file. You can also read the Go books Relentless and Shape Up! for free inside the app. Find SmartGo One in the App Store or at SmartGo.com.

Travis closes the five-part New to Go? series with a practical look at how to make Go a sustainable part of your life. He discusses finding teachers and useful feedback, building community in ways that fit your personality and schedule, deciding what you actually want from the game, handling plateaus without letting rank define your progress, and learning to appreciate Go beyond wins and losses.
The episode ends with a reminder that a long-term relationship with Go can change over time: periods of intense study, casual play, breaks, and returns can all be part of the same journey.
This is the fifth and final episode in the five-part New to Go? beginner series.
Full transcript, episode notes, and more:
https://allthingsgogame.com
Join the All Things Go Discord community:
https://discord.gg/uf3jgEAA4J
Show your support here
Email: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com

This episode is from All Things Go, a podcast about the board game Go, also known as Baduk in Korea and Weiqi in China.
Episode Summary
Gunnar Dickfeld, the publisher behind BOARD N'STONES, joins Travis for a wide-ranging conversation about how Go books get made and why he has spent more than two decades bringing Go literature to German- and English-speaking readers. Gunnar traces his path from discovering Go as a teenager and studying Sinology to teaching beginners, writing his first books, and eventually building a small publishing operation around the game.
They talk about the practical side of publishing in a niche community: deciding which books are worth translating, working across Japanese, Chinese, Korean, German, and English, navigating licensing, and knowing when a project simply is not worth pursuing. Gunnar also discusses recent titles including Ueno Asami's Play Like the Hammer Princess, Shin Jin-seo's My Go Journey, SEVEN, How to Play Go the AI Way!, and Cosmic Go.
The conversation broadens into the future of Go books, the growth of digital teaching, the limits of volunteer-driven Go communities in the West, and Gunnar's view that the game itself is not the problem. What matters is the infrastructure around it: places to play, ways to learn, and communities that help people stay connected to Go.
Resources
BOARD N'STONES - Gunnar Dickfeld’s English-language Go publishing catalog, including books on professional games, AI, tsumego, Go history, and instruction.
Play Like the Hammer Princess - Ueno Asami’s book on fighting Go and attacking large groups, whose English edition led Travis to discover Gunnar’s work.
My Go Journey - Shin Jin-seo’s personal account of his development as a Go player, including commentary on games from his remarkable Nongshim Cup run.
How to Play Go the AI Way! - Yamada Shinji’s introduction to modern AI-influenced Go, which Gunnar discusses as one of the books he is particularly proud to have published.
Cosmic Go - Takemiya Masaki’s classic exploration of his center-oriented “cosmic” style, brought back into print in English by BOARD N'STONES.

Full transcript, related episodes, and additional resources:
https://allthingsgogame.com
Join the All Things Go Discord community:
https://discord.gg/uf3jgEAA4J
Theme music by UNIVERSFIELD & background music by PodcastAC
Show your support here
Email: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com
Episode Sponsors
BadukPop - Learn the rules of the ancient Chinese board game Go - also known as Baduk (바둑) or Weiqi (圍棋) - with a fun, interactive tutorial. Sharpen your Go skills with daily random Go problems (Tsumego) at your choice of difficulty level. Play games online or with a variety of AI opponents, each with its own unique playing style and strength.
SmartGo One - Your complete app for the game of Go. Learn to play, practice against the computer, study master games, solve problems, and read Go books. Free to download.