Post on 06-Feb-2018
Complexity & the game of Go
Teaching the world about complexity, one stone at a time
www.DeltaKnowledge.net Stuart French @DeltaKnowledge
The invisible path of complexity
With each new variable, the invisible pathgets more complex, but it’s still there.
The question is, how do we recognise it?
What is Go?•Go is a board game
• It originally came from Tibet / China
• Created ≈ 2300 B.C.
• It is played all over the world, but mainly in
• Japan (iGo),
• China (Weiqi) &
• Korea (Baduk)
• Have you seen it before?
Gamification
Go is a great metaphor for managing in complex environments
Go is a great way to practice recognising patterns and managing complex environments
Complicated versus ComplexChess Go
• Play in squares• Kings, Queens, Bishops,
Rooks…
• Play on lines• Black stones and White
stones of equal value
Complicated versus ComplexChess Go
• Aim: to kill the other players King
• 1st 3 moves = 4,352
• Aim: to surround more territory
Basic Rules
• Start with an empty board• Take turns placing stones • The aim is to surround as
much territory for yourself while reducing your opponents territory
Basic Rules
• Each stone has liberties surrounding it (marked by the green squares)
• Stones joined by a line to one another are connected and share liberties
Basic Rules
•When a stone has no more liberties it is captured and taken from the board
• If black plays on any green squares, the white stones will be captured
• The bigger an army is, the harder it is to capture
Safe‐Fail experiment: Ponnuki Go
First player to capture an opponent’s stone wins!Play fast, learn, adapt. Let the game teach you how to play.
Safe‐Fail experiment: Ponnuki Go
First player to capture an opponent’s stone wins!Play fast, learn, adapt. Let the game teach you how to play.
The Suicide Rule
“A stone cannot be played if it has no liberties after it has played”• White cannot play at A
because he will have no libertiesAA
The Suicide Rule
“A stone cannot be played if it has no liberties after it has played”• However if white surrounds
black first, then a Play at A is OK because black will be captured giving A four liberties
AA
Scoring a Go game
The winner is determined by their score
Score = Points Surrounded + Prisoners taken
White wins!
White: 12 + 5 = 17White: 12 + 5 = 17
Black: 15 + 1 = 16Black: 15 + 1 = 16
Complexity at work!Is your organisation:
A Machine?
Or is it Organic?
Image courtesy Flickr: Patrick Hoesly
Your Ontology should always drive your Epistemology
Your Ontology should always drive your Epistemology
Dave Snowden
Getting a grip on Complexity
Q. If you knew all the causes, would you always be able to determine the outcome?
Lets find out!
Getting a grip on Complexity
If you knew everybody’s choices before‐hand:
1) Could you have predicted everybody’s final position?
2) Could you find a solution as quickly as we just did it?
Even with a computer?
What makes Go Complex?
Image thanks to http://gameschoolgems.blogspot.com/2009/12/influence-maps-i.html
What makes Go Complex?
Image thanks to http://gameschoolgems.blogspot.com/2009/12/influence-maps-i.html
Complexity & the game of Go
In Go the 4.6x10170 permutations meansno two games are the same.
Pattern recognition and intuition are key.
Rather than dominate, one seeks incremental influence of the board
as the nature of the gameis revealed.
Go can be seen as the storyof Human Society:
“When you make the complicated simple, you make it better.
But when you make the complex simple,you make it wrong.”
‐ Dave Gray, Founder XPLANE
Go’s Key Lessons:
1. Ambient Awareness2. Adaptive Ability
How does your organisation handle complexity?
What part does KM play?
Ambient Awareness‐Weak Signal Detection‐ Avoiding OVER‐reliance on KPIs & set metrics‐ Using Probes and Pilot projects to discover what will work in your environment
Adaptive Ability‐ Resilience instead of Robustness‐ Focus on Safe‐Fail and Response‐Ability‐ Act Learn Adjust (Duncan Brodie)
Continuing with Go
Great metaphor for complexity
Great way to practicerecognising & managing complex environments
More resourcesInteractive Go Tutorial
http://playgo.to/iwtg/en/
Video Introduction to playing Gohttp://blip.tv/file/262606/
Go Software:• iGoWIN (free 9x9 game)
– http://bit.ly/Qt9Tb• SmartGo Pro (iPhone)• American Go Association
Software List– http://bit.ly/5BORFw
Kids• Hikaru no Go – Anime video
Complexity Tutorialhttp://bit.ly/4sfHYG
David Snowden’s Bloghttp://bit.ly/1BOdoN
Cognitive Edge Podcastshttp://bit.ly/28a7Zu
Articles:Managing under complexity: Where is Einstein when you really need him?
Coping with Complexity
Images:Thanks to IGS, FracturedPixel
A few hints to play better
1. Don’t start near the edge
2. Place fence posts then the palings
1122
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A few hints to play better
1. Don’t start near the edge
2. Place fence posts then the palings
3. Surround as much area as possible
Blackwill win
Whitewill win