Kingyo-Sukui
Retro Pop Culture

Shogi is often described as a Japanese version of Chess. Go originated in China more that 4,000 years ago and was introduced to Japan around 1,300 years ago. One player uses black stones, while the other uses white. The player with black always goes first. Each stone moves along the black lines on the board. In the game you attempt to surround as much territory with a continuous line of your stones as possible. By surrounding an opponents stone with with yours, you are able to "kill" that stone.

Relevance to Ranma ½

If you've watched the episode where the Tendos and Saotomes fight Uragishi Sankichi, the Shogi martial artist, then you might have some understanding of the game. As for Go, you can frequently see Soun and Genma playing this on the front porch.