SOME PLAY LIKE TONY GODDARD


tune: The British Grenadiers
words: Castledine, Prescott and many more


Some play like Tony Goddard,
and they are on the ball;
some play like Stuart Dowsey,
but that's no use at all.
For the Go player we emulate
is stronger than them all,
he's two dan, three dan, four dan, five,
and his name is T. Mark Hall.

Some try to win with moyo,
and some with corners small.
Some try to win in yose,
and some don't try at all.
But the strategy that works for us
is none of these at all:
Just rip rip rip rip rip rip rip,
until the groups all fall.

Some like to play cross hoshi,
while some play san-ren-sei.
Some like to make shimaris,
and maybe that's OK,
but the opening move we like the best,
we'll play it any day,
it's taht little dot in the middle of the board,
it is the only te.

Some like to play on four stones,
and some to play on five.
But when you get to seventeen,
it's tricky to survive,
butthe handicap we liked the best,
made all our groups alive:
We told them we were 30 kyu,
and they gave us 25.

Some like to play with one hour,
but really that won't do.
Some like to play with three hours,
and byoyomi too.
But the time limits we liked the best,
were when we'd more than you,
with fifteen minutes on the clock,
and you had only two.

Some like to play nadare,
and some the bloody sword.
Some like to play the taisha,
but with these we are board.
For the joseki that works for us,
we'll play it with one accord:
Just cut, hack, slice - it's not quite nice,
but it brings a rich reward.

Some like to play shibori,
and some the mannen ko.
Some like to take in geta,
and some to take in sh'cho.
But the tesuji that works the best,
and we really all should know,
is an oki here and an oki there,
until the eyes all go.

Some play like Tony Goddard,
and they are on the ball;
some play like Stuart Dowsey,
but that's no use at all.
For the Go player we emulate
is stronger than them all,
he's two dan, three dan, four dan, five,
and his name is T. Mark Hall.