BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Ethan Cao said the game Go could take as long as two hours to finish.
Go’s history dates back at least 2,000 years to East Asia, making it one of the oldest board games in the world.
“It’s just really fun to play,” Cao said.
Cao said he competes against opponents at the Cleveland Go Club on Wednesday nights.
“I think I started playing last year, around June,” Cao said.
The fifth grader is one the youngest players to participate.
“At first, I was kind of, I was kind of nervous. But honestly … after just a few weeks, I became used to it,” the player added.
This round, Cao’s matched up against the president of the club, Steve Zilber, who taught him how to play.
“It takes a long time before like, just like, deciding who is in a winning position,” Cao said.
The objective of the game is to conquer territory by walling off sections of the board with stones.
“Try to get as much space as you can,” Cao advised.
He said he doesn’t know many people outside of the club who know how to play.
“My friends don’t know about the game,” Cao said.
Cao said he encourages other people who may be interested in learning the game to come out to one of their meetings.
“At first, like, you lose a lot,” Cao admitted.
He may just beat you, like in this game against Zilber.
“So, if you win one game, it feels like really nice,” he said.
