The game of weiqi can date back to 4 000 years ago. There are mentions of a similar game (call)yi made by Confucius and Mencius it is not certain that it is the same game.
The name "Go" comes from its name in Japan. Like many Japanese traditions it (adopt) from China during the Tang dynasty Chinese influence was at its peak. As it made its way to the west via Japan, it is the Japanese form of the game that is most (wide) played now. The game, which can be literally translated as "encirclement game", was long considered to be an appropriate study for scholars as it taught people a （vary）of strategies（策略）.
（rule）of weigi are extraordinarily simple. There are 180 identical（完全一样的）white pieces and 181 identical black pieces (fight)against each other on a board 19×19 lines. Black starts first and then the players take it in turn to place one piece into unoccupied place on the board until all the pieces have been played. There is nothing special about a 19×19 board, and (small) sizes are used by beginners.
