My daughter has taken an interest in go recently and I find myself playing on a real board for the first time in many years. I was struck by the sound of the stones on the board, and I wondered whether the Asian language say much about the character of the play? Also, what does a clamshell on a fine kaya board sound like? Is it noticeably different?

There's a youtubee thing that samples several different stone materials on many different wood types and various thicknesses. Forgot the guy's name but should not difficult to find. There may be some other similar clips by now. What else have folks got to do if we're not playing in real life using all of our fine go equipment?

The sound of the go stone striking the go board has allusions in haiku and appears metaphorically in other literary forms, noe of which I have stored away for immediate reference. Some of our regular contributors who possess broader go libraries may have some citations for you. You can make up your own poetical expressions.

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

There have been statements concerning the sound of stones being played on a board. In Japan the desirable sound has a certain reverberation, with some character like a click, not a hollow clack or a dull thunk, and not metallic. If you watch some Youtube videos of Japanese NHK TV tournament play you can hear the sound of stones played on a thick kaya board. Woods such as spruce (shin kaya) are disparaged by some people because the sound has too much "clunk" character. Of course all this is simply a matter of personal preference. I like the description of the game as "hand talk". When played on a wood board the sound can become part of the hand talk, reflecting the energy with which the stone is played.

The sound is a thing indeed.
I have various sets, of different kinds of material, and prefer the sound of the one over the other.
I even have a favorite. It makes a soft, delicate sound, very nice.

Not only the sound, I'd say, but the general feeling. I have five sets, of sorts: a magnetic one, a plastic indent 13x13 one, a plywood sheet (13x and 9x) and two "proper" ones: a beech one (9 pieces of wood; the last one not a cm wide; some 4 cm thick) and a single piece gingko (6.5 cm / 2.5"). Besides the sound, the feeling on your fingers as you put the stone (glass, in my case) is quite, quite different. From the uneasyness of the non-magnetic plastic one, to the dissonant splat on plywood (to say nothing of when I use cheap plastic draughts), the hard-brief "tack" on beech... I find the gingko one to be the most comfortable. Not only in sound, but also in physical feedback. I know beech is popular, but I'd avoid it if I had to make my own. Thing is, the West currently leans towards hard woods, I'd say. I don't think soft woods are much valued outside specific traditional uses: shipmaking, for example; or sheaths, or musical instruments... there sure are a bunch, but...

Take care.

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一碁一会

Bamboo is perhaps the worst: hard, plastic-ish, cold, dull.

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.