Blocking game

Valerie Smith first learned about an ancient Asian board game of strategy in Japanese comics that showed characters playing the game.

The Auburn teenager found the game fascinating. She began to love the game because of the game's culture of respect for an opponent, much like the respect given to opponents in Asian martial arts. Losing was about an opportunity to learn rather than the loss of self-esteem because of defeat.

“With chess or checkers, if you lose, you feel awful,” Smith said. “With Go, you can say, 'Hey, I tried my best. I know I need to improve.' (In chess), one bad move can lose the game.”