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发帖数: 23432 | 1 摘要：一年后这个监狱已有了围棋俱乐部，每周有10-20人参加。
THE TRAVELING BOARD: A FLOWER BLOOMS IN THE JAIL YARD
November 26, 2010
It has now been almost a year since I first visited the Federal Correctional
Institute in Englewood, CO, and I am pleased to report that they now have a
weekly go club with regular attendance of 10 to 20 inmates. My first
article on this program sparked a tremendous outpouring of support from the
go community: Slate and Shell donated over 20 books for the inmates, Yellow
Mountain Imports sent a treasure trove of nice playing sets and books,
SmartGo donated free licenses for the full version of their program, Janice
Kim sent more copies of the Learn to Play Go series, and of course the AGF
provided free sets and matching funds as well. All of these resources have
been put to good use by the inmates, who are making steady progress. I have
been able to visit the prison every few months, and have had a warm
reception every time.
Perhaps the most significant development has been the ability to e-mail with
the inmates, which began in June. The prisoners can’t access the internet
, but they are allowed to use an electronic messaging board. People on the
outside can access the system through a website, and once approved, can
exchange messages with an inmate. Almost as soon as the new system was up,
we were playing go by exchanging board coordinates. After several inmates
requested contact with the AGF, I paired them up with go players of similar
ranks, and also began playing them myself. In the course of corresponding
with them, I have had a chance to hear several of their stories, and have
enjoyed getting to know some of the inmates a little better. “Lots of
people in here do not have anybody on your side of the fence,” wrote inmate
K in one of our exchanges, “playing with outsiders is an excellent way to
help their loneliness and depression. For the people that do get involved
with this on your side, it gives them a chance to realize that we are not
all deviants and mad-dog killers, who have a little something to donate to
society rather than just being takers. Both sides get the chance to see that
we are all just people and maybe we can develop some real long term
friendships. It also gives us some kind of a connection to the outside, for
when we are released back into the community one day,” said K.
Another inmate, T, regaled me with one of the best introduction to go
stories I have ever heard. “I wish it went like it sounds: ‘ I meet this
Japanese guy in prison and he teaches me go, kind of like the Karate Kid
story.’ Ha, Yeah I wish it went like that. This is the reality: my
cellmate was named Yoshimura, and he was straight from Japan. The U.S. govt.
caught him in a meth sting in Hawaii. He barely spoke English, and was a
real yakuza straight out of the movies. He has quite a story himself,
anyway, he became my cellmate in like 1998. About this time I think I was
in my Eric von Lustbader mode, reading all his ninja novels (don’t laugh).
In these books go was often mentioned, and I remember reading about it in
other novels dealing with Asian culture. So, I asked ‘Yoshi’ if he had
ever heard of this game. He immediately became quite animated in explaining
it to me and asked if I wanted to learn. I said yes, and he had Janice Kim
’s 1st volume sent to me. I began to read it, and he began to teach me.
Well, long story short, I was a poor student (maybe the poorest of all time)
. I didn’t get it. I understood placing the stones but couldn’t grasp
the concept of territory (seems so simple now). Unfortunately, I never
figured it out. Yoshi became bored, and maybe a little discouraged. I never
grasped the game to any degree while he was here. He left thinking that I
was the dumbest white dude he ever met. Maybe a year after he left, I hadn
’t been playing at all, my mind would sometimes go back to the game, and
one day the light came on. Epiphany, I guess, but at any rate I got it, so
I ordered more of Janice Kim’s books and began working on it myself,
teaching the few who showed interest. I have played more in the last year,
and since your visit, than the entire time previous. I had never played a
player stronger than myself until I played you, in fact I had never played a
game that I wasn’t giving a handicap in until I played you”.
After playing several games with T, both online and in person, I have been
able to calculate his rank at 6 kyu. His rival, O, has come up to about the
same level, while K is hot on their heels at 11 k. A newer player, H, gave
voice to a new version of a familiar complaint, “everyone on my cell block
is 9 stones stronger than me,” he lamented. I promised I would find him
someone close to his rank to play with on the outside. H is about 16 kyu,
so if any players of a similar rank are interested in a game by e-mail, send
a message to a*[email protected]. All messages are carried out through an
anonymous system, so the inmates need never know your real name, or your e-
mail address. As the program expands, more outside players would be welcome
as well. I hope to run a tournament for the inmates at some point next
year, and I plan to continue visiting the prison every few months. I have
been quite encouraged by the dedication the inmates have shown, and I
believe that go is helping them to better themselves. Just as go helps us
to transcend international barriers, it can also help us transcend societal
ones. In the end, we find we are all connected through the goban, and that
we can play the timeless dance of black and white with anyone, regardless of
their circumstances.
- Paul Barchilon, AGF Vice President. Drawing by Inmate K |
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