[Stones and Stories] Go’s ‘SamSam’: The Reversal of a Taboo

In Go, the ‘SamSam (三三)’ point was once considered a burden. It was not unpleasant, but players hesitated to approach it. SamSam is the point where the third line from the top and the third line from the side intersect on the Go board. It is one space lower than the most important placement points, the four corner star points (Hwa-jeom). In Go, where black and white stones are placed alternately, it is common to develop the first 1 to 4 moves around these star points in the opening.

Although slight variations are possible in joseki, most games start by occupying the star points. The star points serve as both territory and influence lines. Establishing a foothold at the corner star points allows players to play their game in a relatively stable state. They can secure territory while also harboring expectations for influence.

However, the SamSam point, located diagonally below the star point, was treated as an outcast. The contrast between professional Go and neighborhood Go is stark when it comes to SamSam attacks. Beginners readily jump into SamSam early in the game. For those with some skill, it is a taboo choice.

On the afternoon of December 26, 2023, attendees are playing a game with an AI Baduk robot at the opening ceremony of the Seoul Digital Donghaeng Plaza held at the Seonam Center in Seoul Digital Donghaeng Plaza, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Moreover, in the world of professional Go, early SamSam attacks were unimaginable. They were seen as the play of petty players. Rather than a bold game with grand dreams toward the wilderness, it was regarded as narrow-minded play that only clung to one’s own territory.

SamSam became taboo in Go history because it was not considered a strategically good move. Even when criticized for why one would play SamSam when there are more important and better moves, there was no defense.

The SamSam point, once treated like an ugly duckling, transformed into a swan in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). It was a more dramatic reversal and change of status than any drama. The Go AI program AlphaGo surprised professional players by invading SamSam early in the game.

An unfamiliar pattern in Go. Was it an AI strategy to shake the human psychological weakness? It was not. It was a playable move with its own advantages, which is why the AI chose the SamSam invasion. The joseki that had continued for hundreds of years is being rewritten in the AI era.

This was a scene that embarrassed many Go teachers who had forbidden early SamSam invasions when teaching their disciples. The speed of accepting change varies. Experienced players still find SamSam attacks unfamiliar. On the other hand, younger players who adapt well to the AI era use the ‘taboo’ around SamSam to their advantage. Such differences in perspective on SamSam are influencing the outcomes of Go matches.

The dramatic change in the status of SamSam in Go can be used as a lesson for our lives. In an era of chaos where right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right, it is time to reexamine the ‘frameworks of perception’ that have been firmly believed for a long time.

Without variations on fixed ideas, can the spark of innovation survive? The greatest thing to guard against is complacency. Everyone seeks familiarity. It is natural to hope that current wealth, honor, and status will be maintained comfortably. It would be ideal if that were possible, but the problem is that the world does not go as one wishes.

The achievements built up in life can vanish in an instant. The way of the world is that such situations can arise simply because one was passive toward change.

Confidence in what one believes to be right is good, but sometimes the brilliant move long desired can be found in what was once considered taboo. Is this only true in the world of Go? It is a life lesson that applies to us living in an era of chaos as well.