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发帖数: 23432 | 1 摘要：终于把围棋送到了一个监狱。
GO BEHIND BARS
by Paul Barchilon, AGF Vice President
The American Go Foundation Newsletter
Spring 2010
"I am 14 years into a 25 -year sentence, and I am interested in starting a
Go club at the prison," read the letter from the man I will call K. He had
found the AGA's PO box listed in the back of a book and sent a letter. Mark
Rubenstein at AGA Member Services forwarded a copy to me at the AGF .
Although our main work focuses on children, we also offer full support for
institutional settings as well. I was surprised to see that the prison was
here in Colorado, and not too far away. I sent K an information packet, and
an application for a Classroom Starter Set, and Rubenstein also donated two
playing sets and a number of Go magazines, which he mailed to the prison. I
also told K I would be willing to do a demonstration at the prison if they
would let me. Alas, it was not to be so simple. The prison refused the
package, so I contacted the education coordinator at the prison directly. So
began six months worth of phone calls, letters, and requests to several
different employees at the Federal Correctional Institute in Englewood. I
had actually given up when I received a phone call from one of the education
coordinators. He said he had a group of over twenty prisoners who kept
asking him when the Go teacher was going to come, so he finally decided to
let me do a demonstration at the prison. I also arranged for the prison to
accept a shipment of playing sets for the program, and finally hand
delivered Rubenstein's package of equipment and magazines as well.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I finally went to the prison. I had worked
briefly with youth in a juvenile correctional facility a few years back,
but this was an adult prison, and a federal one at that. When I arrived, I
was surprised at the size of the place. A guard told me they housed 1,000
inmates there. I passed through multiple security screening points, with
giant sliding metal grates, and went deep into the heart of the complex. I
was taken to an educational center in the prison, and had a few minutes to
set up before the prisoners arrived. Soon the guards started bringing the 22
inmates who had signed up. I finally met K in person, who thanked me
profusely for arranging all of this. He and all of the other inmates were
polite, friendly, and very attentive. Three of the prisoners knew how to
play already, but none of them had ever played a game outside of the prison
system. I was very happy to see that they had a few volumes of Janice Kim's
Learn to Play Go series. The other 19 inmates were all first timers, so I
taught them how to play and then had them all play each other on 9x9 boards.
I think the Education Coordinator was pleased to see all of the inmates
immediately engaged in the game and laughing as they discovered new things.
After they had all played a game or two, I offered to do a simul with any
five of them. They were quite excited by this, and everyone else gathered
around the table where I was playing. I gave most of them a five -stone
handicap on the 9x9, and tried to show them some things while we were
playing.
One of the men, I will call him T, had been playing for many years. He told
me he had learned from a Japanese prisoner, at another prison. He had tried
to teach other inmates, but hadn't had too much luck. I played him even on
the 9x9, and the other inmates all took immense pleasure in finally seeing T
lose a game. After the first simul, I did a second one. This time I played
both K and T on the 19x19 with a 9 -stone handicap, and three newcomers on
the 9x9 boards. My experience with many clubs has shown that two things are
critical for success: first, a group of beginners who are all learning
together, and second, a handicap system that allows everyone to play fair
games. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to come back often (if at all) I
wanted very much to see if we could establish a rank for either of them. K
thought he might be 17 kyu; T had no idea, but they both knew he was much
stronger. T played a good game, and to our mutual delight, was able to force
me to resign. Since he was within 9 stones of my rank of 1 kyu, I told him
I thought he was about 9 kyu. I explained that each handicap stone was worth
roughly ten points, and that from here on out he should try to give
handicaps accordingly to the other inmates. If he won a game by 50 points,
he should give five stones, and so forth. Hopefully the other players will
be able to base their ranks off of his.
At the end of my three hours with the inmates, T surprised me by asking if
it was possible to make a donation to the AGF . I told him we were funded
entirely by donations, and would welcome one if he had the ability to do so.
I wasn't expecting the prisoners to have any money, but one of the guards
explained that the inmates actually work in the prison, and receive wages
for it. I am sure they are not well paid, but if one is serving many years,
it can obviously add up. I don't know what crimes any of these men had
committed, and I don't want to. What I do know is that a person doesn't stop
living once they are behind bars. I can think of no group that might better
benefit from the qualities that Go brings to our lives than prisoners.
Perhaps learning how to play Go will give them a non-violent forum to
express themselves in, and they will be able to better themselves by
learning how to communicate in this way. I also know that whatever a man's
crime, he should be able to play Go if he wants to. They have chess and
Scrabble in prison, they should have Go, too. – image by Mike Samuel
Graphics ; reprinted from The American Go E-Journal |
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