Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Lesson 154: Baduk in Modern China 2

By Nam Chi-hyung Baduk is officially recognized as a sport in China, so the Chinese Baduk Association has been under the purview of the Sports Ministry from its inception. As a result, a person who is selected as a player of the association, namely a professional, has many privileges guaranteed by the government, such as entering university through a special process. Of course, as you may guess, the competition to become a professional is quite intense. The official qualification process for professional Baduk players in China began in 1988, just 20 years ago. Until 1999, there was only one annual qualification tournament, and no settled number for those qualifying each year. In the first year, 16 players passed the test; only 7 succeeded in 1995. As the competition got harder, the association felt the need to fix the number to make the process clearer, and decided on 20 players a year starting in 2000, 18 males and 2 females. There is a very strict age limit to become a professional in China, 17 for the male players and 20 for the female players. The logic behind having an

Jul 3, 2008

Anyone for Nordic Walking?

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Everybody knows that walking is good for the health ― it strengthens the muscles, improves lung and heart functioning, is recommended for diabetics and other disease sufferers, not to mention burning up calories without putting too much stress on the body. In Japan and some European countries, the trend is moving to a more sophisticated method of walking. Inspired by cross-country skiers in Scandinavia, Nordic Walking is experiencing a boom. Using two walking poles shaped after ski poles, this Finish walking technique makes one consume 46 percent more energy than usual by using 90 percent of the muscles, Hong Ki-il, spokesman of the Korea Health & Nordic Walking Association, said. ``It is also effective for losing weight. The walking burns off 400 kilocalories an hour, much more than the 280 kilocalories lost through ordinary walking. Also, by using the poles, one's posture can be corrected, which can also effect the spine, neck and knees,'' Hong said. Also, one can perform various stretching exercises using the poles, which can loosen

Jun 29, 2008

(1) Superstition or Science?

By Janet Shin Four pillars, or saju in Korean, is a study to understand and predict our life by analyzing a person's birth year, month, day and time. However owing to the fact that the four pillars originated from ancient times and has a philosophical background, most books and materials about it are too academic and difficult. They tend to be confusing and not easy to apply. Although there are treasured truths about life, they are not useful when they are too pedantic. I, who speaks English and can use Chinese characters as a second language, wanted to understand saju and its philosophy in a more rational and logical way, so that the truths could be applicable to our daily lives. The purpose of this article is to study saju in an economic way and I will try to clarify the facts easily, effectively and usefully. I have tested the saju skill ― I describe it as ``a skill'' so you can easily approach this study ― for thousands of people and they continue consulting me for important decisions they have to make. I have come to realize how many people are concern

Jun 26, 2008

Lesson 153: Baduk in Modern China (1)

By Nam Chi-hyung Since the oldest records and artifacts related to Baduk are found in China, and the legendary tales of the origin of the game all involve Chinese emperors, most scholars agree that Baduk originated in China. Accordingly, it would be a huge task to reduce the long history of Baduk in ancient China to a brief summary. In contrast,

Jun 26, 2008

Depression in Rainy Season

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter The rainy season is here again with its lengthy days and nights, as it is time to water the dry land. However, for certain people this rainy weather can cause depression. Some will just suffer a slight case of the blues, while others may need to see their psychiatrist to cure their enervation. Some say just looking at the raindrops makes them want to cry. Unlike ordinary depression causing sleepless nights or a loss of appetite, people suffering from seasonal depression can feel extreme fatigue, an increased appetite and little motivation, which can lead to weight gain. Women have double the chance of suffering from this kind of depression than men. According to Prof. Jeon Hong-jin of Samsung Medical Center, a lot of rain and little sun can bring the blues to people due to a lack of melatonin, a neurotransmitter. ``It is a hormone that comes out at night and controls biorhythm,'' said Hong-jin. Experts have yet to identify the exact causes of these symptoms but Jeon says lack of sunlight certainly contributes. In fact, about 4-5 perc

Jun 22, 2008

Lesson 152: Patterns with Double-Approach 8

By Nam Chi-hyung What if your opponent plays a move that you don't already know? Well, this is a pretty silly question because most of the moves played on the Baduk board have never been played before. Lee Chang-ho 9-dan, the best player in the world, often hesitates before answering when asked about where he will play next, saying ``I've never played in this way, so I have to think about it some more.'' His answer is not a humble gesture, but a true confession. It is impossible to be omniscient in front of the Baduk board, even for the world's top player. Then, what must we do? Think more. Diagram 1 We've learned the variations that may occur when White plays A against Black's blocking with 3. However, White can bend at 4, instead of seeking for a life in the corner right away with playing A. Black can consider as his next move, A or B for locking the corner which White abandoned, or C, obeying the saying ``when the opponent bends, extend.'' Diagram 2 If Black extends as the saying goes, White will return with 2 to save the corner. Three to 7 is a sequence easily ant

Jun 19, 2008

Lesson 151: Patterns with Double-Approach 7

By Nam Chi-hyung One of my students doesn't like to play handicapped games as Black. He insists that he cannot learn the opening theories and techniques if he lays down handicap stones. His claim is not completely wrong. However, there are many more things you should learn in Baduk, and if you cannot get a balanced result in the opening by bridging the gap of strength between you and your opponent with handicap stones, you will not understand how to play proper middle and end games. The reason why you have to study so many josekis is somewhat similar to this. If you mess up the opening because you don't know a joseki variation, you will be hard pressed to proceed to a nice middle game. I hope this excuse for my tedious joseki lesson makes sense. Diagram 1 Instead of wedging in at 2, Black can just connect with 1. After White connects with 2, Black 3 is the common move. You may remember you saw a descending move at A for White's answer in a similar situation. Yes, there is a pincer joseki where White comes down with A. In this case, however, to play A leaves Black's influ

Jun 12, 2008

Lesson 150: Patterns with Double-Approach 6

By Nam Chi-hyung It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that the stronger a player is, the more skeptical he is also. A good player doesn't blindly follow what he has learned. He tries many moves he's never seen, or even heard of before, in order to find a better move. This of course happens with joseki variations. Diagram 1 As the saying ``when being attached, bend" goes, it is quite natural for White to bend with A when being attached by Black 4; as a result, most josekis with the double-approach start with White A and Black B here. However, one of the privileges of being a Baduk player is that there are no limits to your imagination on the board. And, one day, a player was curious as to what would happen if White went into the corner, omitting the A-B exchange. Diagram 2 Black can think about blocking White's connection with 2, and the sequence up to 4 is easily expected. However, this result is unquestionably worse for Black, when compared to the exchange of White A and Black B, in which Black can squeeze the white group in the corner with C. Diagr

Jun 5, 2008

Lesson 148: Patterns with Double-Approach 4

By Nam Chi-hyung I'm sure that you remember the saying, ``After learning a joseki, forget it.'' It shows how difficult and ultimately meaningless it is to memorize all the joseki variations. The purpose of studying josekis has always been to learn the flow of proper reading and thinking. Since new variations arise all the time, it is literally impossible and also pointless to memorize all the newcomers. The variations introduced in a joseki book are not maxims, but possible suggestions that players should refer to. I will show you several variations in this lesson, but you should just study them, and then forget them. Diagram 1 The sequence from White 1 to Black 4 is what we've studied in the previous lesson. I showed White's answer to Black 4 with A, and Black B, White's empty triangle at C, and Black's attack with D. White's bend at 5 intends to avoid this complicated fight. Diagram 2 There is nothing difficult in the sequence up to Black 3. White got the influence on the lower side while Black got the corner territory. Later, White can clear up the left side w

May 22, 2008

Wash Your Hands!

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Avian influenza is dominating conversations in Korea. Everyone is talking about how to avoid the disease ― cook the poultry at 75 degrees or more for more than five minutes or avoid touching bird excrement. Experts say, washing hands will not only prevent transmission of the bird flu but also the measles, chicken pox and mumps. They washing hands properly can drop the risk of infection in large amount. Experts at Movement for Washing Hands, consisting of 25 health authorities and doctors, said avian influenza was infecting people mostly because they had influenza on the hands, which they transferred to other body parts. Doctors warned that hands could be dirtier than feet covered with socks. But not many people really know the exact way to wash them. The group says washing hands for 30 seconds, eight times a day would be important. The group to promote the necessity of washing advised that people need to wash hands after a trip outside, before touching infants, after having coughing, touching money, trash or pets. Use soap, make i

May 18, 2008

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