AlphaGo Don’t Care
by Anders Kierulf
2016-03-10
AlphaGo is badass. Like the honey badger, AlphaGo just don’t care.
Lee Sedol may have underestimated AlphaGo in game 1, but he knew what he was up against in game 2. I watched Michael Redmond’s commentary during the game, then Myungwan Kim’s commentary this morning. The Go Game Guru commentary is also very helpful.
The tenuki at move 13: Professionals always extend at the bottom first? AlphaGo don’t care. It builds a nice position at the top instead.
The peep at move 15: This is usually played much later in the game, and never without first extending on the bottom. AlphaGo don’t care. It adds 29 later, and makes the whole thing work with the creative shoulder hit of 37. It even ends up with 10 points of territory there.
With 64 and 70, Lee Sedol made his group invulnerable to prepare for a fight at the top. AlphaGo don’t care, it just builds up its framework, and then shows a lot of flexibility in where it ends up with territory.
Lee Sedol threatens the territory at the top with 166? AlphaGo don’t care, it just secures points in the center instead. Points are points, it doesn’t matter where on the board they are.
What can Lee Sedol do in the next games? I think he needs to get a complicated fight going early in the game, start ko fights, in general increase the complexity. But I fear AlphaGo just won’t care.