The very first sentence in this well written short story establishes a simple yet mysterious premise, that hooked me right away. Set around the early 20th century Japan where 360 stars suddenly appear in the night sky, taking the form of a Go game board.

Clarkesworld November 2025

The locals are intrigued as it appears whoever is controlling the stars, has made an odd first move in Go - hence the title of the story. It isn’t considered a particularly good move, but the emperor wants to play the game with the celestial intelligence, so a group of Go experts is summoned for the challenge. Among them one that is known for previously making that unorthodox first move.

I don’t personally know anything about the game of Go, but the author clearly does and is successful in making the story engaging and interesting for everyone. The philosophical ramifications of what is going is clear enough.

The story is almost devoid of conflict and is sort of similar to first contact communication stories, but we don’t get any definitive answers. Not that the story needs it, as the mystery itself and how the game literally plays out makes for a great read.

Read in Clarkesworld November 2025
Rating: 4