Chinese Go - Bamboo & Yunzi

This Deluxe Go board is made of solid strips of bamboo, pressed together one layer at a time.

This Go board is paired with a set of Yunzi professional Go stones, China's finest. If you haven't played with these stones before you'll find it to be a completely different experience than playing with glass or plastic stones.

Yunzi stones are beautiful to look at, carry a nice heavy feel, and possess excellent 'snap' qualities. The stones will actually look nicer over time as they absorb moisture and natural oils from your fingertips.

The Yunzi stones are matched with a pair of Kitani Style Bamboo bowls and a vinyl carrying case.

In addition to their natural beauty, these Go bowls are highly durable and keep their shape over time making them one of the best woods for go bowls.

The handy carrying case will keep your bowls scratch free and prevent those stones from falling out when on the move.

• Approx 2cm thick solid Bamboo board that measures 47cm x 44.2cm x 2cm.
• 180 white and 181 black genuine Yunzi Go stones. The stones we include with this set are size 3 medium single convex: 5.7mm tall and 22mm wide
• Two Kitani style Bamboo Yunzi stone Bowls and travel vinyl carrying case.
• Booklet on how to play Go, "The Way to Go", by Karl Baker.

Yunzi Stones
Yunzi is the national standard for professional tournaments in China. Yunzi has a long history dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. – 907 A.D.) . The stone has a property which absorbs moisture from one's fingertips without picking up dirt, and a resonant quality that gives it a pleasing sound as it lands on the board.

Yunzi has a nice heft to it and is heavier than shell and slate stones of equal size. The white stones have an opaque milky eggshell luster. The traditional type of Yunzi, known as 'Old Yunzi', has a stronger hint of yellow in its white. Black Yunzi has a similar luster but when held up to the light it produces a bluish green halo along the rim.

The actual composition of Yunzi is a tightly guarded secret known only to a select few in Yunnan Province, China. According to legend, the secret for making Yunzi stones was first revealed during the Tang Dynasty , when Taoist master Lu Dongbin, one of the "Eight Immortals" of Chinese myth, was traveling through the village of Yongchang in Baoshan County.

He came upon a poor peasant who had devoted his life to taking care of his aged mother. Lu Dongbin taught the young man to make Yunzi stones out of agate and amber, materials which were plentiful in Yongchang. The young man soon became rich and "Yongzi" stones, as they were then called, became famous all over China.

Yunzi stones can only, by Chinese law, be produced by the state run Yunzi company, which operates out of a factory that was once the barracks for the American Flying Tigers unit during World War II. The formula is still secret, although it's likely that the main ingredients are ground Yunnan mountain stones and agate.

How to Care for your Yunzi Stones
The black stones arrive with a little white powder on them. This is normal with new stones. Take the following steps to bring out the full luster.

1. Rinse the stones clean under water and lay them out on a towel to dry.
2. Place the stones in a plastic bag with a few drops of colorless oil and mix them around until the stones are all coated. Sewing machine oil is suitable, avoid cooking oils.
3. Wipe the stones clean of excessive oil. Remember, the stones absorb moisture and oil from your fingers so the more you play, the nicer they will look!

More on Go Game Stones - History and Care can be found on our Blog under Yunzi Go Board Game Stones.