Seriously?

Very much. I actually have a go board (my nice one) with a nice shell and slate set out on my coffee table at home with a game laid out at the halfway point. (It's got an acrylic cover to keep the cat from destroying it.) Few who enter my home fail to comment on it. It's quite fascinating. It's hard to visualize looking at computer images and representations of boards but seeing a game (with a nice set) is something undeniably beautiful.

Not really *my* cup of tea, but I bet it does look nice on the table.

I do think this game is beautiful. The simplicity of the look and the strategy of the game are also a nice contrast. I particularly like the picture of the handmade Go set on the beach.

completely agree here. This was the first one that occured to me.

I think a new started game of Go has a sense of minimalist beauty to it. A completed game of Go is busy and cluttered.

Umm, OK. I guess this is like modern art. Some of it I love, and some I just don't get. I wouldn't think of Go as beautiful, but more power to you if you do.

If I were to display a game, it would be about 20 moves in - the framework becomes apparent, but the possibilities are still endless, and it makes you think.

The finished game is too cluttered (when considered as art object).

But I must agree - the first game I thought of when I saw the title of the list.

Definitely a beauty to watch. No one who has seen my set has been able to ignore it

The black and white asthetic is definately a Japanese one. And I agree that it's stunning.

Other examples of the same sort of impact can be found in Japanese calligraphy (shoudo).

I couldn't agree with you more Brian. I bought a beautiful chess set while on vacation in Florence almost 20 years ago, and it still sits on my coffee table. My kids grew up playing it.