the board could be any size and shape and of any number of dimensions so we should play games, practice 詰碁, and study combinatorial game theory. if we use 定石, we must study it thoroughly to account for any deviation, however unlikely we perceive that chance to be. then we become trapped. it’s like asking if they do this, then what do we do? we’ll be trapped in asking ourselves more such questions and even more crippled when we try to find the one right answer. to be effective we would have to remember all the permutations and possible counterattacks and counter-counterattacks, and so on. the game becomes “what if?” and we know it will never end. the whole board is one big 定石.
it’s better to keep in mind the basic principles, the underlying foundations. there are fewer to remember and these can be applied to a myriad of situations. warriors who train predetermined sequences are already defeated by uncertainties of warfare.
