The post gives a reasonable overview of why programmers may benefit from playing Go, but there is a whole lot more that could be said. Though I've not yet maste

The post gives a reasonable overview of why programmers may benefit from playing Go, but there is a whole lot more that could be said. Though I've not yet mastered either pursuit, I'll struggle to put some of my thoughts into words: Go is particularly suited as an exercise for the programmer's mind because both activities share some quite specific and fundamental cognitive skills, which people generally don't have unless they train. The overwhelming complexity of Go demands a specific and subtle mindset, which is very much applicable to programming; relaxed yet focused, careful but creative. Both practise mentally modelling, analysing, and manipulating a complex, evolving system, requiring frequent decisions which may have far reaching and unpredictable effects, which must balance immediate needs and possible outcomes. Go trains a holistic way of thinking, which is unusual to the average reductionist mind, requiring an integrative understanding of a system as composed of interrelating parts, and as a whole.