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A comment on What does Atari mean?. Parent comment

Re:What does Atari mean? by resoluteteeth on Sunday February 19, 2017 @03:17PM (#13681738)
As gizmo686 has said, it's from go, and it isn't really that similar to check in chess. In shogi (the traditional Japanese equivalent to chess) the word for check is "ōte" (literally "king move").
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Re:What does Atari mean? by ggggtez on Sunday February 19, 2017 @03:21PM (#13681765)
The misconception is because sometimes beginners are introduced to the term by relating it the way the player says "check" in chess when a configuration of pieces would result in danger for the king. It's a similar idea but in go the stakes of Atari is a lot lower (lose 1 stone instead of the whole game).
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Re:What does Atari mean? by Cyphase on Sunday February 19, 2017 @08:10PM (#13683417)
A lot more than one stone can be (and often is) at risk in an atari, and an atari situation can absolutely determine the winner of a game.
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