On 3/13/06, Christopher Hickman <tophu@xxxxxxx> wrote: > The Spock Rule assumes Spock *is* the master. Spock should be able > to correctly mark the koan, just looking at it, knowing no details of > its construction and using only what he can see. I don't know about "just looking at it" and "only what he can see". Spock never promised to use only his Vulcan vision to find universal truth. He may indeed have other ways to examine the objective reality of a koan, such as employing a tricorder, weighing the koan, scanning the koan with neutrino flux radar, or lifting up a piece to see what's underneath. But you're right: Spock is the Master; so he will gladly share the results of his research when asked. Nobody wants to find out that the game hinges on something that they can't even see, though. That's why, if there's an obscured piece, Spock will point it out to the Students, as would any good Master. Spock can also say, "For the purposes of the current rule, any piece which isn't visible doesn't count." That doesn't hurt the game any. He can even append, "...unless you remember to tell everybody about it." That works too, but I'd rather discourage people from trying to hide pieces. (Why does anyone hide pieces? It doesn't make Zendo any more fun. If you must put a piece inside, simply say so, and let's get on with the game.) Cheers! --Tom Phoenix