Symbols Love, Theoretically Ali Hazelwood

Go Board Game Symbol in Love, Theoretically

What Is Go and Why Does It Matter?

Go is an ancient Chinese board game of pure strategy, played with black and white stones on a 19x19 grid. The game is famously more complex than chess—the board positions outnumber the atoms in the known universe, as Elsie herself notes during her first game with Jack. In Love, Theoretically, Go functions as a recurring spatial arena where the characters’ intellectual rivalry, hidden vulnerabilities, and emotional intimacy are enacted. The board becomes a physical metaphor for the relationship between Elsie Hannaway, a theoretical physicist and part-time fake girlfriend, and Jack Smith-Turner (also known as Jonathan Smith-Turner), the experimental physicist who is both her romantic interest and her professional adversary.

Where the Go Board Appears

The Go motif surfaces at four key moments:

  1. Chapter 1 (Waves and Particles) – At Millicent's ninetieth birthday party, Elsie finds a half-played Go board. Jack challenges her, and after a tense match involving questions about Greg's “Woodacre” retreat, they end in a draw. Izzy takes a Polaroid of them.
  2. Chapter 11 (Centripetal Force) – During Jack's raw confession to Greg, he mentions his fascination with how Elsie holds a Go stone, connecting the game to his inability to stop thinking about her.
  3. Chapter 23 (Freezing Point) – At George’s apartment, Jack’s friends host a Blitz Go tournament (ten seconds per move). Elsie defeats every opponent, including Jack, breaking his eight-month winning streak. She later overhears gossip about her and Jack.
  4. Epilogue – Jack sends Elsie a picture of his Hadron Collider model with the words “Would look great in Jell‑O,” referencing inside jokes that began with their shared love of strategy games and playful banter.

Shifting Meanings of the Go Board

In the first appearance, Go is a site of intellectual rivalry and concealment. Elsie pretends to be Greg’s girlfriend and feigns ignorance about Woodacre, while Jack probes her with questions. The draw—a tie—reflects their equal strategic skill and the stalemate of their conflict. The Polaroid snapshot freezes a moment of mutual fascination.

By the Blitz Go tournament, the game has transformed into an arena of vulnerability and belonging. Elsie is no longer performing a fake role; she is among Jack’s friends, playing for pure enjoyment. Jack’s friends cheer for her, and when she wins, Jack looks as happy as she feels. The speed of Blitz Go forces instinctive play, mirroring how Elsie begins to trust her own impulses rather than her people-pleasing scripts. After the tournament, Jack’s hand on her abdomen and his whispered “Be good” signal a shift from rivalry to affectionate intimacy.

The final mention in the epilogue—the Jell‑O gag—demonstrates how Go’s spirit (strategic play with a partner) has been absorbed into their domestic life. The couple now uses humor and shared symbols (science, games) to express commitment, turning competition into collaboration.

Character and Theme Connections

Elsie Hannaway

Elsie’s identity as a theoretical physicist makes Go a natural fit: the game is “mind twisting and punishingly intricate,” reflecting her academic mind. Her ability to match Jack at Go reveals a part of herself she usually hides—her genuine competence and passion. The board becomes a space where her people-pleasing facade cracks. In the first game, she pretends to know less; by the Blitz tournament, she plays to win. This arc mirrors her journey from performing a fake self to claiming her own desires. For a deeper look at her character, see the Elsie Hannaway character page.

Jack Smith-Turner

Jack is introduced as a mysterious, observant figure. His love of Go—seen in his earlier skill and his later hosting of Blitz Go—contrasts with his intense, brooding exterior. In Chapter 11, he confesses that he wants to know why Elsie can hold a Go stone, linking the game to his obsession with her true self. The board allows Jack to express his feelings nonverbally; his focus on her finesse with the stones shows his attention to detail and his desire to understand her beyond her performance. Visit the Jack Smith-Turner character page for more.

Themes

  • People-Pleasing versus Authenticity: Go forces players to commit to each move; there is no room for second-guessing. Elsie’s evolution from feigning weakness to playing boldly parallels her growing authenticity. Learn more on the people-pleasing versus authenticity theme page.
  • Academic Rivalry and Power Dynamics: The physicists’ department feud between theorists and experimentalists is mirrored in the Go board’s black-versus-white opposition. Yet the game’s draw and later Elsie’s victory suggest that rivalry can give way to collaboration—much like Jack and Elsie’s eventual partnership. See academic rivalry and power dynamics.
  • Fake Dating and Emotional Performance: The first Go game occurs while Elsie is still pretending to be Greg’s girlfriend. The board becomes a space where she cannot fully control her performance—she plays too well, exposing her intelligence and drawing Jack’s suspicion. Explore fake dating and emotional performance.
  • Vulnerability and Trust: In the Blitz Go tournament, Elsie sits between Jack’s legs, his hand on her abdomen—a posture of extreme trust. The game’s time pressure forces her to rely on instinct, which requires letting go of her usual hypervigilance. The vulnerability and trust theme page expands on this.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the Go board’s complexity mirror the relationship between Elsie and Jack?
Answer: Go has more board positions than atoms in the universe, making it impossibly complex—just like the layered dynamics between the two protagonists. Their relationship involves fake dating, hidden careers (Jack is her academic rival, not a PE teacher), family secrets, and professional competition. Each interaction, like each Go move, carries multiple possible consequences. The game’s draw in Chapter 1 symbolizes their stand-off; by Chapter 23, Elsie’s victory shows the balance has shifted toward trust and mutual admiration.

2. What does Blitz Go reveal about Elsie’s character development?
Answer: Blitz Go forces instinctive, rapid moves with no time for overthinking—exactly what Elsie avoids as a chronic people-pleaser. She hesitates at first, saying “That’s very little time,” but Jack’s encouragement (“Go with your instincts”) helps her commit. Winning multiple matches in front of Jack’s friends shows she no longer needs to dim her brilliance to be liked. The tournament marks her transition from performing for others to acting on her own desires.

3. How does Jack’s observation of how Elsie holds a Go stone (Chapter 11) function as a clue to his feelings?
Answer: In his confession to Greg, Jack says he “wants to know why she can hold a Go stone.” This seemingly trivial detail reveals his obsession with Elsie’s authentic self. He noticed something about her handling of the stone—perhaps her precision, grace, or the way she becomes absorbed in the game—that cuts through her fake-girlfriend persona. The stone becomes a synecdoche for her real, unfiltered presence. His desire to understand that small action signals his deeper desire to know her completely.

4. In what way does the epilogue’s Jell‑O reference reimagine the Go motif?
Answer: The epilogue literalizes the strategic playfulness of Go: Jack suggests putting his Hadron Collider model in Jell‑O, and Elsie does it as a birthday surprise. The act of trapping the model in cherry Jell‑O is a low-stakes, humorous “move” in their domestic life. It echoes the Blitz Go tournament’s blend of intellect and enjoyment, but now the arena is their home. The Jell‑O “board” is a shared joke that symbolizes their partnership—competitive energy transformed into affectionate creativity.