if the superko rule were to mean that it's
illegal to reproduce a board situation,
but only with the additional information
about who made the original move to put
the board into that position, then you
putting the board into that position at
some point after i do would make it illegal
for me to pass. now which is more
important, you being able to reproduce a
board situation that i've created (to what
great advantage, really?), or me being able
to pass as a legal move?
since passing is generally the way that one
player signals to another he doesn't feel
as if he can make any more useful moves,
it's fairly important to retain. else i might
be forced to, say, play inside my own territory
(even with japanese counting!) just to avoid the
situation that you caused me to be in.