Go

Players2

Play time15-90 min

Ages8+

Board9x9-19x19

Go is a two-player board game played with black and white stones. Players take turns placing one stone on an empty intersection of the board. Stones do not move after they are placed. The aim is to control more points than the opponent by surrounding areas of the board and by trapping opposing stones.

The board

The full Go board has 19 lines by 19 lines. Beginners often start on a 9x9 board because the rules are the same, but games are shorter and easier to read. Stones are placed on the intersections where lines cross, including intersections on the edge and in the corners. They are not placed inside the squares. Black plays first, then White, and players alternate one move at a time.

Liberties and groups

A liberty is an empty intersection directly above, below, left, or right of a stone or connected group. Diagonal points do not count as liberties. Stones of the same colour that touch along a line form one group and share the same liberties. A group with more liberties is usually harder to capture.

Capturing and atari

If your move fills the last liberty of an opposing stone or group, that stone or group is captured and removed from the board immediately. A stone or group with only one liberty left is in atari. Atari means the stone can be captured on the opponent's next move unless it escapes or connects to friendly stones.

How to play

Choose a board size. Use 9x9 for learning, 13x13 for a longer beginner game, or 19x19 for the standard full game.
Black moves first. Black places one stone on any empty intersection. White then places one stone, and players continue alternating turns.
Grow useful groups. Place stones so they work together. Connected stones share liberties, while isolated stones are easier to surround.
Capture stones with no liberties. After every move, check whether any opposing group has no empty point directly beside it. If it has no liberties, remove it from the board.
Do not play illegal self-capture. You may not place a stone where your own stone or group would have no liberties, unless that move captures opposing stones and creates new liberties.
Use the ko rule. You cannot immediately recapture if doing so would recreate the previous board position. Play somewhere else first, then the ko may be fought over again.
Pass when there is nothing useful left. When both players pass in a row, the game ends and the final position is scored.

Ko

After one stone is captured, the opponent may not immediately capture back if it recreates the same board position.

Territory

Territory is empty intersections enclosed by one player's stones along the board lines.

Scoring

Go is scored after both players pass. Players agree which stones are dead and remove them as captured stones. Rule sets differ in small details, so beginners should agree the scoring method before playing. A simple beginner method is area scoring: count your stones on the board plus the empty intersections you surround. White usually receives extra points called komi to balance Black's first move. AGA and BGA-style rules commonly use 7.5 points; Japanese-style rules commonly use 6.5.

Player	Stones	Surrounded empty points	Board score	With 7.5 komi
Black	4	1	5	5
White	8	3	11	18.5

Note: komi looks huge in this example because the board position is deliberately small. In a full game, it is added to the final score after the whole board has been counted.

Strategy

Start near corners. Corners are easiest to surround, sides are next, and the centre usually needs more support before it becomes secure territory.
Look at liberties first. Before attacking, check whether your own stones can also be captured.
Connect weak stones. Two friendly stones connected along a line become one group and share liberties.
Do not chase every capture. Go is mainly about controlling the board. Capturing is useful when it improves your position, saves your group, or removes an important opposing group.
Extend from settled stones. Once you have a useful corner, play along the side to build a wider area instead of scattering isolated stones.
Pass only when useful moves are gone. If there are still points to protect, cuts to make, or captures to finish, keep playing.

History

Go originated in ancient China and became deeply established in Japan and Korea before spreading worldwide. It is known for very simple core rules and deep strategy: players place stones one at a time, but each move can influence territory, captures, and the safety of groups across the whole board.