Go
Place stones, surround space and capture to win the board.
How to play Go
Go is an old board game from China, also called weiqi in China and baduk in Korea. Two players take turns placing stones on the lines of a grid. Black plays first. This site uses a 9×9 board for quick games and a 13×13 board for longer ones.
Goal
Control more of the board than your opponent. At the end, you get one point for every stone you have on the board and one point for every empty point that only your stones surround. White gets 7.5 extra points (called komi) because Black moved first. The half point means there is never a draw.
Turn by turn
- Place one stone on any empty point where the lines cross. Tap or click the point. Stones never move after they are placed.
- Stones of the same colour that touch along the lines form a group. The empty points next to a group are its liberties.
- If your stone takes away the last liberty of an enemy group, that whole group is captured and taken off the board.
- You may not place a stone where your own group would have no liberties, unless the move captures something.
- Ko rule: you may not make a move that brings back a board position that has been seen before in the game. In practice this means: if one stone was just captured, you cannot take back at once. Play somewhere else first.
- Instead of placing a stone you may Pass. You can also Resign if you think you cannot win.
End of the game
When both players pass one after the other, the game stops and the stones are counted. The computer first guesses which groups are dead: groups inside the other player's area that could not escape capture. Dead stones are shown faded and count for the other side. If you disagree, tap a group to switch it between dead and alive, then press Accept score. You can also press Resume play to keep playing and settle it on the board.
Small squares show who owns each empty point. The player with the higher total wins.
Strategy tips
- Start in the corners. Corners are the easiest place to make space, because the edges help you. Then move to the sides, and the centre last.
- Make two eyes. An eye is an empty point surrounded by your stones. A group with two separate eyes can never be captured. Give your weak groups room to make them.
- Count liberties. When groups fight, the one with more liberties usually wins. Before you attack, count both sides.
- Do not chase too far. A stone in atari (with one liberty) that can run along the edge or into friends is not lost. Chasing it can just build a wall for your opponent.
- Keep your stones connected. Two weak groups are harder to save than one strong one. A diagonal step or a one-point jump is usually safe.
- Fill neutral points at the end. With area counting, every stone counts. Before you pass, play on any empty point that sits between both colours.
Go FAQ
What do baduk and weiqi mean?
They are the Korean and Chinese names for Go. In Japan it is called igo. The rules are the same game everywhere; only the counting method differs a little.
Which counting rules does this site use?
Area scoring, the Chinese way: your living stones plus the empty points you surround. White gets 7.5 points of komi. Captured stones do not add extra points, but they free up space for you.
Why can I not play at some points?
Either the move would leave your own group with no liberties (suicide), or it would repeat an earlier board position (the ko rule). A short note under the board tells you which one.
How strong is the computer?
Easy plays quick, loose moves and is good for learning. Medium plays thousands of fast test games before each move. Hard thinks for about a second and is a solid challenge on 9×9; on 13×13 it is a little weaker.
