Go Board Game

Go is the ancient board game of surrounding territory, played for thousands of years and still one of the deepest games ever invented. Learn the rules in minutes on a small 9×9 board against the computer, then move up to 13×13 and the full 19×19 board.

How to play Go Board Game

• Two players, Black and White, take turns placing one stone on an empty intersection of the grid. Black plays first. Stones never move once placed.
• Liberties and capture: the empty points directly next to a stone (up, down, left, right) are its liberties. Stones of one colour that touch along the lines form a group and share their liberties. When you fill the last liberty of an enemy group, it is captured and removed.
• No suicide: you may not play a stone that would leave your own group with no liberties — unless that move captures enemy stones and so gains liberties.
• Ko: you may not immediately recapture a single stone if that would repeat the previous position. Play somewhere else first; after that the recapture is allowed.
• Instead of placing a stone you may pass. When both players pass in a row, the game ends.
• Scoring (area): stones that could not escape capture are marked dead and removed. Each player then scores one point for every stone on the board plus every empty point surrounded only by their stones. White adds komi — 7.5 points for moving second (0.5 in handicap games). The higher total wins.

Controls

• Tap or click an intersection to place a stone. On 13×13 and 19×19 boards with a touch screen, the first tap shows a preview and the second tap places it.
• Keyboard: focus the board, move with the arrow keys and press Enter.
• Pass skips your turn, Undo takes back your last move and the computer’s reply, Resign ends the game.
• After two passes, tap any group to switch it between alive and dead, then press Accept score. Resume play goes back to the game if you disagree.
• Pick Handicap stones to give Black a head start against a stronger opponent.

Tips

• Corners first, then sides, then the center: it takes the fewest stones to make territory in a corner.
• A group needs two separate eyes (enclosed empty points) to live for ever. One eye is not enough.
• When a stone is in atari (one liberty left), decide quickly: save it by extending, or give it up and play elsewhere.
• Don’t chase every capture — building a strong position and secure territory usually wins more points.
• Start on the 9×9 board: games are short and the basic shapes become familiar fast.

FAQ

How do you play the Go board game?

Take turns placing black and white stones on the intersections. Surround empty areas to make territory and capture enemy stones by taking away all their liberties. When both players pass, count stones plus surrounded points; the bigger area wins.

How is Go scored?

This game uses area scoring: each player counts their living stones on the board plus the empty points they surround. White adds komi (7.5 points, or 0.5 with handicap) to make up for moving second.

What is ko in Go?

Ko is a shape where both players could capture one stone back and forth for ever. The rule forbids recapturing straight away, so you must play a move somewhere else first.

Which board size should beginners use?

Start with 9×9. Games take about 10 minutes and teach capturing, life and death and counting. 13×13 adds more strategy, and 19×19 is the full traditional board.

How strong is the computer?

It uses Monte-Carlo playouts, a classic technique for Go. Easy is gentle and good for learning; Hard thinks for a few seconds per move and plays solid 9×9 Go. On 19×19 it is weaker, so try a handicap the other way round once you improve.