How to play Go: rules of the ancient board game
Also known as: Weiqi, Baduk, Igo
Learn the board game Go step by step: placing stones, liberties, capturing, the ko rule and scoring territory. Start on a 9x9 board with these simple tips.
- Type
- Board game
- Players
- 2
- Age
- Ages 7+
- Play time
- 20–120 min
- Origin
- China
Go is an ancient strategy game from China, known as weiqi in Chinese, baduk in Korean and igo in Japanese. Two players take turns placing black and white stones on the crossing points of a grid, usually nineteen lines by nineteen. Stones do not move once placed, but they can be captured. The goal is to surround more of the board than your opponent. With only a few rules, Go creates a level of complexity that many players consider greater than chess. For centuries it has been studied as an art in East Asia, with professional players in China, Japan and Korea. It received wide international attention in 2016, when a computer program defeated one of the strongest human players.
Our verdict
Go teaches balance between attack and defence, local fights and the whole board. Its rules take minutes to learn, yet the game offers a lifetime of discovery. Beginners can start on small boards of nine by nine or thirteen by thirteen, where games last about fifteen minutes. A handicap system lets players of different strength play fair games together. Many people describe Go as calm and almost meditative, even in sharp battles.
What works
- Very few rules with enormous depth
- Fair handicap system for mixed levels
- Small boards make learning fast
What does not
- Scoring is confusing for new players at first
- Full-size games can take a long time
How to play Go
Black plays first, and players alternate placing one stone on any empty intersection. Stones of the same colour that touch along the lines form a group. The empty points next to a group are its liberties. When a group has no liberties left because the opponent has filled them, it is captured and removed from the board. You may not place a stone where it would have no liberties, unless that move captures enemy stones. The ko rule stops endless repetition: you cannot immediately recapture a single stone if it would return the board to the position just before. A player may pass instead of playing. When both players pass in a row, the game ends. Each player counts the empty points they have surrounded, plus captured stones or stones on the board, depending on the scoring rules used. White usually receives extra points, called komi, to balance going second.
Tips for new players
- Start on a 9x9 board to learn capturing and life and death quickly.
- Play first in the corners, then the sides, then the centre; corners are easiest to secure.
- A group with two separate inner empty points, called eyes, cannot be captured.
- Do not chase every stone; sometimes giving up a few stones gains more elsewhere.
Good for
Go: common questions
Is Go harder than chess?
Go has simpler rules but a much larger number of possible positions. Many players find its strategy deeper, while beginners often find it easier to start.
What board size should beginners use?
Beginners usually start on a 9x9 board, then move to 13x13 and later to the full 19x19 board.
What is komi in Go?
Komi is a set number of points given to White to make up for Black having the first move.
Go belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
