What is Go?

Go (also known as Weiqi in Chinese, Baduk in Korean) is an ancient board game that originated in China over 2,500 years ago. The name "Weiqi" translates to "the Surrounding Game," which perfectly describes the core objective.

The game is played on a board with a grid of lines (typically 19×19, but 9×9 and 13×13 are also common). Two players take turns placing stones on the intersections of the lines, with the goal of controlling more territory than their opponent.

Capturing Stones

Single Stone Capture

A stone is captured when it has no liberties left. Liberties are the empty adjacent intersections along the lines of the board (not diagonally). When you surround an opponent's stone on all sides, it is captured and removed from the board.

Group Capture

Stones that are connected orthogonally (along the lines, not diagonally) form a group. Groups share their liberties, meaning you must surround the entire group to capture it. This makes groups stronger than isolated stones.

Territory and Scoring

At the end of the game, your score is determined by:

  • The number of empty intersections you surround (your territory)
  • The number of opponent stones you captured during the game

Territory is counted as the empty intersections that are surrounded by your stones. The player with the higher total score wins.

The Ko Rule

The ko rule prevents infinite loops in the game. It states that you cannot immediately recapture a stone if doing so would return the board to its previous position. You must make at least one move elsewhere before recapturing.

This rule ensures that games always progress toward a conclusion and prevents repetitive capture-and-recapture situations.

Passing and Game End

Instead of placing a stone, a player may pass their turn. When both players pass consecutively, the game ends and territories are counted.

Players typically pass when they believe there are no more profitable moves to make, and all territories have been clearly established.

Additional Rules

  • No Suicide: You cannot place a stone that would have no liberties unless it captures opponent stones
  • Komi: White typically receives bonus points (usually 6.5 or 7.5) to compensate for black's first-move advantage
  • Handicap Stones: Weaker players can place multiple stones on the board before the game starts to balance skill differences

External References

Want to learn more? Here are some helpful resources to deepen your understanding of Go:

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