How to Play Go

Go is one of the oldest board games in the world, called weiqi (围棋) in China and baduk in Korea. The rules fit on a page; the strategy lasts a lifetime.

Setup

The board is a grid of lines: 19×19 for a full game, 9×9 or 13×13 for shorter ones. It starts empty. Black plays first, then the players take turns placing one stone on an empty intersection. Stones never move, but they can be captured.

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.

A stone in the middle has four liberties.

When a group has no liberties left, it is captured and removed from the board. A group with just one liberty is in atari.

White is in atari. Black plays at the dot and captures it.

Illegal moves

No suicide: you may not play where your stone (or the group it joins) would have no liberties, unless the move captures something, which gives it liberties.
Ko: you may not play a move that brings back a board position seen earlier in the game.

A ko: Black captures at the dot. White may not retake at once; White must play elsewhere first.

Because of ko, the player whose stone was just taken has to play a "ko threat" somewhere else first. If the opponent answers, the ko can be retaken.

Life and death

A group that surrounds two separate empty points (two eyes) can never be captured, since the opponent can't fill both at once. It is alive. Groups that can't make two eyes are eventually captured; at the end of the game they are counted as dead.

Two separate eyes: this group is alive.

Ending the game

When there's nothing useful left to do, pass instead of playing. Two passes in a row end the game. Then dead stones are removed and the board is counted. On kawu the computer marks the stones that look dead; click a group to change it, then accept the score.

You can also resign at any time.

Counting (Chinese rules)

Each player scores their stones on the board plus the empty points they surround. White adds komi of 7.5 points for moving second. The higher score wins. See how scoring works for a worked example.

Play Go now on a 9×9 board, or read the beginner strategy tips.

Frequently asked questions

What is the goal of Go?

To control more of the board than your opponent. At the end you count your stones on the board plus the empty points you surround; the higher total wins.

What is ko in Go?

A shape where each player could capture one stone back and forth forever. The rule: you may not make a move that recreates an earlier board position, so after your stone is taken in a ko you must play elsewhere first.

Why does White get 7.5 points?

Black moves first, which is an advantage. Komi compensates White; the half point means there are no ties.

Which board size should beginners use?

Start on 9×9: games take ten or fifteen minutes and the fights are easy to see. Move to 13×13 and then the full 19×19 board when you're comfortable.

Last updated 2026-10-19