Go
An ancient territory game played with black and white stones on a grid.
- Players2 players
- Play time30 to 90+ minutes
- DifficultyAdvanced
- OriginChina, at least 2,500 years ago, making it one of the oldest board games still played in its original form
- You'll needA go board (goban) marked with a 19x19 grid of lines, and a set of black and white stones.
Overview
Go is a two-player strategy game in which players alternate placing stones on the intersections of a grid, aiming to surround more territory than their opponent by the time the board fills in. Its rules are famously simple to state, yet the sheer number of possible positions on a full-sized board makes go one of the most computationally complex games ever studied, and it remained a serious benchmark for artificial intelligence research long after computers had surpassed top human players at chess.
The game originated in China at least 2,500 years ago, making it one of the oldest board games still played today in essentially its original form. It spread to Korea and Japan over the following centuries, where it developed a rich tradition of professional play, formal rankings, and study that continues to shape how the game is taught and played worldwide.
What You Need
You need a go board, called a goban, marked with a grid of lines — 19 by 19 for the full standard game, though 13x13 and 9x9 boards are common for beginners — and a set of flat stones, roughly 180 black and 181 white, though a casual game rarely needs that many.
Setup
The board starts completely empty. Unlike chess or checkers, no pieces are placed in advance. Players agree on who plays black and who plays white; conventionally, the less experienced player takes black, since black moves first, which is a meaningful advantage on an empty board. In games between players of different skill levels, the stronger player (white) may grant a number of extra starting stones (a "handicap") to the weaker player to balance the game.
How to Play
Players alternate turns placing a single stone of their color on any empty intersection of the grid, rather than in the squares themselves. Once placed, a stone does not move again unless it is captured. A stone or connected group of same-color stones is captured and removed from the board when it has no remaining empty adjacent intersections (called "liberties") — in other words, when it is completely surrounded by the opponent's stones. Players may also choose to pass their turn instead of placing a stone, and the game ends when both players pass in succession, signaling that neither sees further useful moves.
How to Win
Once both players pass, the board is scored by counting each player's territory — the empty intersections fully enclosed by their own stones — plus any opposing stones captured during the game, depending on the scoring system used. The player with the higher total, accounting for a small compensation given to white (called "komi") for playing second, wins the game.
Tips
- Focus on securing corners and edges early, since they're easier to enclose than the open center.
- Avoid isolated single stones without support; build connected groups instead.
- Count your liberties before committing a group to a fight you might not win.
- Play on a smaller 9x9 board while learning, since it shortens games and clarifies core tactics.
- Think in terms of building efficient territory rather than capturing as many stones as possible.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to capture individual stones aggressively while neglecting overall territory.
- Leaving a group with only one or two liberties for too long, risking a sudden capture.
- Playing too close to existing strong positions instead of expanding into open space.
- Passing too early, before securing all reasonably available territory.
Variations
Smaller board sizes, especially 9x9 and 13x13, are widely used for teaching and for faster games without changing any of the core rules. Handicap go adds a set number of pre-placed black stones to balance games between players of different strength. Rengo (pair go) has teams of two alternating stones on the same side, requiring partners to read each other's plans without discussion during play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because black moves first and that first-move advantage is measurable, most modern rule sets award white a fixed bonus, commonly 6.5 points, to balance the game; the half-point avoids the possibility of a tie.
The entire connected group is captured and removed from the board at once, not just a single stone, which is why keeping groups connected and alive is a central part of strategy.
In terms of the sheer number of possible board positions, yes — go's larger board and simpler placement rules create a vastly larger space of possible games than chess, which is part of why it remained an unsolved challenge for computer programs for so much longer.