1. Go is played with a board and stones
The board has a grid of lines
The game pieces are called stones
One player uses black stones, the other uses white stones
A standard Go board has a 19x19 grid. Smaller boards are often used to play quicker games or for teaching beginners.
2. Players take turns placing stones on the board
One stone per turn
Black plays first
Stones are placed on the intersections of the lines
Stones cannot move after being placed
Stones of the same color can be connected to form a “group”
3. Surround territory to win
Players use their stones to build groups and walls that surround “territory”
Territory is any open board space (unoccupied intersections) that has been fully surrounded by a player’s stones
The game ends when neither player can expand their territory any further
The player with the most territory wins
4. One more thing - stones can be captured
Players can also use their stones to surround the stones of their opponent
Stones that have been fully surrounded are “captured,” and removed from the board
Players get +1 point for each stone they capture
Go can be won without capturing any stones
You just learned Go!
Hurray! So what’s next?
There are a few more basic concepts that are super useful to know. You can read about them now, or start playing right away and discover them for yourself!
Either way we’ve got you covered:
