Go Rules
Go — also called Weiqi (Chinese) and Baduk (Korean) — is a two-player strategy game played on a grid of intersecting lines. The rules are simple; the strategy is famously deep.
Objective
- Surround more territory than your opponent.
- You claim territory by enclosing empty points with your stones, and by capturing opponent stones to remove them from the board.
Board
- The standard board is 19×19 intersections.
- Beginners often start on 9×9 or 13×13 boards, where games are shorter and tactics are easier to see. The rules are the same on every size.
Turn Order
- Black plays first, then players alternate, placing exactly one stone per turn on an empty intersection.
- Once placed, a stone does not move. You may pass your turn if you see no useful move.
Capturing
- A stone or connected group must have at least one empty point touching it horizontally or vertically. These empty points are called liberties.
- If a group has zero liberties, it is captured and removed from the board.
- You may not place a stone that would have zero liberties immediately — unless the move captures opponent stones first and therefore creates liberties.
Ko
- Ko prevents an endless loop of immediate recapture.
- You cannot play a stone that would recreate the exact board position that existed immediately before your opponent's last move.
- To recapture, you must play elsewhere first — this is called "playing a ko threat".
Scoring
- The game ends when both players pass consecutively.
- Under area scoring (used on YiBoard), your score is your stones on the board plus the empty points completely surrounded by your stones.
- White receives komi — bonus points for moving second. Standard komi is 5.5 on 9×9, 6.5 on 13×13, and 7.5 on 19×19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Go the same as Gomoku?
No. Gomoku is five-in-a-row on a 15×15 board with no captures. Go is about surrounding territory on a 19×19 board with captures, ko, and scoring.
What does "ko" mean in Go?
Ko is a rule that forbids instantly recreating the previous board position. It stops infinite capture-recapture loops. To retake a ko you must first play a "ko threat" elsewhere.
How does scoring work in Go?
After two consecutive passes, each player scores the stones on the board plus the empty territory they surround (area scoring). White adds komi points. The higher total wins.
Which board size should a beginner use?
Start on 9×9. Games finish in minutes and tactics are visible. Move up to 13×13, then 19×19 as you get comfortable.