Go

Surround territory, capture stones.

How to play ↓
Play against
Computer
Who starts

You captured 0Computer captured 0

You play black and go first. White gets 7.5 points of komi.

Click a point to place a stone. Pass when there’s nothing useful left; two passes in a row end the game and the board is scored. Arrow keys and Enter work too; Ctrl+Z undoes.

Your game and wins are saved on this device.

Runs in your browser. Nothing uploaded.

How to play Go

  1. Black and white take turns placing a stone on an empty point where the lines cross, and black moves first. Against the computer you play on 9 by 9 and pick who starts (the starter plays black); with a friend you can pick 13 by 13 or 19 by 19 too.
  2. A group of stones with no empty points next to it is captured and taken off. You can’t play where your own stones would have no liberties, and you can’t retake a ko straight back.
  3. When neither side has anything useful left, both pass. Each side scores its stones plus the empty points it surrounds; white gets 7.5 extra for moving second. The higher score wins.

Tips for beginners

  • Play in the corners first, then the sides, then the center. Surrounding territory in a corner takes the fewest stones.
  • Count liberties. Before a fight, count how many empty points each group has. The group with more liberties usually wins the race.
  • Keep your stones connected. Two weak groups are easier to attack than one strong one.
  • Make two eyes. A group with two separate empty points inside it can never be captured. That’s what makes a group alive.
  • Don’t fill your own territory. Once the borders are settled, stones inside your own area add nothing; pass instead.

About the game

Go is a strategy board game from China. It’s more than 2,500 years old and is thought to be the oldest board game still played today. Players place black and white stones to surround territory and capture the other side’s stones. The rules fit on one page, but the strategy is deep enough that it was one of the last classic games where computers caught up with top players. This version plays on 9 by 9 against the computer and on boards up to 19 by 19 with a friend.