Go rules and tips
Go is an ancient game of territory. Players take turns placing a stone on an empty point. On Chess Arena it is played on a 9x9 board, so a game takes minutes rather than hours.
The rules
- Black plays first. Stones do not move once they are placed.
- Stones connected along the lines form a group, and the empty points next to a group are its liberties.
- A group with no liberties is captured and taken off the board.
- Ko: a move may not recreate an earlier board position, which stops two players from capturing back and forth forever.
- A player may pass. Two passes in a row end the game.
Scoring
The game uses area scoring: each side counts its stones on the board plus the empty points surrounded only by its colour. White receives a few extra points, called komi, to make up for moving second. The higher total wins.
First steps to improve
- Play near the centre early. On a small board a stone at the centre touches everything.
- Keep your stones connected: two weak groups are harder to save than one.
- A group with two separate empty eyes can never be captured, so learn to make them.
- Do not pass while there are still points to fight for. Pass only when every border is closed.