Objective

In Go, the goal is to get the most points via captured stones and vacant intersections within your own territories.

Players take turns placing stones on intersections of the grid. If a player does feels they cannot accomplish anything by placing a stone, they may pass. When both players consecutively pass, the game ends and points are scored.

Go Terminology

• Stone: The black or white stones placed on the grid
• Liberty: A vacant intersection that is horizontally or vertically adjacent to a stone, including edges.
• String: A vertical or horizontal line of adjacent, same-colored stones (diagonal stones do not form strings).
• Dead String: A string unable to avoid eventual capture. Players are not obligated to complete the capture of a hopeless string and thus they can be scored at the end of the game.
• Group: Two or more adjacent strings.
• Eyes: Two or more vacant intersections within a territory. Once two eyes are formed, the stones forming those spaces cannot be captured, even if they become surrounded by opposing stones.
• Capture: When a stone, string or group no longer has any liberties (adjacent vacant intersections) because it is surrounded by the opponent's colored stones (including edges).
• Self-Capture: When a player would place a stone that would have no liberties, or form a string with no liberties. This can only be done if the result of placing this stone would capture a stone, string or group of the opponent. A player may not otherwise place a stone that would self-capture.
• Ko: A pattern of stones where capture and re-capture can happen back and forth infinitely. Because of this, the Ko Rule states that before a recapture can occur, another play has to happen in order to break the cycle of capture, re-capture, re-capture, etc.
• Komi: An additional 6.5 points for white to account for black's first turn advantage.

Set-up

1. There is no limit to the number of stones each player has access to and they will always have enough stones to place 1 stone on their turn.
2. Standard Go is played on a 19x19 intersection grid, but beginner players may also play on 9x9 or 13x13 grids. The less experienced player takes the black stones while the more experienced player takes the white stones. Because black goes first, the white player will typically add 6.5 points to their end score to account for the first turn advantage.
3. If no handicap is being used, black would start the game by placing a black stone on any intersection of the board (including edges). A handicap of between 2-9 stones may be placed on a 19x19 board's 9 highlighted points in lieu of black's first turn, depending on the differences in experience between players. The order in which these stones are placed is as follows:

• 2 stones: Top left, bottom right
• 3 stones: Top left, bottom right, bottom left
• 4 stones: Top left, bottom right, bottom left, top right
• 5 stones: Top left, bottom right, bottom left, top right, center
• 6 stones: Top left, bottom right, bottom left, top right, middle left, middle right
• 7 stones: Top left, bottom right, bottom left, top right, middle left, middle right, center
• 8 stones: Top left, bottom right, bottom left, top right, middle left, middle right, top middle, bottom middle
• 9 stones: All highlighted points

Playing the Game

• Players alternate taking turns placing 1 stone on an intersection per turn, starting with black (if a handicap is used, placing those stones counts as black's first turn).
• The placed stone on a player's turn must have liberties when placed (adjacent vacant intersections) or form/continue a string with vacant liberties. A player may not place a stone that would be immediately captured unless doing so would instead first capture the opponent's stone, string or group.
• When a player places a stone that causes their opponent's stone, string or group to be captured, the captured stone(s) are removed from the board and set aside for end-game scoring.
• If a player is able to form two or more eyes within their territory, the entire territory is safe from capture (remember that eyes are singular vacant spaces that are completely surrounded by one player's color. A territory must contain two of these vacant space to be safe from capture).
• If a player does not see any advantage to placing a stone on their turn or they cannot place a stone, they may pass. When passing, the player must hand their opponent a stone from their supply. When both players pass consecutively, the game ends.

Scoring

• After both players consecutively pass, the game ends and points are scored. All dead strings are removed from the board and scored (1 point for each stone). If players cannot agree whether a string is dead or not, continue playing until the completed capture of disputed strings. Continuation of the game in this way will not affect the score as each play is considered the same as a pass but as black played first, white must play last and may need to make a further pass.
• Each player gains 1 point for each captured stone and 1 point for each captured intersection within their territories (including edges).
• The white player adds Komi (6.5 points) to their score to account for black's first turn advantage. There are no draws in Go.

Winning

The player with the most points wins!