5 Recommended Go YouTube Channels: Rule Guides and Lessons to Help You Improve

5 Recommended Go YouTube Channels: Rule Guides and Lessons to Help You Improve

If you want to learn Go on YouTube, the following five are especially recommended.

Unlike books, YouTube has the advantage that you can actually see the stones move, which makes it easier to learn.

Also, you can review any points that catch your attention as many times as you like, so you can go at a pace that suits you.

Use this article as a guide and try studying Go on YouTube.

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5 Recommended Go YouTube Channels!

The five Go YouTube channels recommended in this column are the following. Pro Go Player Yanagisawa Satoshi’s Go Classroom IGO Company [Go] Sasaki Shuma Women’s Pro Saki Tobita’s Go Channel Nihon Ki-in Go Channel [Official]

The five introduced here cover a wide range of genres: beginner courses where you can learn the rules from scratch, explanations aimed at improving your strength, game commentaries that convey a pro’s practical feel, and live broadcasts of major tournaments.

Whether you “want to learn the rules,” “want to win more,” or “want to watch pro games,” start with the one that best matches your current goal.

Pro Go Player Yanagisawa Satoshi’s Go Classroom

The first channel to introduce is by Yanagisawa Satoshi 6-dan, who belongs to the Nihon Ki-in Chubu Headquarters.

It offers lessons for a wide range of strengths, from beginners to high-dan players.

The channel covers everything from beginner lessons on rules and basic shapes to explanations of tesuji, joseki, and fuseki for kyu players through dan players.

For high-dan players, there’s also AI-based study and deeper dives into real games—content you can keep watching even as you improve.

Especially recommended for beginners is the playlist “Go Rules and How to Start [Beginner/Intro] Video Collection.”

It’s well-suited for learning Go from zero, including equipment and rules.

There’s also a series called “Go Video 1000-Knock,” where you learn by solving problems.

Recommended for those who don’t just want to watch, but also want to build the habit of thinking for themselves.

Watch the channel: Pro Go Player Yanagisawa Satoshi’s Go Classroom

Recommended for:

IGO Company

Second is a channel run by Go instructor Taro Usami.

After working at the Nihon Ki-in for 15 years, Usami has been involved in promoting Go.

He now runs a Go classroom based in Kawasaki and also offers online teaching games.

The channel’s main attractions are “Go live commentary,” where he talks through his thinking while playing, and “AI review,” where he looks back on the game using AI.

These two types of videos are released alternately and compiled into playlists by season.

In the live commentary, he clearly puts into words what a dan-level player is thinking on each move.

In the AI review, he uses AI to explain the chosen fuseki and joseki, as well as key moments where the evaluation swings.

Watching the live commentary and AI review as a set makes it easy to understand the difference between “in-the-moment decisions” and “the correct answer in hindsight.”

In February 2026, he also released a commentary video that doubled as a review of how to use PlayGo.gg.

Recommended for:

Watch the channel: IGO Company

[Go] Sasaki Shuma

Third is the channel of Go instructor Shuma Sasaki.

It’s run by a strong amateur player who has placed in the national top 4 in student Go tournaments.

The channel’s theme is “What truly matters for amateurs to get stronger.”

In addition to explanations of fuseki thinking and attacking, videos where he reviews and corrects game records submitted by viewers are also popular.

Because he explains logically “why that move is bad,” the channel has a reputation for careful, rational commentary.

He covers concrete situations where kyu players often stumble, so it’s also recommended for those who know the rules but still can’t win.

Sasaki has also published Go books with Mynavi Publishing, and reading them alongside the videos should deepen your understanding.

Recommended for:

Watch the channel: [Go] Sasaki Shuma

Women’s Pro Saki Tobita’s Go Channel

Fourth is the channel of Saki Tobita 2-dan, who belongs to the Kansai Ki-in.

It has a playlist of beginner lessons for people who have just started Go, so you can learn the rules step by step.

Also, her live commentary videos—where she chats while playing and shares what she’s thinking—are a great opportunity to learn how a pro thinks.

To fully understand the content you’ll need high-dan strength, but even just watching should help you grasp the feel of “how strong players think when choosing moves,” so be sure to check it out.

Recommended for:

Watch the channel: Women’s Pro Saki Tobita’s Go Channel

Nihon Ki-in Go Channel [Official]

Fifth is the official channel of the Nihon Ki-in.

It live-streams Go tournaments and events.

There are also streams of large-board commentary sessions by pro players, where you can watch the game while having the meaning of each move explained.

Since live streams of title matches and the like often run for several hours, you don’t need to watch from start to finish.

Try enjoying it in your own style—watch just part of a game you’re interested in, or only the moments where the commentary gets exciting.

Recommended for:

Watch the channel: Nihon Ki-in Go Channel [Official]

How to Choose the Right Go YouTube Channel for You

Go YouTube content can be broadly divided into four types depending on your goal.

If you clarify what you want to do, it will be easier to find a channel that fits you.

Here, we’ll introduce the characteristics of each type and which of the five channels match them.

If you want to learn the rules: “Beginner lessons”

If you don’t know Go at all, start with beginner lessons.

They explain everything from how to capture stones to how to count territory.

“Pro Go Player Yanagisawa Satoshi’s Go Classroom” and “Women’s Pro Saki Tobita’s Go Channel” are recommended.

When choosing beginner lessons, check whether they’re organized into a playlist.

Rather than picking random standalone videos, progressing in order helps connect the knowledge.

After watching several in a row, you’ll start to get the feel for it.

If you want to get stronger: “Courses / explanations”

Once you’ve learned the rules and started playing, move on to courses where you can learn tesuji, joseki, and fuseki.

Game reviews and game-record correction videos can give you hints to notice your weaknesses.

“[Go] Sasaki Shuma” is a representative example.

“Pro Go Player Yanagisawa Satoshi’s Go Classroom” also has a full lineup of courses for kyu players through dan players.

For those who want to study steadily every week, “IGO Company” is also recommended.

It regularly publishes pro game-record commentary and tsumego/tesuji problems.

The more you keep watching, the more your knowledge will build up little by little.

If you want something casual: “Go talk / radio”

It’s also recommended to enjoy Go topics casually between study sessions.

In “IGO Company’s” “Wednesday’s Laid-Back Go Radio,” he covers results from various tournaments, Go-world news, behind-the-scenes stories about players, and more in a radio format.

It’s handy when you want to keep up with the latest Go-world information.

If you want to watch pro games: “Official / title match broadcasts”

If you want to see serious matches between pros, broadcasts from official channels such as the “Nihon Ki-in Go Channel [Official]” are the best.

If the stream includes large-board commentary, even beginners can follow the flow of the game.

If you check live streams in line with the tournament schedule, you can enjoy the excitement in real time.

Summary

With Go YouTube, choosing channels that match your goals is the quickest path to improvement.

Let’s review the five introduced this time by purpose.

If you find a channel that interests you, go check it out right away.