Go: The Board Game. Origin, Rules and How to Play | PlayGo.gg
Go is a two-player board game where you place black and white stones on a grid and try to surround more territory than your opponent.
The game of Go began in China more than 2,500 years ago. It is called Igo in Japan, Baduk in Korea and Weiqi in China.
Where does the game of Go come from?
Go was played in China by the 4th century BC, making it the oldest board game still played in its original form. It reached Korea and Japan by the 7th century.
Today about 40 million people play, with professional leagues in China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. In 2016 the AI AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol, which brought a new wave of players to the game.
How do you play the Go board game?
Players take turns placing one stone on an empty point of the grid, Black first. Stones never move, but stones that are completely surrounded are captured and removed. When both players pass, whoever surrounds more territory wins.
Board sizes: 9x9, 13x13 and 19x19
Go is played on 9x9, 13x13 and 19x19 boards with identical rules. A 9x9 game takes about ten minutes and is where beginners start. 19x19 is the full game used in professional play.
Is Go a hard game to play?
The rules are simpler than chess and a child can learn them in one sitting. The depth comes from judgement: which stones are safe, and where the biggest area is.
Go vs chess
Go and Chess are similar games. Both are easy to learn and extremely difficult to master!
Why do people play Go?
Mostly because it is fun. Every game is different, a handicap system lets a beginner and an expert play a fair game, and ranks from 18 kyu up to 9 dan make progress visible.
It is also good for your brain. Go teaches kids math, pattern recognition and critical thinking, and studies link playing board games like Go to a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.
- Study: a Go intervention in Alzheimer's patients (Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience)
- Study: leisure activities and the risk of dementia (New England Journal of Medicine)
- Go ranks and ratings on Wikipedia
- British Go Association: an introduction to Go
Start a game
A 9x9 game takes ten minutes. Play your first one now as a guest, against an AI or a person at your level.