Go Game Online
The ancient game of Go in your browser: surround territory, capture stones and count the points at the end. Start on 9×9 against the computer and move up to 13×13 and 19×19 when you feel ready, or play a friend on the same device.
Your turn — you play with the Black stones
Tap an intersection to play. Pass when there are no more useful moves; two passes in a row end the game.
How to play Go
Black starts and each player places one stone at a time on an empty intersection. Stones never move. Adjacent stones of the same color (in straight lines, not diagonally) form a group, and the empty intersections next to the group are its liberties.
When a group loses its last liberty, it is captured and removed from the board. You may not play where your stone would have no liberties (suicide), unless the move captures something. Under the ko rule, you cannot immediately recapture a single stone that just captured yours: play somewhere else first.
When nobody has any useful moves left, both players pass. Then tap the dead groups (ones that could not escape) to mark them and confirm the count: under area scoring (Chinese) you count living stones plus territory; under territory scoring (Japanese), territory plus prisoners. White receives komi (7.5 or 6.5 points) for playing second.
Frequently asked questions
Does the computer play Go well?
On 9×9 it is a real challenge: it uses Monte Carlo Tree Search, simulating thousands of random games in the background. On 13×13, and especially on 19×19, it is much weaker, because the board is too big for so few simulations. It is an opponent for learning, not a professional program.
Which board should I start with?
The 9×9: games last about 10 minutes and you learn to capture, defend and make eyes quickly. Then move up to 13×13 and finally 19×19, the official board, where opening and territorial strategy become much richer.
How do I know if a group is alive or dead?
A group with two true eyes (two separate internal empty points the opponent cannot fill) can never be captured: it is alive. In scoring, the game suggests which groups are dead, but you can tap them to correct the marking before you confirm.