"Go" is a game in which two players compete for a territory; it is probably the oldest board game in the world. The rules are simple and you can literally learn how to play in minutes. Many game enthusiasts consider it a real art; its almost infinite variations make it too complex for even the most advanced computers. Learning to play is easy, but playing well takes a lot of time and training. Read on to familiarize yourself with this ancient and intriguing game!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: The Tavoliere and the Stones
Step 1. Use a standard 19x19 gray
In the standard game board, called Goban, there are 19 horizontal and 19 vertical lines that intersect. You can use a ready-made board, or if necessary, prepare one yourself.
- Sometimes it is played on smaller boards. Often played on 13x13 or 9x9 for faster games or for educational reasons.
- There should be nine points scored on the grid (on the third, ninth and fifteenth lines). They are called "hoshi", or "stars" and serve as reference points on which to place stones for handicap games.
Curiosity:
in 2015, an automated system called AlphaGo learned how to play Go, managing to beat the human champion.
Step 2. Prepare 361 black and white stones
This is the standard amount for a game on the 19x19 goban, obviously if you play on smaller grids you will need less.
- Traditionally black plays with 181 stones and white with 180, because black has the first move.
- You can keep the stones near the board, in bowls (or "goke").
Part 2 of 3: The Rules
Step 1. It is played in turns
Traditionally black plays first.
- It is played on grid intersections and stones can also be played on edges - in T-intersections and corners.
- Once a stone is played, it can no longer move (unless it is captured and removed).
Step 2. Conquer territories
This can happen in two different ways:
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By controlling territories. The territory is an empty area surrounded by stones of the same color. The larger the territory bounded by your stones, the more points you earn.
Corners can also be used as a border
- By placing one of your stones within your territory you lose points; carefully consider this type of move.
Step 3. Use the captured stones
Keep your stones connected to each other to capture your opponent's pieces.
- Stones of the same color on adjacent points, connected by a horizontal or vertical grid line, are said to be connected. They are not connected if they are only diagonally adjacent.
- If you fill all points adjacent to a stone or a connected group of stones of your opponent with your stones, you can capture them. Once captured, remove them from the board and keep them aside as prisoners. Remember that capturing is rarely an easy task; your opponent will not wait patiently for you to play all the necessary moves!
- Between the borders of the territories of the two players, there can be no points left empty and unclaimed.
Step 4. Conquer all the territory to finish the game
Both players pass and the game ends. Remove the opposing stones from their respective territories.
- Place all captured stones in the opponent's territories. As a result, the opponent will have his score reduced due to the loss of his intersections.
- A captured stone is therefore worth 2 points. Both players lose one point for each prisoner, one losing the prisoner, the other losing the territory in which it is entered, keeping the difference in scores constant. Count how many points (the intersections) each of the two checks after this phase.
- Capturing is what makes this a strategy game. Remember that while conquering more territories is the main objective of the game, you must nevertheless always think about defending.
Step 5. Learn the vocabulary
Being an ancient Japanese game, there are many terms to be familiar with.
- Freedom - an empty intersection adjacent to a stone
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Atari - a situation where a stone or a group can be captured on the next move.
For example, "Your white stone in the corner is in atari, be careful!"
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Eye - a single isolated empty space within a group.
If there is an "eye" within a group of stones, capturing becomes impossible, since not all spaces are occupied
- Suicide - put a stone in a space that can be captured.
- Ko - a situation in which a stone that has made a capture, can be recaptured immediately, returning to the previous situation in an infinite cycle. To avoid this, immediate recapture is prohibited, one is obliged to first play a move elsewhere on the board.
- Feel - play first, gaining an advantage in certain game situations.
- Gote - play second, responding to the opponent's move, sacrificing an advantage in a certain position.
Part 3 of 3: Playing a Game
Step 1. Find an opponent
The ideal would be to find someone who already knows how to play, to have a better example to follow in the first few games and to remove any doubts.
- You can search for an opponent live or on an online server. To play live, check the FIGG (Italian Federation of Go Games) website for the list of clubs closest to you. To play online, here is a list of the most used servers:
- IGS
- KGS
- OGS
- DGS
- Yahoo
- MSN Zone
- Goshrine
- 361points
- BreakBase
Step 2. Start a game by choosing a color
In a handicap game, the strongest player takes white and black places between 2 and 9 stones on the hoshi, before white starts.
- For an even match, the colors are chosen at random. Since black has an advantage in playing first, white is compensated by taking "komi", a small amount of additional points that he will add to his score at the end of the game.
- The value of the komi can change between 5 and 8 points based on rules and traditions, but in most tournaments a 6.5 point komi is used. The half point also avoids having draws.
- Western players typically play by Japanese rules, where the komi amounts to 6, 5.
Step 3. Play the first stone, if you are the black player and have no handicap stones
Traditionally it is played in the upper right quadrant.
- This initial move determines which side of the quadrant each player will go to conquer.
- Handicap stones are considered black's first move in a handicap game.
Step 4. Play the next stones alternately
Remember that you play on the intersections, not the empty spaces between them.
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A player may decide to fold if he thinks he has no useful moves left to play. A "pass" is a clear indication of the desire to finish the game and move on to scoring.
If both players pass, the game is over
Step 5. Decide on your strategy
There are generally two options: peacefully claim as much territory as possible, or invade your opponent's by capturing his pawns.
- If a player places a stone that takes away the last freedom of a connected group of stones, this group is dead and is removed from the game (captured).
- The only exception to this rule is in the case of a knockout, in which case the knockout rule would prohibit capturing, first forcing you to play a move elsewhere. Ko in Japanese means "eternity", this rule is necessary to ensure the conclusion of a game.
Step 6. Finish the game when both players pass
Black and white must both decide that it is no longer worth putting more stones.
The player who has conquered the most territories and captured the most stones wins the game. Captured stones can be placed in enemy territories to decrease their score, as seen above
Step 7. Count the points
Once both players decide to pass you can decide to use the counting of areas or territories
- In counting areas, each player counts one point for each pawn on the board and for each free intersection within his territory. White then adds the komi to his score.
- When counting territories, each player places each individual prisoner within the enemy's territories. White then adds the komi to his score.
- Both methods usually end up giving the same result, but they may sometimes vary by one point.
Advice
- An old proverb suggests losing the first fifty games as quickly as possible. This is good advice, because losing these games will lead to all the common mistakes, learning to avoid them and helping you focus on more complex and interesting strategies.
- Stay calm, even if something unexpected happens. A game can radically change direction due to an unexpected move or a mistake. Stay focused and limit the damage! If you really can't, you can always give up and move on to the next game.
- Play demo games with stronger players. These are games in which the most experienced player makes sure to create situations and useful moves to stimulate the best answers, possibly to be commented at the end of the game.
- Read the rules published on Yahoo, since they are the most detailed ones (also regarding game strategies). However, it is not recommended to play on their server as their ranking system is more based on chess rather than the Japanese system which is normally more popular.
Warnings
- While the rules of Go are simple and natural, there are several small variations in the official rules used around the world. Often these are technical differences or referring to very rare situations, so you don't have to worry about them at the beginning. The most used rule sets are Japanese, Chinese, New Zealand, AGA (American) and ING.
- Online matches are often fast, so watch out for the time!
- Be polite to other players, in person and online. Say hello before you start and say thanks at the end of the game, regardless of loss or victory.
