Go is unique among games

The history of Go stretches back some 3000 years and the rules have remained essentially unchanged throughout this very long period. The game probably originated in China and the future of Tibet was once decided over a Go board when the Buddhist ruler refused to go into battle; instead he challenged the aggressor to a game of Go.

In the Far East, where it originated, Go enjoys great popularity today, and interest in the game is growing steadily in Europe and America. Like Chess, Go is a game of skill - it has been described as being like four Chess games going on together on the same board - but it differs from Chess in many ways. The rules of Go are very simple and though, like Chess, it is a challenge to players' analytical skills, there is far more scope in Go for intuition.

Go is a territorial game. The board, marked with a grid of 19 lines by 19 lines, may be thought of as a piece of land to be shared between the two players. One player has a supply of black pieces, called stones, the other a supply of white. The game starts with an empty board and the players take turns, placing one stone at each turn on a vacant point. Black plays first, and the stones are placed on the intersections of the lines rather than in the squares. Once played, stones are not moved. However they may be surrounded and so captured, in which case they are removed from the board as prisoners.

The players normally start by staking out their claims to parts of the board which they intend eventually to surround and thereby make into territory. However, fights between enemy groups of stones provide much of the excitement in a game, and can result in dramatic exchanges of territory. At the end of the game the players count one point for each vacant intersection inside their own territory, and one point for every stone they have captured. The one with the larger total is the winner.

Capturing stones is certainly one way of gaining territory, but one of the subtleties of Go is that aggression doesn't always pay. The strategic and tactical possibilities of the game are endless, providing a challenge and enjoyment to players at every level. The personalities of the players emerge very clearly on the Go board. The game reflects the skills of the players in balancing attack and defense, making stones work efficiently, remaining flexible in response to changing situations, timing, analyzing accurately and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. In short, Go is a game it is impossible to outgrow.

What makes Go so special

• As an intellectual challenge Go is extraordinary. The rules are very simple, yet it resists all attempts to program computers to play Go. Even the best programs, the results of many years development, are still easily beaten by experienced players. Apart from a chance to beat the computer, Go offers major attractions to anyone who enjoys games of skill:
• There is great scope for intuition and experiment in a game of Go, especially in the opening. Like Chess, Go has its opening strategies and tactics but players can become quite strong knowing no more than a few basic patterns.
• A great advantage of Go is the very effective handicapping system. This enables players of widely differing strengths to play each other on equal terms without distorting the character of the game.
• The object in Go is to make more territory than the other player by surrounding it more efficiently, or by attacking the opponent's stones to greater effect. On such a large board, it's possible to do somewhat badly in one area but still to win the game by doing better on the board as a whole.
• Every game of Go quickly takes on a character of its own - no two games are alike. Since a player needs only to have more territory than the opponent in order to win, there are very few drawn games, though the outcome may hang in the balance until the very end.

A game of Go starts with an empty board. Each player has an effectively unlimited supply of stones, one taking the black stones, the other taking white. The basic object of the game is to use one's stones to form territories by surrounding vacant areas of the board. It is also possible to capture the opponent's stones by completely surrounding them.

The players take turns, placing one of their stones on a vacant point at each turn. Black plays first. Note that the stones are placed on the intersections of the lines rather than in the squares. Once played, stones are not moved. However they may be captured, in which case they are removed from the board.

When does a game end?

• When both sides don't want to play anywhere and pass successively. Then both territories are counted and the larger side wins. Your final score is your territory on the board, plus the captures you have removed from the board.
• When either side thinks he can't win the game no matter how he plays, and resigns.

Unlike many other games, this is considered an honorable outcome. Playing on in the face of a crushing loss is not.

At the top of the page the game is on, click "pass the turn" if you believe that the game should end. Your opponent will have a chance to respond by selecting the pieces he/she feels are dead, and you will have the chance to do the same. If all is in agreement, the game will then end. If not, the game will continue. In such situations, players will have to prove their position by playing it out until they can come to an agreement. Your game may indeed be at a standstill, and by your reasoning, over. But to your opponent, who may or may not be as experienced, it may still hold potential. Our GoldToken team can make final calls on games that an opponent "refuses" to ever call an end to, but will likely want the players to play it out first.

How do I score?

At the end of the game, you get points for area controlled by you - one point for each piece of your color on the board, and also one point for each vacant point within any empty space completely surrounded by your stones.

Why does GoldToken's version not count prisoners?

There are several variants of Go, which differ in various details. The concept of prisoners is a different variation than the one implemented here at GoldToken. However, our version achieves the same end-score as if the players were to keep track of prisoners and use territory scoring, because we use area scoring instead (which ignores prisoners but counts empty space). In fact, the whole concept of prisoners is not a part of Go - it's just an extension invented by AGA to unify the Japanese and Chinese scoring system.

Just learning to play?

• The best way to learn any game is to play! Start with Go 7x7, and advance to the larger boards as you progress.
• Do not let yourself get discouraged. Most new Go players loose their first games. It is all part of the learning curve.
• Ask for assistance on the { Board: Go } discussion board. GoldToken players are always eager to give advice or helpful instruction.
• Play the interactive site http://playgo.to/interactive/ for tips and tricks.
• For those who are unable to view an interactive site, and beginners with a basic understanding, try the Samarkand Go Academy for a more in depth tutorial: http://www.samarkand.net/Academy/learn_go/overview.html/