Go Rules for Beginners

This guide covers what you need to play and score your first games — not every tournament detail. For scoring after you finish, use the Go score calculator.

The goal

Surround more territory (empty points) than your opponent. You do this by placing stones that form connected groups and walls.

Placing stones

• Black plays first, then players alternate
• Stones go on intersections, not in squares
• Once placed, a stone does not move (unless captured)

Liberties and capture

A stone’s liberties are empty points next to it (up, down, left, right). A group with no liberties is captured and removed.

Example: A single stone in the corner has 2 liberties. If your opponent fills both, your stone is captured.

Connecting stones

Stones of the same color touching on a line belong to one group and share liberties.

Illegal moves

You may not play where your stone would have no liberties unless that move captures opponent stones and thereby gains liberties.

Suicide (a move that leaves your own group with no liberties and captures nothing) is illegal under modern rules.

Ko (briefly)

If you could capture one stone and your opponent could recapture immediately in the same way forever, the ko rule prevents endless repetition. The player who would recapture must play elsewhere first.

Eyes and life

A group with two separate empty points (eyes) inside it cannot be captured — it is alive. Beginners often lose games by failing to make two eyes.

Dead groups are removed at scoring — see Dead Stones Explained.

Passing and ending

When you have no useful move, pass. When both players pass in a row, the game ends. Then you count — How to End a Go Game.

What to learn next

Start on a 9×9 board, play a full game, then enter the result on the Go score calculator.