Go (9x9)

Go originated in China over 2,500 years ago, making it the oldest board game still played in its original form. The 9x9 board serves as the beginner size, while the full 19x19 board has more possible positions than atoms in the observable universe. Go challenges you to surround empty territory with your stones and capture your opponent's groups by removing all their liberties. A 2017 study in NeuroImage found that expert Go players show stronger functional brain connectivity in regions linked to spatial reasoning and decision-making. AlphaGo's 2016 victory over Lee Sedol marked the first time an AI defeated a world-class Go professional, a milestone researchers had predicted was a decade away. Start a game in your browser now and learn why this game has survived every empire that tried to suppress it.

1. Black plays first. Click any empty intersection on the 9x9 grid to place your stone.
2. Stones connect orthogonally. A group is any set of same-colored stones linked through adjacent intersections.
3. Every group has liberties, which are the empty intersections directly adjacent to it. A single stone in the middle of the board has four liberties.
4. When you place a stone that leaves an opponent's group with zero liberties, you capture that entire group and remove it from the board.
5. You cannot place a stone that would leave your own group with zero liberties unless that move first captures an opponent's group.
6. Press the Pass button to skip your turn. Two consecutive passes end the game and trigger scoring.

• Black always moves first. White receives 6.5 komi points as compensation for moving second.
• Stones occupy intersections, not squares. Once placed, a stone does not move unless captured.
• A group with zero liberties is captured and removed from the board immediately.
• The suicide rule prevents you from playing a stone that would have zero liberties, unless that same move captures opponent stones first.
• The ko rule prevents immediate recapture of a single stone that just captured one of yours. You must play elsewhere first.
• The game ends when both players pass consecutively. Area scoring counts your stones on the board plus the empty territory you fully surround, plus komi for White.

• Play in the corners first, then the sides, then the center. Corners require fewer stones to secure territory because two edges already border them.
• Keep your groups connected. A connected group shares liberties and is harder to capture than scattered isolated stones.
• Count liberties before engaging in a capturing race. If your group has fewer liberties than your opponent's, you will lose the race.
• Avoid filling your own liberties unnecessarily. Every stone you place next to your own group reduces its breathing room unless it serves a clear purpose.
• Learn the concept of atari, which means a group has exactly one liberty left. Putting your opponent in atari forces them to respond immediately or lose the group.

• 13x13 Board: A middle ground between the 9x9 beginner board and the full 19x19 board. Games last roughly 15 to 30 minutes and allow more complex strategy.
• 19x19 Board: The standard tournament size. A full game can last an hour or more. The larger board creates space for complex battles, multiple territorial frameworks, and deep strategic planning.
• Chess: Another ancient two-player strategy game, but with pieces that move differently and a win condition based on checkmate rather than territory.

• The rules fit on one page, but the strategy takes a lifetime to master.
• No two games ever play the same way. The 9x9 board alone has billions of possible positions.
• Go rewards patience and reading ahead more than raw calculation speed.
• You can play a full 9x9 game in under 10 minutes, making it ideal for short sessions.

Play Go 9x9 directly in your browser. No downloads. No registration. Choose between three CPU difficulty levels or play 1v1 with a friend on the same device. Our version handles capture detection, ko rule enforcement, suicide prevention, and automatic area scoring with komi. Place your first stone and start learning the oldest strategy game on Earth.

Go 9x9 distills 2,500 years of strategy into a board you can learn in minutes. Place stones, surround territory, capture groups, and count your score. Play against the CPU at three difficulty levels or challenge a friend locally. Start your first game now and discover why Go has outlasted every game that tried to replace it.

• Expert Go players show distinct brain connectivity patterns - NeuroImage (2017)
• AlphaGo and the Go community - Nature (2016)