How to Play Go (Baduk): Rules for Beginners

Stones sit on line intersections, not in squares. Each stone or connected group needs at least one empty adjacent point (a liberty) to stay on the board. Black moves first. The board can also be 9x9 or 13x13 for faster games; the rules are identical.

Liberties: a group's liberties are its empty adjacent intersections; when a group has none, it is captured and removed. A single stone surrounded on all sides is captured. Suicide (playing a stone with no liberties that captures nothing) is illegal in standard rules. Ko: you may not immediately replay a stone that would recreate the previous board position - this prevents infinite capture loops (the ko rule). Territory: empty points fully surrounded by one color count for that player at the end. Scoring (area scoring, common in China): your score is your surrounded territory plus the stones you still hold on the board. Komi: a small point bonus (often 6.5 or 7.5) is given to White to offset Black's first-move advantage. The game ends when both players pass; the higher score wins.

Myth: the goal is to capture all enemy stones. Fact: the goal is to control more territory; captures are a means, not the end. Myth: you must capture when you can. Fact: captures happen automatically by the liberty rule; there is no forced-capture obligation. Myth: more stones means you win. Fact: efficiency matters - a few well-placed stones can surround more than a crowded group.

1. Decide board size (19x19 standard, 9x9 for learning). 2. Black places a stone on any empty intersection, then players alternate. 3. Place stones to surround territory and connect your groups. 4. Capture enemy groups by removing their last liberty. 5. Respect the ko rule - don't recreate the prior board instantly. 6. When neither side can gain by playing, both pass. 7. Count surrounded empty points plus your living stones; add White's komi. Higher total wins.