Games around the world
Go
Go is a strategy board game for two players that started in China more than 2,500 years ago. It is called weiqi in China, baduk in Korea and igo in Japan, and in all three countries it has professional players, televised matches and clubs in most towns.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Players | Two |
| Board | 19 by 19 lines for a full game; 9 by 9 and 13 by 13 for learning |
| Pieces | Black and white stones placed on the points where lines cross |
| Aim | Surround more territory than your opponent |
| Handicap | The weaker player places extra stones at the start |
The rules in brief
Black plays first, then players alternate placing one stone at a time. Stones do not move once placed. A stone or group of stones with no empty points next to it is captured and removed. A rule called ko stops players from capturing back and forth forever. The game ends when both players pass, and the player with more surrounded territory, plus captures, wins. Scoring methods differ slightly between Chinese and Japanese rules, but they almost always give the same result.
Starting out
Beginners usually play on a 9 by 9 board, where a game takes ten or fifteen minutes and the basic ideas of capture and territory are easy to see. The handicap system means players of different strengths can still have an even game, which makes Go one of the easier games to learn from a more experienced friend.