Start with One Stone
You do not need a book of opening rules before your first game. Choose a 9x9 board, place the first black stone, and see what the position asks for next. Short games make it easy to try a new idea straight away.
What are you trying to do in Go?
Players take turns placing black and white stones on intersections. Stones do not move after they are placed. A connected group is captured when it has no empty adjacent intersections, called liberties.
Captures are only part of the game. You are also keeping your own groups safe while surrounding more territory than your opponent.
Practice quietly or test yourself
Begin with a gentler AI opponent, then increase the challenge when you are ready. Restart, undo, or ask for a hint while you learn; one bad move does not have to end the experiment.
Why start on a 9x9 board?
A 9x9 board has 81 intersections, so contact, captures, and scoring arrive quickly. The rules are identical to larger boards; the results are simply easier to see.
Play alone, together, or from apart
Practice against AI, take turns on one shared device, or open a room and send its link to a friend. Every mode supports 9x9, 13x13, and 19x19 boards.
9 · 13 · 19board sizes
Local AIpractice at your pace
2 playersone shared device
Roomsplay online