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The Rules of Go
by Karl Baker
Excerpted from The Way To Go
Reprinted here with permission from the AGA.

Introduction

Go is a game of strategy. Two players compete in acquiring territory by placing markers on a smooth wooden board with a simple grid drawn on it, usually 19 by 19 lines. Each player seeks to enclose territory with his markers, much like partitioning a field with sections of fencing. Further, each player may capture his opponent's markers. The object of the game is to enclose the most territory, a simple goal that leads to the elegant and fascinating complexities of go.

Chapter One

The Procedure for Playing Go

These chapters present example-questions designed to lead to an easy understanding of go. Use a cover sheet over each page and proceed by sliding the cover down to reveal each problem in turn. Try your best on each question. Review the appropriate explanation if your answer is incorrect. Pace yourself so that the material seems interesting and remains clear.

To Begin

Two players agree to a contest governed by the procedure of play as described herein. The playing field consists of horizontal and vertical lines that crisscross. Each time one line touches another they form a point. There are 361 points on a full-size go board.

Problem: How many points show in the examples below? (Please note that some of the illustrations show board edges and some do not.)

Dia. 1.

Answer:
Four is correct.

Dia. 2.

Answer:
Twelve. Remember to count the point in the corner.

Dia. 3.

Answer:
Sixteen.

In the game of go, as in these examples, ignore the spaces and pay attention to the points.

Play begins with the board empty of markers. Each point is a valuable piece of territory. The object of the game is to fence in completely (surround) more points of territory than your opponent surrounds. The markers of play are called stones, of which one set is black and one is white. The player who takes black plays first.

The players alternate placing stones, building their positions on the board by placing one new stone at each turn. The stones are placed on the points. Once a stone is placed it is never moved to another point.

Following are three diagrams that show a game developing through six turns: black, white, black, white, etc.

Dia. 4.

Dia. 5

Dia. 6

Notice that the white stones begin to combine, just as the black stones begin to build upon each other. It is too early in this game for any points to have been surrounded, but black expects to enclose some territory on the right while white intends to enclose some on the left. The sequence continues from here until the game ends (illustrated in Chapter 3).

The Mechanics

Each point on the board has lines extending from it. The very next point along a line is an adjacent point. Points are adjacent only along the lines. Any point along a diagonal line is not adjacent. Each empty point adjacent to a stone is a liberty.

Problem: How many liberties does each stone have?

Dia. 7

Answer:
Four. Review the preceding paragraph if this is not clear.

Dia. 8

Answer:
Three.

Dia. 9

Answer:
Two. Notice that stones along the edges and in the corners of the board have fewer liberties available.

Liberties are as important in go as breathing is in life. Ahead we will be concerned with liberties again and again.

Forming Connections

Once a stone is placed on a point it is never moved to another point. When another stone of the same color is placed on an adjacent point, the two stones are connected. Once connected, stones form an inseparable unit. A single stone or any number of connected stones can make up a unit.

Problem: How many units are there in each of the following diagrams?

Dia. 10

Answer:
One unit.

Dia. 11

Answer:
Three units.

Notice that stones touch another of the same color when they are connected. To check connections at a glance look for stones that touch. A gap between stones announces a separate unit.

Dia. 12

Answer:
Two units, one black and one white.

Dia. 13

Answer:
Six units, two white and four black. Remember that stones connect only along lines; they do not connect along diagonals.

Dia. 14

Answer:
Nine units, four white and five black.

Connected stones share liberties, so they have as many liberties as there are unoccupied points adjacent to the entire unit.

Problem: How many liberties do the connected stones have, below?

Dia. 15

Answer:
Eleven.

Dia. 16

Answer:
10. Reread the explanation above if this is not clear.

Capture

Placing stones so as to occupy all the liberties of an opposing unit results in the denial of liberty for that unit and it is captured. Captured stones are removed from the board immediately and retained by the captor as prisoners.

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