Alright! Here it comes! Please don't be too shocked!
Go! How to Play
History
Go is an ancient board game for two players, considered by many to be the ultimate abstract strategy game. Invented in China around 3,000 years ago, it is probably the oldest game that has been continuously played in basically the same form. Though its rules are simple, the large number of possible moves each turn make it far more complex than chess. (I think their wrong, it was made up in Japan)
Basics
19x19
19x19 board
9x9
9x9 board
Go is a 2 player game usually played on a board of 19 horizontal and 19 vertical lines, but other board sizes--9x9 and 13x13--may be chosen at Yahoo!. Certain intersections, or points, are marked with small dots as shown; the markings create visual reference points and have no effect on play. One player, known as Black, uses a set of black stones; the other player, White, uses a set of white stones.
The object of the game is to get the most points, which are earned by surrounding territory (empty intersections) and opposing pieces.
13x13
13x13 board
Game Play
Beginning with Black, each player in turn, places a stone on an empty intersection, or "point." Once placed, a stone is never moved, although it is removed if the opponent captures it. If a stone or a solidly connected group of stones becomes completely surrounded by opposing pieces, it is captured and removed from play. A stone or group is completely surrounded when it is not adjacent--in any horizontal or vertical direction--to any empty intersections. An empty intersection adjacent to a stone or group is called a "liberty" of that group. In the diagram, White's stone has only one liberty--the point marked X. If Black plays there, White's stone is captured, resulting in the next diagram.
In this diagram, a solidly connected group of four White stones has only one liberty (X). A Black play there captures the group.
Captured stones, or "prisoners," are kept aside and counted at the end of the game. (Yahoo! players don't need to worry about this because prisoners are counted automatically.)
A stone may not be placed on a point where it (or a group to which it has been added) will be completely surrounded, unless it also causes an opponent's stone or group to be surrounded. If a move causes both players' stones or groups to become surrounded simultaneously, the stone or group belonging to the player who made the move survives and the other stone or group is captured.
In this position, both White and Black can make a capture by playing at the point marked X. If White makes the capture, the position will be as shown in the second diagram. If Black makes the capture, the position will look like the third diagram. (In this third diagram, by the way, a White play on the corner point will capture all five black stones, showing that Black's capture was a waste of time.)
More than one group may be captured as the result of a single play. In this simple example, a White play at X will capture all three Black stones.
End Game
Play continues until both players pass. Players then alternately play stones on any "neutral" points--intersections adjacent to both players' stones, also known as "dame" (pronounced DAH-MAY). Next, "dead" stones--ones that are not fully surrounded, but that would inevitably be captured if play continued--are removed from the board and added to the piles of prisoners. Finally, players add up their scores. A player earns one point for each vacant intersection surrounded by his or her stones--known as the player's "territory"--and one point for each prisoner he or she has captured. Whoever has more points wins.
In this position on a miniature board, for example, the four points marked X are dame--worthless to either side. After removing the dead White stone inside Black's upper right territory, Black has 7 points in the upper right, 2 points in the lower left, and 1 for the removed prisoner, for a total of 10. White has 5 points in the upper left, 2 in the lower right, and 2 for the captured Black stones, a total of 9. Black wins by 1 point (unless he or she is required to give White compensation, or komi, to offset the advantage of going first, as explained below.)
Here's more about dead stones. If a player had to surround them completely, he or she would lose one point for each intersection that was filled in while surrounding them. In the previous example, Black would need to play two stones inside Black territory to remove the dead White stone in the upper right, changing the outcome of the game. Therefore, the rules allow players to simply remove dead stones after both players have passed and neutral points have been filled in.
Game Concepts
Occasionally, adjacent opposing groups will become surrounded while neither group has two eyes. If one group has enough extra liberties, it may be able to capture the other. Otherwise, a seki, or dual life, is a likely result of the battle.
In the position at left, the White group in the lower left has two eyes, and so is safe. The two Black groups in the corners at the top have just one eye each (the corner points), but are safe because White cannot play on either point marked X without allowing Black to capture the White stones. Meanwhile, the five White stones on the right and the large Black group at the bottom are both eyeless, but both groups are safe because neither player can occupy either of the points marked Y without allowing the opponent to play on the other point Y and capture them. Since neither player can approach the other anywhere, the various groups with fewer than two eyes are alive in seki.
