Place a stone
Place a stone on an empty intersection. Once placed, it stays there.
Go
An ancient game of territory. Just a few rules open up a world of possibilities on the 19 × 19 board.
No one is playing yet0 waiting rooms
Liberties
Empty intersections next to a group are its liberties.
Capture
Surround every liberty to remove the opposing group.
Repetition
A move may not recreate an earlier board position.
No suicide
Your group must have a liberty after any captures are removed.
Area score
Living stones plus surrounded empty intersections determine your score.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Go.
Chinese area scoring · White receives 7.5 komi. Two consecutive passes open scoring; both players confirm the result.
A quick guide to Go
Read the Go rulesWhat is Go?
Go is a two-player game of surrounding territory. Place stones on intersections, keep connected groups supplied with liberties and capture groups with none. ChessPlayX uses Chinese area scoring, with 9×9, 13×13 and 19×19 boards available.
How are dead stones handled at the end of a Go game?
After two consecutive passes, play stops for scoring. Select a chain to mark it dead; both players must accept the same score. If you disagree about a group, choose Resume play and settle it on the board. Dead stones are removed before the area count.
Which board sizes can I play Go on, and is there a handicap?
ChessPlayX offers 19 × 19, 13 × 13 and 9 × 9 boards, with 19 × 19 as the default. Every game starts on an empty board without handicap stones: Black moves first and White receives 7.5 komi. Beginners usually start on 9 × 9.
Does ChessPlayX use Chinese or Japanese Go scoring?
Chinese-style area scoring. Your score is your living stones on the board plus the empty points you surround; captured stones are not added separately. White adds 7.5 komi, so a counted game cannot tie. Japanese territory scoring counts surrounded points plus prisoners instead.
How can I play with a friend?
Share one device for a local game, or choose the friend option above to create an online room and send its invitation. Online games need an internet connection. Local games are saved in this browser.
Play Go on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Chinese area scoring · 7.5 komi · positional superko. Read the setup, legal moves, special rules and end conditions before starting. The guide describes the variant used on ChessPlayX, including differences from other versions where relevant.
Read the Go rulesCan I play against AI?
Choose AI mode to practice at your own pace. Start with a lower difficulty while learning the moves, then increase it when you can spot threats and plan your replies.