The Game of GO

Go is a strategic board game for two players. It is known as wéiqí in Chinese (Traditional: 圍棋; Simplified: 围棋), igo (囲碁) or go (碁) in Japanese, and baduk in Korean (hangul: 바둑). Go is noted for being rich in strategic complexity despite its simple rules.

Go originated in China, where it has been played for more than 2,500 years. It is most popular in East Asia, but has gained some popularity in other parts of the world in recent years. Go reached the West through Japan, which is why it is commonly known there by its Japanese name. Additionally, many Go concepts for which there is no ready English equivalent have become known by their Japanese names.

Go is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones (playing pieces, usually made of glass or plastic) on the vacant intersections of a grid of 19×19 lines. The object of the game is to control a larger portion of the board than the opponent. A stone or a group of stones is captured and removed if it has no empty adjacent intersections, the result of being completely surrounded by stones of the opposing color.

Placing stones close together helps them support each other and avoid capture. On the other hand, placing stones far apart creates influence across more of the board. Part of the strategic difficulty of the game stems from finding a balance between such conflicting interests. Players strive to serve both defensive and offensive purposes and choose between tactical urgency and strategic plans.

Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog