How to Play Go: Details from Basic to Advanced

Go is an intellectual game originating from China with a history of more than 4,000 years. This game requires the strategic thinking ability of each participant. This article by JILI777 will guide you on how to play Go from basic to advanced, helping you approach the game easily and effectively.

Introduction to Go

Go is played on a board with a grid of 19×19 lines, forming 361 intersections. However, beginners often play on a 9×9 or 13×13 table to easily grasp the basic rules. Each player will use black or white chess pieces (stones) and take turns placing the chess pieces at the intersection.

The goal of playing Go

The goal of Go is to take over more territory than your opponent. The territory is defined by the lands surrounded by its pieces. Players can capture enemy troops by surrounding them from all sides.

Basic rules on how to play Go

Mastering the basic rules is the foundation for you to start playing Go smoothly.

Place chess pieces

Players take turns placing chess pieces on empty intersections on the chessboard. The person holding the black piece always goes first. Once placed, the piece cannot be moved unless captured.

The act of placing chess pieces requires careful consideration of position and strategy. Placing pieces randomly can lead to losing territory or being surrounded easily. Therefore, players need to consider factors such as controlling the territory, protecting their pieces, and attacking the opponent’s pieces.

Capture troops

A piece or group of pieces is captured when it is surrounded by the opponent’s pieces on adjacent intersections (called air). When a piece or group of pieces no longer has energy, they are removed from the board.

The process of capturing pieces is to reduce the number of the opponent’s pieces to expand your territory. To encircle and capture the enemy’s troops, players need to have a tight attack plan and know how to take advantage of weaknesses in the opponent’s defense.

End the game

The game casino ends when both players agree that there are no profitable moves left. At this point, the territories will be counted and compared. The person with more territory wins.

The process of counting points can be complicated, especially for beginners. Players need to identify their own and their opponent’s territories, as well as the captured pieces. This requires patience and keen observation.

The basic strategy when playing Go

To win in Go, players need to grasp some basic strategies. These strategies help you build territory and protect your pieces effectively.

Place troops strategically

You should start by placing pieces at the corners of the board, then move to the edges and finally the center. Corners are easy to defend and help expand territory effectively.

Create eyes

Eyes are one or more empty intersections surrounded by your pieces. A group of troops with at least two wards cannot be captured, as the opponent cannot fill both wards without breaking the suicide rule.

Attack and defense

When attacking, try to surround and reduce the enemy’s energy. When defending, you just need to keep your troops with enough gas and try to create eyes to avoid being captured.

Advanced strategies on how to play Go

Once you have mastered the basic strategies, you can move on to advanced strategies to improve your skills and strategy in the game.

Cutting and connection techniques

The cutting technique is the division of the enemy’s army into smaller groups for easy capture. The connecting technique is to protect your army groups from being cut off.

Cutting techniques help you weaken enemy forces, making them easier to surround and capture. Meanwhile, connection techniques help maintain the connection between your pieces, strengthen defenses and effectively expand territory.

Net and Ladder technique

The technique of encirclement (net) is to slowly encircle the enemy troops so that they cannot escape. The ladder technique is to lead the opponent’s troops into a dead end, making it impossible for them to generate more gas.

These two techniques require the player to have patience and the ability to read the opponent’s moves in advance. By using encirclement techniques, you can slowly control and destroy enemy troops without having to attack directly.

Read the move in advance.

Reading ahead is the skill of predicting the next moves of both you and your opponent. This requires concentration and being good at logical thinking.

The skill of pre-reading moves helps you plan your next steps and predict your opponent’s strategy. This way, you can adjust your tactics and create effective offensive or defensive opportunities.

Conclude

Please start with the first steps and gradually learn more from experienced masters. By mastering the rules of how to play basic Go and practicing advanced strategies, you will gradually improve your proficiency in this game.