h3>1) Basics

• Players: 2 (Black moves first, White second)
• Board: 19×19 grid (beginner variants: 9×9, 13×13)
• Stones: Black and White stones placed on the intersections, not in the squares
• Goal: Control more territory than your opponent at game end

2) Key Concepts

• Liberties: Empty intersections directly up/down/left/right from a stone or connected group
• Connected group: Same-color stones linked orthogonally share liberties
• Capture: If a group has no liberties, remove all stones in that group from the board

3) Turn Structure

1. Place 1 stone of your color on any empty intersection
2. Resolve captures (remove opponent groups with no liberties)
3. Suicide rule: You may not play a stone that leaves your own group with no liberties, unless that move captures adjacent enemy stones and thus creates liberties
4. Ko rule: You may not make a move that immediately recreates the previous board position (to prevent infinite capture loops). Play elsewhere for at least one move before retaking
5. You may pass instead of placing a stone

4) Ending the Game

• The game ends when both players pass in succession
• Remove any dead stones (stones that cannot avoid capture with perfect play)

5) Scoring (two common systems)

• Territory (Japanese): Score = empty intersections you surround + captured stones + komi (White’s compensation, typically 6.5 or 7.5). Stones on the board do not count directly
• Area (Chinese): Score = your stones on the board + empty intersections you surround + komi. Captured stones are not separately counted

6) Handicap & Komi

• Komi: Points added to White to offset Black’s first-move advantage (e.g., 6.5/7.5)
• Handicap: For unequal skill, Black places 2–9 stones on marked star points before White’s first move

7) Special Situations

• Life & Death: A group is alive if it cannot be captured. Two secure eyes (separate internal liberties) usually guarantee life
• Seki: Mutual life—neither side can capture without self-harm. Points in seki are not counted as territory in Japanese rules; counted as area under Chinese rules

8) Quick Tips

• Open on corners → sides → center (efficient enclosure)
• Value thickness and influence; avoid small early fights that create weak groups
• Do not chase every capture; build territory while keeping groups alive
• Read liberties before playing atari (a move that leaves an enemy group with one liberty)

9) Board Reference

Board	Use	Typical Handicap
9×9	Beginners, tactics	0–3
13×13	Intermediate, balance	0–5
19×19	Standard, full strategy	0–9