How To Play Go For Beginners – FAQ: The goal of this page is to answer the most common questions that come up about the game of go.

I believe in using visual tools for learning so for most of these questions, the answer will be in a video from my YouTube channel.

If you have a question that has not yet been answered here, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below in the form of a question and we will work on the answer as soon as possible.

So, let’s get started!

What Are the Rules of Go?

In this video we cover most of the basic rules of the game of Go.

How to Make Two Eyes?

We discuss and show you what it takes to make two eyes in their simplest form; in the corner, on the side, and in the middle of the board. Then you will be able to see why to first make territory in the corner, on the side, and then in the middle.

What is the Difference Between the 3rd and 4th Line?

We look at how the third line helps to establish territory on the side of the board and how the fourth line projects influence toward the center of the board.

What are 4-4 point joseki?

The 4-4 point joseki are some of the most basic joseki in the game. Anytime we are playing a handicap game these will come up as the first handicap stones are placed on the 4-4 points on the board. They will also come up in regular games because a lot of people like playing on the 4-4 point. Although, it is easy for the opponent to dive into the 3-3 point and make life the number of 4-4 point joseki is small enough you could easily learn them and be better prepared to respond without using up much time.

The 3-4 point joseki, not covered here have many more variations and take much longer to learn. We will cover 3-4 point joseki in the future if their is enough interest.

How Far Can I Extend My Stones?

What is a safe distance for extending my stones along the side of the board? It depends on what line we are on and how big the wall is that we are extending from.

We will look at various extensions in this video.

How Do I Keep My Stones Connected?

That’s a really great question and can be all of the difference in how well we play and determine our ranking in Go. If you rely on your stones having strength then connecting your groups of stones can make all of the difference. Also, if your group is running for its life then not getting disconnected can be extremely important.

What are Basic Life and Death Shapes?

You need to be able to recognize the minimum shapes that are required for your group to make life. Then you will know whether or not to sacrifice those stones or leave them as ko threats later in the game. We will show you some basic shapes that are always dead or that are dead if the opponent plays first but alive if you play first.

Is This Shape Alive or Dead?

Here we give you some basic problems that relate to extensions along the along the second line and more basic shapes. How many stones does it take to be alive on the 2nd line? Watch this video and find out!

What is a Ladder?

We introduce a ladder to you in this video. We also look at some small and simple capturing races.

How to Read a Ladder Out?

The previous question asked what was a ladder. This question answers how can we read out a ladder more easily. Watch this video to see a quick way to judge whether the ladder is good or bad.

What is Ko?

What the heck is ko? We will give you some quick and simple examples of ko in this shorts video.

What is Eternal Ko?

Nothing is eternal, or is it? Here is a video on an eternal ko that would rarely come about in a game.

What is a Ko Threat?

We learned what ko was previously, but how can we get a chance to take the stone back? Watching this shorts video you will see just how to do that!

What are Fuseki?

Fuseki are the opening board moves by black and white. The two players could each be playing a different set of opening moves or fuseki. With the advent of AI, fuseki have changed since I began learning go.

What are Joseki?

Joseki are patterns that appear as one player approaches another player. The results at the end of the joseki are said to be equal. It may be equal in territory or it could be that one side gets territory and the other gets influence. Both sides are satisfied with the results. Joseki that I learned have become outdated with the advent of AI and now I have to learn new joseki.