Learn
From your first stone to your first dan.
Learn to play in five minutes
Ten short interactive steps on a small board, from your first stone to counting the score.
Start the tutorial
The rules in one minute
1
Placing stones
Black and White take turns placing one stone on an empty intersection. Black plays first. Stones never move.
2
Liberties and capture
The empty points next to a group are its liberties. A group with no liberties left is captured and removed.
3
No suicide
You may not play where your own stones would have no liberties, unless the move captures.
4
Ko
You may not immediately recapture a single stone if that would repeat the previous position. Play elsewhere first.
5
Counting
When both players pass, dead stones are removed. Territory plus captures (or stones on the board) decides the winner.
Try it on the analysis board
Explore openings
Opening and joseki explorer
Step through openings and corner sequences with KataGo’s best moves and the moves people play on Irori.
Open the explorer
Courses
Beginner
5 steps
Capturing techniques
Atari in the right direction, double atari, ladders and nets.
Beginner
7 steps
Life and death
Why groups with two eyes live forever, and how to kill those without.
Beginner
3 steps
Cutting and connecting
Find the cuts in your opponent's shape and protect your own.
Intermediate
4 steps
Opening principles
Corners first, then sides, then the center, on the full 19×19 board.
Intermediate
10 steps
Basic joseki
Five standard corner sequences every player meets: the slide, the kick, the 3-3 invasion, Shusaku's diagonal and the attach-drawback.
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