GO, an Addictive Game

[Go]

Introduction

The Rules of Go

Getting started

Introduction

I learned Go at the age of 21 from a good friend of mine. At first the game didn't attract me as special (it seemed too abstract and thus boring to me). But after having played a dozen of games I learned to appreciate the beauty of the game and it started to taken me away completely. This made me spend more and more time on this fascinating game and by now I can say it has become a substantial part of my life. -- Jan van der Steen

The Rules of Go

A Go game after 69 moves have been played

I have included two sets of definitions of the game, a human readable explanation with lots of illustrations to get you start playing within five minutes (I promise) and a mathematically correct definition of the game.

Getting started

If you would like to start to play Go, or would like to talk to people playing this game you might want to check out any of the following resources on the Internet. One of these places might contain the information or the contact you're seeking.

Maybe you would like to read some more about the game of Go first (like its history)?
bsdserver Home page: This page contains pointers to various other Go related WWW pages
: The Internet Go Server allows you to meet Go players from all over the world. You can talk or play with them. When this sounds appealing to you, then you should definitely read the step-by-step How to Play Go on the Internet document.
The IGS Archives: The ftp site contains *all* games played on the Internet Go Server. A goldmine for Computer Scientists who need Go games. You could do a selective search in a 5d+ selection as a start to get an idea of the collection.
rec.games.go: The newsgroup with Go related topics. The bulk of the articles concerns the Internet Go Server (IGS), but you will also find articles on Go technical issues (how to make your own Go board, where to buy Go books, ...), and professional Go games.
The Go Teaching Ladder Home Page: When you would like to have your game analysed by a stronger player, or you would like to teach a weaker player then please join this ladder. I preserved the game analyses by me or my wife.
Computer Go: When you have written/are writing a Go computer program you might want to get in touch with one of the other authors, or try the program's strength out against one of the other programs. but you should definitely join the Computer Go Ladder and you might as well sign on to the Computer Go mailing list ( computer-go-request@comlab.oxford.ac.uk ) as well.