Liberties in Go
Liberties are the single most important idea for survival in Go. A stone's liberties are the empty points directly next to it; when a group runs out of liberties, it is captured. Understanding liberties is the key to keeping your stones alive and taking your opponent's.
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What is a liberty?
A liberty is an empty intersection directly adjacent (up, down, left, or right — never diagonal) to a stone. A single stone in the center of the board has four liberties; on the side it has three; in the corner, just two.
Stones of the same color that touch along the lines form one connected group and share all of their liberties. A big connected group is usually safer than scattered single stones because it has more liberties in total.
How liberties are lost and groups are captured
Each time your opponent plays a stone next to your group, it fills one of your liberties. When a group has only one liberty left it is in atari — one move from capture. If that last liberty is filled, the entire group is removed from the board.
You cannot normally play a stone onto a point that would leave your own group with zero liberties (that would be suicide) — unless the move captures an enemy group first, which frees up liberties.
Why liberties decide the game
- Counting liberties tells you who wins a capturing race (semeai).
- Two real eyes give a group infinite life because the opponent can never fill both liberties at once.
- Extending to add liberties, or connecting groups, is how you keep weak stones safe.
Frequently asked questions
- Do diagonal points count as liberties?
- No. Only the orthogonally adjacent empty points (up, down, left, right) are liberties. Diagonals matter for shape but are not liberties.
- What is atari?
- Atari means a stone or group has exactly one liberty remaining — your opponent can capture it on the next move unless you add liberties or connect.
- How do I give my group more liberties?
- Extend it to an empty point, connect it to a friendly group, or capture adjacent enemy stones to open up space.
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