Go Tutorial — Learn by Playing
The fastest way to learn Go is to play it. These five short, interactive lessons teach the essentials on a real board: place a stone, count liberties, capture, save your own group from atari, and read basic territory. No account, no download — just click and learn.
Lesson 1 of 6
Place your first stone
Go is played on the lines, not inside the squares — a stone sits where two lines cross. Black always plays first, then players alternate.
Click any intersection to place your first black stone.
Prefer to dive in? Play a full game — the board highlights legal moves as you go.
What you'll learn
- Stones and liberties — where stones go and what keeps them alive.
- Atari and capture — how to take an opponent's stone off the board.
- Defending — how to rescue your own stones when they're in atari.
- Territory and scoring — how empty points you surround decide the game.
Go is also known as Baduk (Korea), Weiqi (China), and Igo (Japan) — the same game everywhere. Once these basics click, the depth opens up fast. You play against the computer here — a patient partner that always plays a legal move while you learn.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take to learn the rules of Go?
- The core rules take about five minutes. This tutorial walks you through placing a stone, liberties, capturing, escaping atari, and scoring — each on a real board — so you can start a full game right after.
- Do I need an account to use the tutorial?
- No. The tutorial and the game are free and need no account or download. Everything runs in your browser.
- What should I do after the tutorial?
- Play a 9×9 game against the computer — the board highlights legal moves as you go — and try the daily puzzle to sharpen your capturing.
Ready to play?
Start a full 9×9 game against the AI.