The History of Go
Go is one of the oldest board games still played in its original form. It began in China more than 2,500 years ago, spread across East Asia over the centuries, and in our own time became the game that taught computers to think in a strikingly human way.
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Ancient origins in China
Go was invented in China, where it is called weiqi — "the surrounding game." Written references date back well over two thousand years, and legend places it earlier still, casting it as a teaching tool for patience and balance. It became one of the "four arts" a cultivated scholar was expected to know, alongside music, calligraphy, and painting.
Spread to Korea and Japan
The game travelled to Korea, where it is called baduk, and to Japan, where it is called igo. In Japan it flourished under state-supported Go houses during the Edo period, which trained professionals and pushed the theory of the game forward for centuries. Those schools shaped much of the classical style still studied today.
The modern game and AlphaGo
Today Go is a professional sport in China, Korea, and Japan, with international titles and millions of players. Its most famous modern moment came in 2016, when DeepMind's AlphaGo defeated top professional Lee Sedol — a milestone many experts had thought was still a decade away, and a turning point for artificial intelligence.
Frequently asked questions
- How old is Go?
- Go is more than 2,500 years old, with written references reaching back over two millennia in China. That makes it one of the oldest board games still played today in essentially its original form.
- Where did Go originate?
- Go originated in China, where it is called weiqi. From there it spread to Korea (baduk) and Japan (igo), each of which developed its own strong playing tradition.
- Why is Go historically important?
- Go has been valued for thousands of years as a test of strategy and character, and in 2016 it became a landmark for computing when AlphaGo beat a top human professional — a feat once thought far off.
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