What is Go?

This page was translated automatically from Turkish with AI (Google Gemini). If anything is unclear, the Turkish original prevails.

Go is a game of territory. It is played on a 19×19 board with 181 black and 180 white stones (not all of these stones may be used during the game). Beginners can warm up on 9×9 boards to learn the game, and on 13×13 boards to grasp basic techniques and logic. Black starts the game; players take turns placing stones on the intersections of the horizontal and vertical lines on the board (Go has a unique way of holding stones: stones are held between the tips of the second finger and third finger—with the second finger below and the third finger above—and placed on the board in this manner). Stones placed on the board do not move; unless captured and removed from the board, they remain where they were placed. There is no hierarchy among the stones; all stones are of equal value. It is only that during the game, certain stones may come to hold a more or less important position (that is, absolutely requiring protection or being easily sacrificed). The objective of the game is to surround territory. Players try to expand their own territory on the one hand, and disrupt the opponent’s territory on the other. Following the battles between stone groups, the game ends when both sides agree that territories are settled and there are no more points to be gained on the board, and choose to pass. Captured stones taken during the game are placed into the opponent’s territory, and the winner is determined by counting the remaining empty points.

Go relies on a few extremely simple rules, yet it is probably the most complex, most difficult game in the world. By way of comparison, while computer programs capable of defeating a world champion chess player have been written today, a reward of 1 million dollars was offered to anyone who could write a program capable of playing at amateur 1 dan level. Here, a straightforward logical approach might suggest that Go is more complex simply because chess is played on an 8×8 board while Go is played on a board four times that size; however, as one delves deeper, it becomes clear that Go is a game of ‘spiritual discipline’ where strategy, highly subtle tactical battles and, most importantly, the spiritual growth of the players are blended together, with poetry playing as equal a role as mathematics. Go, like many other elements in Japanese and Chinese culture (taichi, martial arts, ikebana, etc.), is considered one of the paths for a person to train themselves, to understand and transcend their ‘self’, and to grasp ‘realities’.

One of the first striking features of Go is that, despite having only a few rules, it gives rise to infinite possibilities. There is a saying that since Go was invented, not a single game has ever been played where every move was identical to another, and this is true. A stone played one intersection to the right or one intersection higher on the board will alter the entire flow of the game and its balances; there is no talk of a forced sequence of moves, and although responding to certain moves played in certain places has become traditional, traditions exist to be broken anyway. Go, in a sense, requires every single move to be played in perfect harmony with the harmony of the universe; which, of course, necessitates a spiritual state in the same rhythm as this harmony. In Go (except for captured stones removed from the board, groups that have ‘made two eyes’, or the endgame), there is no absolute state; balances can change at any moment, a game led by a huge margin can be lost in an instant, a territory where you say ‘right, this is mine’ can suddenly be invaded, the hunter can become the hunted; in this sense, there is no room in Go for being caught off guard, for carelessness, loss of concentration, or ignoring ‘reality’. The game you play is like a glass object created by a glassblower: the better you can master your self and control your breath, the closer you get to your desired outcome, whereas the slightest mistake from your breath or hand will instantly ruin the shape of the glass. Of course, putting forth your absolute best and still losing is also among the possibilities; in that case, all you can do is bow respectfully before your opponent for showing you so beautifully that you still have a way to go.

One beauty of Go is that lower-level players can play on equal terms with higher-level players. The higher-level player giving a handicap of a few stones to the lower-level player (taking into account the difference between them) enables them to play a balanced game.

Go is a game of construction. On the board, the game develops in one way, while in the minds of the two players, many different variations of that game are played out. Before each move, playable moves and possible responses are turned over in the mind, and the shapes that will form after the moves are attempted to be envisioned; yet, just as in life, options are plentiful but choice is singular. With every new move, constructions break down and new ones are formed. Therefore, ‘visualization’ is one of the most important prerequisites for playing Go. One point needs to be underlined here: calculation and reading moves work only up to a point; since taking all possibilities into account especially in the opening phase of the game is impossible anyway, looking at the beauty or ugliness of shapes rather than counting (as masters say) can become more important. So, alongside ‘visualization’, ‘knowledge of good shape’ or ‘training of the eye’ is just as important.

Go is a game of balance and using what you have in the most efficient manner. It is the balance between attack and defence, between specific areas on the board and the board as a whole, between calculation and intuition that must be maintained at every moment. The prerequisite for producing a good game is being able to hold several perspectives simultaneously; looking at the same spot from different angles—that is, weighing with every move both the status of your own stones (whether they are in danger, what kind of threats they might face, how they can unite and support each other, how they can become a nuisance to opposing groups), the status of opponent stones, battles occurring in specific areas, and the situation across the whole board. Neither defence alone nor attack alone is of any use; being fixated on a single target means missing other targets. The most beautiful move is probably one that both defends and attacks, both reinforces a single group and connects with allied groups, while splitting opponent groups in the process (how ideal!). Ultimately, Go is a wargame; there are lands to be conquered, yet capturing all the land (the whole world) is a dream close to impossible; spreading out as much as possible in this world, enabling armies to support one another without squeezing them into tight areas, and utilizing the power of several armies at once will bring about capturing more land. The key point here is the art of using the strength at your disposal with maximum efficiency—directed not towards a single purpose, but towards several.

Of course, perhaps most importantly, Go is a game of elegance. As can be encountered in other elements of Far Eastern culture, a good player approaches their game as a work of art, a beautiful creation. A bad move is bad not merely because it leads to losing, but because it disrupts beauty, harmony, creation, mental flow and spiritual composure; this move stands out like a black stain on a white piece of paper because it was not well thought through, the self succumbed to greed, pride or cowardice, a single option was forced upon a universe made of a chain of possibilities, and one moved away from ‘reality’ to get lost in illusions.

Go, for sensible madmen…

Hira DOĞRUL / 2002

Find out more: Go glossary · History of Go in Türkiye · Places near you to play Go