Go (Baduk) Free online game

What is it?

Go (baduk) is East Asia's classic board game: two players take turns placing black and white stones, and whoever surrounds more territory wins. On Hanpanmadang you can play on the full 19×19 board or pick 13×13 or 9×9 for a quicker game.

Games are scored the Korean way: territory plus captured stones, with 6.5 points of komi for White, who moves second. Easy and Normal AI are for practice, while on Hard the server plays the AI and the result is ranked. You can also play online against people who chose the same board size. Against the AI you can play Black (first) or White (second, 6.5 komi).

How to play

1. Tap a point to preview (drag to adjust), tap the same point again to place. Black moves first; against the AI you can pick Black or White
2. Surround enemy stones and fill all their liberties to capture them. Suicide moves and immediate ko recaptures aren't allowed
3. The game ends when both players pass in a row. Most territory + captures wins (White gets 6.5 komi)

Difficulty and rankings

There's a weekly ranking and an all-time ranking; the weekly one resets every Monday at midnight (Korea time). For details, see the Help.

Good to know on Hanpanmadang

• The game ends when both players pass in a row. Dead stones left on the board are identified automatically and added to captures before scoring.
• Scoring example: if Black has 28 territory + 4 captures = 32 and White has 22 territory + 3 captures + 6.5 komi = 31.5, Black wins by 0.5. Because komi includes a half point, there are no draws.
• Suicide moves (filling your own stones' last liberty) aren't allowed unless they capture, and a ko can't be retaken immediately.
• Online, each move must be made within 60 seconds or you lose.

Learn from examples

Common mistakes

Focusing so hard on capturing that your own stones end up in atari.

Before each move, check whether any group of yours is down to one liberty.

Tapping the same point over and over to retake a ko.

Retaking immediately is against the rules. First play a big threat elsewhere that your opponent must answer (a ko threat), then retake on your next turn.

Passing before the endgame is finished.

If you pass while some borders are still open, your opponent will take them. Close all the borders before passing.

Tips

• In the opening, the basic order is corners → sides → center. Corners are where it's easiest to make territory with few stones.
• Always watch that your stones aren't left in atari with a single liberty, and don't miss the chance to capture when your opponent's stones are.
• Spread your stones out, but shore up weak connections your opponent could cut through.
• Every move counts on a 9×9 board. When you're learning, practice reading ahead on 9×9 before moving to bigger boards.
• In the endgame, tidying up borders makes a surprising difference in territory. Check the remaining borders before both players pass.