About Play Go Online

Play Go Online is a free way to play Go in your browser, against the computer or a friend online, with no account and nothing to install. Pick a board size, make a move, and you're playing. That's the whole idea.

The site is built for people who don't already know Go. If you've never played, theinteractive tutorial teaches the rules on a real board, one move at a time, and the learn section covers therules,how a full game actually goes, and the basics ofstrategy, each with board diagrams for the parts that are easier to see than to read about. The glossary covers any term you run into along the way.

Once you know the rules, you can play the computer at three difficulty levels, or play a person: share a link with a friend, or take a quick match against another player looking for a game. Online games are anonymous too, with no sign-up on either side.

Games are scored using area (Chinese) rules with 7.5 komi, on 9x9, 13x13, or 19x19 boards. There's no server keeping track of you. Your game in progress and your settings are saved locally in your own browser, and that's the extent of it. See theprivacy policy for the specifics.

Who makes this

Play Go Online is an independent project, not affiliated with any Go association or club. One person builds and maintains it, with a single goal: a clean, free place for beginners to start, without the accounts, clutter, or steep interfaces that most Go sites lead with.

Games follow the modern tournament standard, area (Chinese) scoring with 7.5 komi, and thelearn section explains those rules from scratch, so nothing here asks you to take the game on faith.

Play a game whenever you're ready.