Go 9x9 - Board Game
About this game
Go-9 distills the ancient game of Go onto a compact nine by nine board with Chinese area rules. You take Black and move first against an AI that weighs captures, rescues its weak chains in atari and confirms every plan with shallow Monte Carlo playouts. Stones are captured when their last liberty is gone, suicide is illegal and an immediate ko recapture is banned. Fill the board or pass twice in a row and the position is scored by area: every living stone and every enclosed empty point counts one point, hopeless dead stones are cleared automatically and White receives a 5.5 point komi. Beat that margin to bank five hundred points plus twenty more for every winning point.
How to play
Tap an intersection to drop a stone and press Pass when nothing is left to gain.
Tips & Tricks
- Take the 3-3 and star points early — corners are the cheapest territory on the board.
- Keep your chains connected — a group with two eyes never dies.
- Answer contact fights at once — a stone left in atari is a stone lost.
- When you are ahead, answer every move and pass — pointless invasions only feed White points.
Frequently asked questions
What rules does Go-9 use?
Chinese area rules on a nine by nine board. Suicide is forbidden, a single ko may not be recaptured at once, two consecutive passes end the game, and the player whose area beats the opponents area plus the 5.5 point komi wins.
How is the final score worked out?
Every living stone and every empty point enclosed by a single color counts as one point. Hopeless dead stones inside enemy area are removed automatically, and the margin is the black area minus the white area minus the komi.
