Go is played on a grid board, usually 19×19
Two players take turns placing one stone at a time
One player uses black stones and the other uses white stones
Stones are placed on empty intersections of the board, not inside the squares
Once placed, stones do not move
Stones are removed only when completely surrounded with no liberties
A liberty is an empty point directly adjacent to a stone or connected group
Stones of the same color connected orthogonally form a group
A group is captured when all its liberties are taken away
Captured stones are removed from the board
A move is illegal if it places a stone with no liberties unless it captures enemy stones
Players may pass instead of placing a stone
The game ends when both players pass consecutively
Score is usually based on controlled territory plus captured stones
Territory is empty board space fully surrounded by one player’s stones
The player with the higher score wins
Black usually plays first
Common board sizes are 9×9, 13×13, and 19×19
The ko rule prevents immediate repetition of the same board position
The goal is to control more territory than the opponent