Go Classic
Play Go Classic free online — 9x9 vs AI (easy/medium/hard). Place stones, capture by liberties, ko rule, two passes end. Chinese score: territory + captures + 6.5 komi for White. No download.
Strategy
Go Classic
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📖 How to Play
Tap an intersection to place your stone. Surround opponent stones to capture them. Surround empty territory to claim points. Two consecutive passes end the game.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do you capture stones in Go?
Surround a stone or group of stones on all adjacent intersections. When a group has no empty neighbors (liberties), it is captured and removed from the board.
How is the winner determined?
The game ends when both players pass consecutively or one resigns. The winner is determined by Chinese scoring: count your surrounded empty territory plus captured stones.
What is the Ko rule in Go?
The Ko rule prevents repeating board positions. You cannot immediately recapture a stone if doing so would recreate the previous board position. You must play elsewhere first.
Is this a full 19×19 Go board?
No — Go Classic on GamingLab is a 9×9 board versus AI. Same capture, ko, and two-pass end rules as full Go, just a shorter game that fits a phone session. Komi is 6.5 points for White to offset Black going first.
What is komi, and who plays first?
Black always places the first stone. Because that is an advantage, White receives 6.5 komi added to territory + captures at the end. The half-point also prevents ties. Two consecutive Pass taps (or Resign) end the game and the scores are counted.
What are the AI difficulty levels in Go Classic?
Easy picks a random legal move. Medium and Hard score moves (captures ×10, liberties, territory hints); Hard also weighs edges and cutting weaknesses. You choose Black or White on the menu; if you pick White, the AI plays Black first.
Can I play Go Classic with friends online?
No — solo vs AI on a 9×9 board. Tap intersections to place stones; Pass ends your turn (two passes end scoring), Resign concedes. Free browser game on phone or desktop with no registration.
Can you play a suicide move in Go Classic?
No. A stone that would have zero liberties after the move is illegal unless that same play captures at least one opponent stone (and therefore creates a liberty). Liberties count only up, down, left, and right -- not diagonals. Ko still blocks recreating the previous whole-board position.
Does Go Classic use Japanese or Chinese scoring, and what does the HUD score mean?
End scoring is a simplified Chinese-style count: empty intersections you surround plus stones you captured, with 6.5 komi for White. There is no Japanese life-and-death adjudication — two Passes (or Resign) score the board as it sits. The in-game HUD is only your captures x10 while play continues; after two passes the reported score is territory x5 + captures x10. The 9x9 board marks five star points (3-3 corners and the center). Solo vs AI, no handicap stones, no online 2P.