Go is a board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,500 years ago. The rules are simple and take as little as 5 minutes to learn, but the game takes a lifetime to master.  Each game reveals a great variety of moves and due to near limitless possibilities, it’s been said that the same game has never been played twice. According to chess master Edward Lasker: "The rules of Go are so elegant, organic, and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe, they almost certainly play Go."

The two players alternately place black and white playing pieces, called "stones", on the vacant intersections (called "points") of a grid of 19×19 lines (beginners often play on smaller 9×9 and 13×13 boards). The object of the game is to use one's stones to surround a larger total area of the board than the opponent. Once placed on the board, stones may not be moved, but stones are removed from the board if captured. When a game concludes, the controlled points (territory) are counted along with captured stones to determine who has more points. Games may also be won by resignation.

People of all ages and walks of life play Go every day all around the world.  Go is widely popular across Europe and Asia where it is known as Baduk, Igo, Weiqi or Go.  It is not until recently that Go has started to spread to the west, but in the United States, people are enjoying Go  in record numbers. As of mid-2008 there were well over 40 million Go players worldwide, the overwhelming majority living in East Asia. As of May 2012, the International Go Federation has a total of 74 member countries and four Association Members covering multiple countries.

Rules of Go