Go Links
Starter Sites
Great go web pages are plentiful online, but they can be hard to find. The ten sites listed below contain an unbelievable wealth of information and resources. They will show you some of what's available, but don't stop there -- this page contains links to more than 100 important and useful go-related websites.
Interactive Go Tutorial: Hiroki Mori's huge online teaching database will help a complete beginner to reach at least mid-level play.
Internet Go Servers: Thousands of people are playing on the Internet right now! Here's how to join them.
GoBase: Game records from top pro tournaments, historical essays, instructional articles, collections of corner sequences, full-board openings, and much more!
Sensei's Library: A huge, communally maintained archive of nearly 3000 pages on every conceivable go-related topic.
GoProblems.com: Solving problems is a good way to get stronger. Thousands are available here, sorted by type and skill level.
The IGS Art Gallery: Learn more about go as a rich cultural presence in Asian life through more than 100 Japanese and Chinese classic works of art featuring a go theme, fully curated with the history and significance of each piece.
LifeIn19x19: A moderated forum to discuss all matters related to go.
New In Go: A collection of more than 80 articles on a wide range of offbeat subjects -- everything from a six-group seki to how people without arms play go. Written and compiled by John Fairbairn and T. Mark Hall, the authors of the GoGoD Encyclopedia and Database.
Byheartgo: Another good way to progress is to study professional games. Download up to 42,000 pro game records, as well as pdfs of many problem books.
GoGameGuru: A user-friendly site with instruction, commented games and more.
For Beginners
These sites assume that you are a complete newcomer to the game of go. Each tells the story and describes the game in its own way. We hope you will find one that intrigues you.
The Way to Go: Thousands of American players have learned the basics from this brief but complete introduction.
Video Tutorial: Goshawk Heron's three-part YouTube-based video is worth watching.
Introduction to Go: A Flashmedia presentation by Mindy McAdams.
Commented Games for Beginners: This page contains many useful resources, including links to four commented 9x9 game records and an "ideal" 19x19 game, all created by American master teacher Yi-lun Yang 8-dan with new players in mind. In sgf, a standard format that most game review software can read.
IGS Introduction to Go: The Internet Go Server offers a nice basic description of the rules.
A Beginner's Introduction to Go: Basic information from John Bate, a Canadian player.
Introduction to the Game of Go: From the British Go Association's website.
Tutorial on the Rules of Go: The rules demonstrated on a 5x5 board.
The Fun Way to Learn Go: A colorful, lively tutorial in English from the Japan Go Association.
Tel's Go Notes: "Tel" likes to teach online, and has compiled this sort of FAQ for beginners. Tel plays at about a 4-5K level.
Getting Stronger
These sites assume that you are familiar with the basics. Improve your play by studying pro games, solving problems, and learning strategic and tactical concepts from these sites.
AGA Annotated Bibliography: A complete listing of go books available in English, briefly described.
The Magic of Go: 428 articles written by Richard Bozulich and Rob Van Ziejst for the Yomiuri Shimbun, the world's largest newspaper (13 million readers).
Problem of the Week: Minoru Hirada has been posting two new problems per week -- one elementary, one intermediate -- since 1996. The archive of more than 800 problems is also available for review. Myron Souris also selects a weekly problem that is posted on the AGA's home page.
Problem of the Month: The 100+ problems Steve Bailey published between 1996 and 2005 are more advanced. Archive of problems posted since 1996 available for review.
Shape Up!: An easy-to-read introduction to the elusive concept of "shape."
Go Teaching Ladder: A sort of game analysis co-op -- analyze games for weaker players and yours will be analyzed in turn.
GoKifu Find and download specific sgfs of games between top pros.
Kogo's Joseki Dictionary: Gary Odom of Portland, Oregon created this free database.
My Friday Night Files: Jan Van Rongen offers a huge archive of over 1500 Cho Chikun game records in sgf format, along with other collections, including all the pro games used in the Hikaru No Go anime.
Game Records from the British Go Journal: Sgf files based on material from the magazine.
American professionals: More than ten players with professional credentials now live throughout the US and Canada, teaching in person and online.
Guo Juan's Internet Go School: Lessons by e-mail, online teaching games and game analysis from the Amsterdam-based author of The World of Chinese Go.
Miscellaneous Items Of Interest
TurboGo: Arnoud van der Leff's creations include a joseki tutoring program and a screensaver that plays random games from your sgf collection when your computer is idle.
Bob High Memorial Library: Contains articles on the origins of go and its relationship to ancient Tibet, Chinese poetry and philosophy, Buddhist philosophy and other subjects.
Go Term Dictionary: Chinese, Japanese, Korean and English terms are cross-referenced for easy translation.
The Internet Go Dictionary: A searchable database.
13x13 handicaps: The Cambridge Go Society's system for handicapping 13x13 games between players of different ranks. CGS runs a yearly 13x13 national tournament in Great Britain using this system.
BIgo Assistant: OCR "Info-donationware." Scan games and send them, and the authors send back sgf files and keep copies of the games. They also sell their archive of 700,000 (mostly amateur) games and offer review/recording software.
Go4Go: Detailed news of big Asian tournaments and 1000's of pro game records, mostly from 2000 onward, easy to sort by player or event.
Perfect Tsumego Play: Dave Dyer says his program plays "perfectly", if the pattern is in the program's database.
Go Tools: A computer program intended for use studying and solving life and death problems.
Picture Problems: Is it go or is it art? Japanese amateur enthusiast Tanaka Takayuki makes problems out of shapes that resemble real objects.
Cyclic Go configurations: Animated illustrations of six illegal "ko" positions.
Repeating Go Positions: Another animated playout of six repeating positions, some different from the above.
Harry Fearnley's Rule-Busting Riddles and Other Oddities: You may never see these problems in a game, but they are interesting puzzles in their own right.
rec.games.go: A freewheeling, unmoderated forum for discussion and debate.
History and Culture
History of Go: Links to pages describing the role of go in Chinese, Japanese and Korean society through the ages.
Tales from Go History: Anecdotes involving Iwamoto, Albert Einstein and others.
Internet Go Filmography: Many films, TV shows and anime containing go equipment are listed.
AGA Archives: The American Go Association maintains one of the most extensive collections of Western go materials in the world.
Rules of Go: A complete set of links to rule-related information and commentary. At least six rule sets are in use today in various parts of the world, but don't worry. You don't have to learn them all. In fact, if you know how to play, you don't even have to know which rules you use! Just so you and your partner agree beforehand on a few issues like komi, handicap, and whether territory is vacant spaces only or stones and spaces.
Gnarly problems: A collection of propositions, mostly unlikely to appear in a real game, but certain to confound various rule sets.
[AGA Go Computer Links Page)(/go-software): Links to info about programs that play, teach, and more, for programmers and users
The World Of Go
AGA Chapter and Club List: With more than 100 chapters and clubs listed, we hope there's one near you. If not, start one!
Where To Buy Go Books and Equipment: Links to the best online vendors.
Igolocal: Map-based "physical server" listing players who have registered in your area. Sign up and you'll get an e-mail whenever a new player joins in your area.
The American Go Foundation: A tax-deductible foundation that supports the growth and development of American go.
The International Go Federation: The worldwide governing body of national go associations, with 71 members.
The International Mind Sports Association: Formed by the international associations for backgammon, bridge, chess and go, IMSA promotes worldwide mind sports competition in order to "further realize the inclusion of mind sports in the Olympic Movement" through events such as The World Mind Sports Games and The SportAccord World Mind Games.
The International Pair Go Association: The IPGA promotes go as a contest between male-female pairs of players, to enhance the social aspect of play and to promote a stronger female presence in the game.
Go in "Auroville": Founded in 1968 by "The Mother", Auroville views itself as an "international township" which aims to be the "city of the future." It is physically located along the southeast coast of India in the Tamil region, but you will not find it on any map. However, they play go there.
Go Clubs Online: GoClubsOnline provides invaluable web-based resources for club organizers and volunteers wanting to manage their clubs, their membership, their tournaments and events. With GoClubsOnline tournaments can be managed from (cradle to grave) via online registration, check-in, pairings, prize giving, all the way to one-click reporting results to the AGA.
Go People
Feng Yun's Go School: The former World Women's Champion, one of only 2 female 9-Dans in history, lives and teaches actively in the New York area, and offers online lessons.
Guo Juan's Internet Go School: Ms. Guo teaches group and individuals on the Internet. Recorded lessons are also available.
Alexander Dinerchtein's Go School: A Russian-born 1P in the Korean system who teaches online in Russian, English and Korean.
Harry Fearnley's Homepage: A vast store of links, information and oddities.
David Mechner's Homepage: A former insei describes his experience and offers advice on getting stronger.
Milt's Go Page: Read some intriguing essays and download two free full-length books.
Henry Segerman's three-dimensional go board : 3D go is played at least once per year, during the annual "Crazy Go" event at The US Go Congress.
361 points: A huge hodgepodge of information, resources and commentary.
Hutch's Go Pages: Former AGA Archivist Craig Hutchinson offers his unique perspective on the game.
David Dyer's Computer Go Pages
Jay Burmeister's Go Pages: A thorough but somewhat dated discussion of computer go issues.
I am Dosaku: The life of the first great go genius (1645-1702), who remains one of the great players of all time. With game records from his famous matches.
Yuki Shigeno's Italian Diary: The director of The International Go Federation wrote these reflections when she lived in Italy.
Matthew MacFadyen's Go Pages: One of Europe's top players offers instruction and other materials.
NannyOgg's Shodan Challenge: A beginner discovers a quest for excellence.
Go Aggregator: News, games, discussion and blogs.
Shygost's Public Lessons Sgfs of lessons conducted on the KGS Go Server.
Related Links
Shogi.net: Links and information concerning "Japanese chess."
Xiangqi: The Chinese ancestor of Western chess.
Liubo: Xiangqi evolved from this even more ancient game.
Korean Chess: Very similar to xiangqi, but with slightly different rules.
Hex: Black and white stones on a go-like board with hexes instead of squares. The object is to create an unbroken chain of stones from one side of the board to the other. Invented by John Nash, the brilliant, erratic subject of the Academy-award-winning film A Beautiful Mind.
Pits: Learn the rules of the 5-player card game that has been a popular side attraction at Go Congresses in Europe and the US.
Liar Dice: Another game sometimes played at Congresses and go events.
Daoqi: Go variant in which the edge of the board is eliminated.
Konane: "Hawaiian checkers" can be played on a standard go board.
Renju International Federation: Renju (Go-Moku) is the professional version of gomoku (five-in-a-row). The RIF site includes over 2000 pages on various aspects of this deceptively simple-looking game.
