Distributors of Go Books, Equipment & Software

Go playing equipment varies widely in quality. You can get a good basic set, including board, stones and bowls for under $50, or you can spend thousands of dollars for a top-quality kaya floor board with legs, and stones made of slate and clamshell.

Getting the right equipment will make the game much more enjoyable. The "right" equipment means a board with a pleasant neutral background, and round, lens-shaped stones that are properly proportioned, neither too large nor too small for the board. Unfortunately most equipment manufactured in the United States, by commercial game manufacturers, does not meet this standard. For an example, look here.

Much better, comparably priced equipment is available from American vendors of equipment manufactured either in Asia or in accordance with Asian standards.

The four vendors listed below have published, among them, over 100 volumes of go instruction in English, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the aspiring Western player go player. Each offers a wide-ranging and unique inventory of books, equipment, software and accessories. Some sell each other's products, but each offers items available only from them. For the true go devotee, some of these publishers maintain subscriber lists, automatically shipping each new publication as soon as it is ready.

• Kiseido (USA)
  Publishes original English-language instructional material for systematic study; lots of equipment; original go art. Kiseido also operates a successful international go server.

• Samarkand
  Equipment, Books, instructional CD-ROMs and more from the author of the popular Learn to Play Go series.

• Slate and Shell
  A growing catalog of translated and original works, some especially for newer players.

• Yutopian Enterprises
  Publishes many translations of Asian go classics for all levels of play; lots of Chinese books; large software inventory; unique equipment and other items. An interesting art gallery.

A number of other producers and distributors offer books and equipment for sale, including some items not available elsewhere.

• Amazon Go Store Books and equipment on an Amazon-powered store site

• Korye Myengban: Very expensive Korean inlayed grid boards (yes, those four-to-six figure prices are in dollars)

• J.W & S. Hardy Home Page: Australian go vendor.

• Japan Go Imports: As the name suggest, high quality Japanese equipment at reasonable prices..

• The Trading Centre This British site is the only place on the web to purchase and download Michael Reiss' Go++.

• Schaak en Go Winkel het Paard: Go vendor basd in the Netherlands.

• NEMESIS Enterprises -- Produces and distributes a variety of go related products including, books, software, "Instant Go" materials, t-shirts, hats, small lightweight go boards, and NEMESIS Go Master for Windows or Macintosh.

• Yellow Mountain Imports -- Vendor of boards, stones, and bowls from Yunnan, China. Carries genuine Yunzi stones and a variety of boards made from kaya, shin kaya, and bamboo.

• Go-Mind -- The Israel Go Association's store offers a variety of books and other materials to players around the world.

• Go-gamestore.com -- Another source for double-convex yunzi (Chinese) stones and other equipment.

• Kurokigioshi -- sometimes has outstanding deals on high quality equipment.

• Algorithmic Artisan -- semi-precious go stones for the serious collector..

• Hilltopgo.com -- T-shirts with offbeat slogans like "Free the Handicap Nine!," as well as mugs, hats, etc. with go themes.

• Firebrand Chess -- A number of unique products, such as a floor board with folding legs.

• GoFigure -- Featuring unique boards and matching bowls made from beech. A German company, prices are in Euros.

• Boardgamego.com -- Canadian woodworker Carol Dufour uses unusual woods to create beautiful boards.

• Prompt Publishing -- Why not turn your refridgerator into a demo board for $30?

• Shogun's Gallery -- Specializing in antiques from China and Japan; they also sell go equipment.

• Ki Press: Vendors of Bruce Wilcox's Go Dojo, a Windows-based computer instructional program, EZ-Go: Oriental Strategy in a Nutshell and Ego, a Windows-based computer opponent. Email brucewilcox@bigfoot for more information.

• Wings Go Club has published two books in conjunction with Yi-lun Yang, . Wings also offers free downloads of other books translated into English, but not available in print.

• Prints for sale: High quality reproductions of six classic images.

• Prints and originals for sale: Go art collector and enthusiast Erwin Gerstorfer has a vast assortment of stunning original ukiyo-e and other works.

• Game-Club: A $5 CD-ROM that "plays" 13 classic board games including Go.

• MasterGo: Searchable database of 1000's of games.

• Smart Games -- Author David Fotland offers Many Faces of Go and a joseki dictionary for PDAs.

• Smart Go: Shareware that plays go, with advanced functions to record, replay, study, print book-quality diagrams and more.

If you would like to advertise on this Web site, please send e-mail to the AGA publications coordinator at (communications@usgo.org).

Other Options for Buying Stuff

To find go equipment, look for shops that specialize in Asian gifts or arts and crafts. Some games stores and quality toy stores sell low-cost go sets. Look around and ask for go, baduk, or wei ch'i (weiqi).

Go books can also be found in some Asian bookstores and newsstands, although there may be few in English. Some larger U.S. bookstores carry some go books (look near the chess books). The AGA's list of go books in English will get you started on your reading.

Go software provides a decent, and very patient, opponent for beginners. See the AGA's list of go-playing computer programs for details.