Go beginner strategy for 9×9 games

Go rewards patient shape and good judgement about which stones are safe. This guide follows the territory-scoring game on our Go rules page, using a 9×9 board.

Count liberties

Most tactics come down to liberties. A string with one liberty is in atari. Before every move, check whether your strings are safe and whether any of your opponent’s strings are close to capture.

Stay connected

Two stones that are connected share liberties and are harder to capture. If your opponent can cut between two stones, ask which one you would save. Try to leave shapes with a solid connection instead of a gap.

Build eyes

A group with two separate eyes is alive. A group with one eye can be captured. On a small board you win or lose a lot on life and death, so:

• Make room for two eyes before you play elsewhere.
• Do not fill your own eye. A single-point eye is one of your two lives.
• Attack a group by reducing its space and eye room.

Territory and the board

On a 9×9 board, the centre and the points near the corners matter. Playing right at the edge gives little territory. Play moves that both take space and are hard to attack.

Do not overplay

Answering every move can be slow, but ignoring a real threat can lose a large group. A forcing move is sente. Use forcing moves to gain something, not automatically.

Komi and counting

White receives 7.5 komi in this version. Count before the end, not only your own area but the komi. A game that feels close on the board may already be decided.

Learn from your games

Play many 9×9 games. Review where a group died and why. After you are comfortable on 9×9, move to 13×13 and then 19×19. The rules stay the same.