Go scoring: how to count a finished game

This guide explains how to count the end of a game under the rules on our Go rules page: territory scoring with pass stones and 7.5 komi for White.

Step 1: Finish the game

The game ends after two consecutive passes. Players then agree which groups are dead. Dead stones are removed and become prisoners of the player who would have captured them. If you disagree, resume play; capturing the disputed stones settles their status.

White must make the final move. If Black passed last, White passes once more and gives a pass stone.

Step 2: Count each side

A player’s score is:

• the empty points surrounded only by their live stones (territory), plus
• all their prisoners, including dead stones removed at the end and any pass stones they received.

Neutral points (dame) touch both players’ live stones and count for neither. In this version, empty points in a seki that are surrounded only by one player’s stones count for them.

Step 3: Add komi

White adds 7.5 points. The half point means there are no draws. The higher total wins.

Worked example

On a 9×9 board, the game ends and the dead stones are removed.

	Territory	Prisoners	Komi	Total
Black	20	4	0	24
White	17	3	7.5	27.5

White wins by 3.5 points.

Why pass stones matter

Passing gives your opponent a prisoner, so a pass is not free. This makes territory scoring give the same winner as area scoring in most positions: a stone played inside your own territory costs you one point of territory either way, and a pass costs you one point through the pass stone.

Other counting systems

• Chinese scoring counts stones on the board plus surrounded empty points (area) and uses 7.5 komi.
• Japanese scoring counts territory plus captures with 6.5 komi. Seki points are not counted.
• Korean scoring counts like Japanese scoring.

The systems usually agree on the winner and differ in edge cases. Say which one you use before you start.

Handicap games

No komi is paid in a handicap game. Black has the handicap stones, White plays first, and the count is otherwise the same.

Common counting mistakes

• Counting dame. Neutral points score for neither side.
• Forgetting komi. White must add 7.5.
• Missing prisoners from dead stones. Remove dead stones and add them to the capturer’s prisoners.
• Forgetting pass stones. Each pass gives the opponent one prisoner.
• Counting unsettled areas. Territory must be fully surrounded by live stones.