Mochi GoYou play chess? Try Go
You already know how to calculate a few moves ahead. In Go you keep that habit, with much shorter rules. Here is what feels familiar, what changes, and where to start.
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What feels like chess
- Two players, no luck. No dice, no hidden cards: everything is on the board.
- Calculation. You read sequences of moves in your head, like a combination.
- Known sequences and puzzles. Joseki are known sequences of moves in a corner. Go puzzles (tsumego) are trained like chess puzzles.
- Ranks. Instead of Elo, Go uses kyu, then dan. Beginners start around 30 kyu: the smaller the number, the stronger you are.
- Resigning. When a game is lost, you resign, as in chess.
What changes
- You place, you don’t move. On your turn, you place a stone on an empty point. It never moves again.
- All stones are equal. No king, no queen, no knight: no moves to learn.
- The board fills up. In chess it empties as pieces are taken. In Go it fills up, stone by stone.
- No checkmate: you count. You win by surrounding more territory than your opponent. You capture a group by taking away all its liberties, the empty points touching it.
- Black plays first. To make up for it, White gets points, called komi: usually 6.5. The half point avoids ties.
- Several fights at once. You can leave a fight to play elsewhere: that’s tenuki.
- You can pass. When both players pass one after the other, the game stops and you count.
Try it: capture a stone
Three tiny challenges to get the idea of Go. You play Black: tap a point on the board to place your stone.
The white stone on E5 has only one liberty left: the point E4, circled with a dashed line. If Black plays E4, it has no liberty at all. It is captured and leaves the board.
Where to start
- Learn to capture. A group with no liberties is taken. The demo on this page shows you in three challenges.
- Play on a small board. On 9 × 9, a game lasts a few minutes. Then move on to 13 × 13, and to 19 × 19.
- Learn to make a group live. A group with two real eyes can’t be captured. That’s the second big idea of Go.
- Play lots of short games. You’ll lose the first ones: that’s normal. Each game teaches you where to play.
- Solve one puzzle a day. Like chess tactics. In Mochi Go, that’s the Daily Go.
Played a little Go before? In the app, “I already know how to play” places you with 3 puzzles.
What you get in Mochi Go
- 55 lessons with Mochi. You place your stone from the very first screen. Every Go word is explained when it first comes up.
- 9 opponents, from Pomme (20 kyu, a beginner) to Sensei (1 dan). You start against Pomme, on a small board.
- Over 100 puzzles and a Daily Go: the same challenge for everyone.
- An honest review. After the game, it goes straight to the move that cost you the most, and you replay it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Go harder than chess?
The rules are shorter: place, surround, capture. The game is just as deep. AlphaGo only beat champion Lee Sedol in 2016.
Is there a checkmate in Go?
No. In Go you win on points: the territory you surround, plus your prisoners. You can also resign at any time.
How long does a game last?
On a 9 × 9 board, a few minutes. A full game on 19 × 19 takes much longer.
Who plays first in Go?
Black. White gets komi, usually 6.5 points, to make up for it.
Is Mochi Go free?
Yes. Lessons, puzzles, the Daily Go and games against the opponents are free, with no ads.
Ready to place your first stone?
Play nowFree, no ads. No account: your first game starts right away.