Mochi GoLoved Hikaru no Go? Play for real
Hikaru learns Go with Sai, a ghost. You have Mochi, a little coach cat. The rules fit in a minute, and you place your first stone right away.
Play nowFree, no ads. No account: your first game starts right away.
The series in short
Hikaru no Go is a manga by Yumi Hotta (story) and Takeshi Obata (art), published from 1998 to 2003, then a 75-episode anime. Hikaru, aged 12, finds an old goban at his grandfather’s house. Sai lives in it: the spirit of a Go player from the Heian era, who still wants to play. The games in the series were supervised by a professional player, Yukari Umezawa.
In Japan, the series made many children want to play. Good news: the rules are much simpler than they look on screen.
What you see in the series, explained
- The goban: the board, 19 × 19 lines. Stones go on the points where lines cross, not in the squares.
- The stones: Black and White take turns placing one stone. Black plays first. Once placed, a stone never moves.
- Nigiri: before the game, one player takes a handful of white stones, the other guesses odd or even. That’s how you draw lots for who plays Black.
- Komi: the points given to White because Black plays first.
- Resigning: a player who knows they’ve lost resigns. It happens a lot in the series, and among pros.
- Ranks: kyu for beginners, then dan. Professionals have their own dan ranks.
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.
To play like Hikaru, start small
- Learn to capture. A group with no liberties is taken. The demo on this page shows you in three challenges.
- Play on 9 × 9. A game lasts a few minutes. The 19 × 19 of the series comes later.
- Learn to make a group live. With two real eyes, a group can’t be captured.
- Play an opponent at your level. Losing at first is normal. Hikaru started by losing too.
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.
Mochi Go has no link with the series, its authors or its publishers.
Frequently asked questions
Are the rules of Go hard?
No. Place, surround, capture: they fit in a minute. The hard part is knowing where to play, and you learn that by playing.
Can I play on 19 × 19, like in the series?
Yes. Start on 9 × 9 to learn fast, then move on to 13 × 13 and 19 × 19.
What is nigiri?
How Go players draw lots: one player takes a handful of white stones, the other guesses odd or even to decide who plays Black.
Do I need to have seen the series?
No. Mochi Go starts from zero: your first lesson starts with placing a stone.
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.