Mochi GoLearn Go by playing, for free
Go has been played for more than 2,500 years, and its rules fit in a minute. Try it below, then carry on with Mochi: 55 lessons where you place your stone from the very first screen.
Play nowFree, no ads. No account: your first game starts right away.
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.
The rules of Go in 5 points
- Black and White take turns placing one stone on a point of the board. Black plays first. Once placed, a stone never moves.
- The empty points next to a stone are its liberties (up, down, left, right). Stones of the same color that touch form a group and share their liberties.
- A group with no liberties is captured and removed from the board. With only one liberty left, it is in atari. You can’t play where your stone would have no liberties, unless it captures.
- Ko: no immediate recapture. If a stone has just captured a single stone, the other player can’t take it back right away: they must play elsewhere first.
- When both players pass, you count. Each player scores their territory (the empty points they surround) plus their prisoners. White gets komi, usually 6.5 points, because Black played first. The higher total wins.
Why learn Go?
- Simple rules, endless depth. Every stone is the same: no pieces to learn. Yet you keep finding new ideas for a lifetime.
- No luck. No dice, no hidden cards: everything is on the board.
- Play together at any level. With handicap stones placed in advance, a beginner and a strong player can have a real game.
- A game with history. Born in China more than 2,500 years ago and played in Japan and Korea for centuries, it long resisted artificial intelligence: AlphaGo only beat champion Lee Sedol in 2016.
- Do you play chess? You’ll find reading and strategy again, in a game that builds up stone by stone instead of emptying out.
What you get in Mochi Go
- 55 lessons with Mochi. You place your stone from the very first screen. Every Go word (atari, ko, komi) is explained when it first comes up.
- Over 100 puzzles, each solution checked against every defense, and a Daily Go: the same challenge for everyone.
- 9 illustrated opponents, from Pomme (20 kyu, a beginner) to Sensei (1 dan, a strong amateur). For your first 3 games, komi drops to 0.5: your first win is within reach.
- A Go AI on your device. The strong opponents are played by KataGo, an open-source AI. Once downloaded, it even works offline.
- An honest review. After the game, it goes straight to the move that cost you the most, and you replay it.
- For everyone. Playable with a keyboard and a screen reader, in dark or light mode.
Frequently asked questions
What is Go?
A strategy game born in China more than 2,500 years ago. Two players take turns placing black and white stones on a board to surround the most territory. The rules fit in a minute, but you can play it all your life.
Is Go hard to learn?
The rules are simple: place, surround, capture. The hard part is knowing where to play, and you learn that by playing. In Mochi Go, your first game is on a small 9 × 9 board, against Pomme, who is a beginner too.
Is Mochi Go free?
Yes. Lessons, puzzles, the Daily Go and games against the opponents are free, with no ads.
Do I need an account?
No. You can play right away. An account only lets you keep your progress on another device.
Which devices can I play on?
In the browser of your phone, tablet or computer. You can also add it to your home screen, like an app.
Ready to place your first stone?
Play nowFree, no ads. No account: your first game starts right away.