First games

Are you ready to play your first game or have you played a game or two at the club and now you're ready for a few games to build some muscle memory with surrounding and capturing. This is the right place to find a game or two or three or more.

A bit of advice before you dive in. There is a Go proverb that goes something like "Lose your first 100 games as fast as you can." Each loss will teach you something. When you lose, ask your opponent for ideas of what to try next time, especially if they are stronger than you. Of course, you can learn when winning, too. The point of the proverb is to not fear losing games.

Below you'll find a link to a server where you can play free 9x9 games against different strength AI opponents. (Sadly the AI won't tell you what to do better, but it does offer a willing opponent 24x7. Play a bunch of 9x9 games here until you feel like you're getting the hang of it. Eventually, you can move on to playing on larger boards against both human and AI opponents. In the near future you'll be able to find many places to play online on our "Playing online" page. Until that page is ready, this will keep you busy as you get familiar with the basics.

Have a game on playgo.to

On Playgo.to, you can play an AI named Cosumi on a variety of board sizes and AI strengths. Start with 9x9 games with a level zero AI and go from there.

Don't worry if it takes a while to win a few games. Play slow enough that you are making the best moves you know how to make. Avoid overthinking each move. Generally it doesn't get you any further than playing your best move or the moment and learning from your mistake. However, do avoid responding too quickly to the computers moves.

Note: this site works well on a computer or tablet, but not on many smart phones. For smart phone play, see below.

Have a game on Go Quest Online

For free smart phone play, you can use Go Quest Online, which features games on a variety of board sizes against both human and AI opponents, suitable for new players.

Go Quest Online is available for both iOS and Android devices: