Hinoki Go
Go, solo or with a friendPlay with a friend
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Game information
- Players
- Alone, or with a friend through a room link
- Category
- Board & Card
- Controls
- Touch, mouse, keyboard
- Languages
- 20 languages
- Price
- Free
- Played
- 1 time
About Hinoki Go
The board is a plank of hinoki cypress with lines cut by hand, the black stones are slate and the white ones are shell. Three hundred and sixty-one points, two colours, and a game that has been played for more than two thousand years.
Go (baduk, weiqi) on 9x9, 13x13 and 19x19 against five computer levels or a friend, with Capture Go for beginners and 35 life-and-death problems.
How to play Hinoki Go
Pick Match, Capture Go or Problems on the title screen, then press Play. Players take turns placing a stone on an empty point; Black moves first. A stone or a connected group with no empty point next to it is captured and taken off. A move that leaves your own group with no liberty is not allowed unless it captures, and in a ko you may not take back a single stone at once. Two passes in a row end the game: tap any group you consider dead, then press Accept. Japanese rules count your surrounded points plus prisoners; Chinese rules count your stones plus surrounded points. White gets komi for moving second. In Match choose the board size, a level from 1 Novice to 5 Master, your colour, the rules and a handicap of up to nine stones. Undo, Hint and the Territory view (who each point is heading to) help you learn. Capture Go ends at the first capture, or at three or five. Problems are corner positions where you must capture, kill or make life against the best defence; a wrong move is shown and taken back. To play a friend, choose Play with a friend, pick the board and rules and send the link.
Controls
- Touch
- Touch the board and slide to the point you want, then lift your finger to place the stone.
- Mouse
- Point at an intersection to see the stone, then click to place it.
- Keyboard
- Arrow keys move the cursor on the board and Enter places a stone; Tab reaches the buttons.
Features
Faithful rules
Captures, ko and the suicide rule, pass and agreement on dead stones, Japanese territory scoring with komi 6.5 and Chinese area scoring with komi 7.5, plus up to nine handicap stones.
Three board sizes, five levels
Play 9x9, 13x13 or 19x19 against the computer from level 1 Novice to 5 Master, as Black or White.
Territory view
Turn it on and every point shows whose territory it is heading to, with an estimate of who is ahead. Groups in atari get a ring.
Capture Go for beginners
The first player to capture one, three or five stones wins: the quickest way to learn liberties and atari.
Life-and-death problems
35 corner problems in five chapters, from first captures to killing shapes, making life and capturing races, with a new daily problem for everyone.
Play a friend online
Create a game, pick the board and rules and send the link. Both players mark the dead stones and accept the count together.
Tips
- Corners are the easiest places to make territory, then the sides, then the centre: start your first moves near the corners.
- A group needs two separate eyes to live for good; if your opponent can fill your only eye, your group is lost.
- Count liberties before you start a fight: the group with more liberties usually wins a capturing race.
- When a group of yours is in atari, running away only helps if the new stone gains liberties; otherwise give up the stones and play elsewhere.
- Before passing, look for points between your stones and your opponent's that are still open: under Chinese rules each one is worth a point.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Go?
Players take turns placing stones on empty points. A stone or group with no empty point next to it is captured. The game ends after two passes in a row, and the player who surrounds more of the board wins; White receives komi for moving second.
Which rules does Hinoki Go use?
You choose. Japanese rules count surrounded points plus prisoners with komi 6.5; Chinese rules count stones plus surrounded points with komi 7.5 and forbid repeating any earlier position.
How are dead stones handled at the end?
After two passes the game marks the stones it thinks are dead. Tap a group to change it, then press Accept. If the computer or your friend sees a group differently, choose Play on and settle it on the board.
I have never played Go. Where do I start?
Start with Capture Go on level 1, then the first chapter of problems. Turn on the Territory view in a 9x9 match to see whose area each point is becoming.
Does Hinoki Go save my progress?
Yes, solved problems and records save on this device. To move them to another phone or computer, use Sync devices, no account needed.
Can I play Go with a friend online?
Yes. Choose Play with a friend, pick 9x9, 13x13 or 19x19 and the rules, create a game and send the link. Undo, hints and the Territory view are off, and you can resign.
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