This page is for people who have heard of GO but have never really played it and would like some guidance on how to begin. On this page you will find a freeware GO tutor, books for beginners, and some inexpensive go sets to get you started.

To learn the basic rules of the game and how to play, a good first book is The Magic of Go from Ishi Press or In the Beginning from Kiseido or Learn to Play Go, Volume 1 from Good Move Press. After you have mastered the rules and wish to begin learning more about the tactics and strategies of the game we recommend the book The Second Book of Go or Learn to Play Go, Volume 2. In GO the standard board is 19x19, at the beginning, however, you may prefer to use a 13x13 board, as the games are fastest and you can gain more experience of the many aspects of the game more quickly.

If you have an IBM PC you can download IGO, a beginners tutorial that will also play against you. IGO is provided for free by David Flotland the developer of Many Faces of Go.

In addition we provide together several beginners kits: