Short lesson 1 - Nine fundamental principles of Go

The rules of Go describe the aim of the game (controlling more than half of the board), the board itself, the pieces, making moves, connecting along the lines, capture and ko.

Some aspects of the game, for example two eyes, seki are also considered rules by many but they are a logical extension of the rules. Making two eyes to make a group safe is not a rule, it is derived from players alternating moves and stones with no liberties being removed from the board.

The rules of the game give no clue as to how you achieve the aim of the game – that aspect is up to the player to decide. There are some simple concepts that can help guide a person, but the application of the concepts and the exact moves are an individual choice. This short lesson is about nine principles of Go, explains how you can improve and has some exercises for you to try.