Go 101: From the rules to your first 9×9 game
Go for anyone 10 and over, from scratch: liberties and capturing, ko, ladders and nets, eyes, life and death, counting, until you play a whole 9×9 game against the practice computer and count it yourself. Every lesson trains a named thinking habit: count before you fight, read ahead, look at the whole board, know when it is settled. Most steps are exercises on the board itself.
- Beginner
- About 8 hours
- 11 sections
- 44 lessons
The course opens in batches, each with a limited number of free seats. You take your seat in the Academy, signing in with Google or GitHub.
Included in the membership · See plans
Course outline
Section 1
Getting started
Where are you now?
Check · 10 min
What this course trains
Lesson · 5 min
Using the board on screen
Lesson · 5 min
Section 2
Chapter 1: Board, stones and liberties
The board and the stones
Lesson · 15 min
Chains
Lesson · 15 min
Counting practice
Practice · 10 min
Looking back at chapter 1
Lesson · 3 min
Section 3
Chapter 2: Capturing
Atari and capture
Lesson · 15 min
Escaping atari
Lesson · 20 min
Capture Go
Practice · 20 min
Capturing practice
Practice · 10 min
Looking back at chapter 2
Lesson · 3 min
Section 4
Chapter 3: Forbidden points and ko
Forbidden points
Lesson · 12 min
Snapback
Lesson · 15 min
Ko
Lesson · 15 min
Forbidden points and snapback practice
Practice · 12 min
Looking back at chapter 3
Lesson · 3 min
Section 5
Chapter 4: Ladders and nets
The ladder: a chase down the stairs
Lesson · 18 min
The ladder breaker
Lesson · 12 min
The net
Lesson · 14 min
Practice: read before you chase
Practice · 12 min
Section 6
Chapter 5: Eyes, life and death
Two eyes live
Lesson · 10 min
False eyes
Lesson · 12 min
Eye shapes and the vital point
Lesson · 20 min
Practice: alive or dead?
Practice · 16 min
Section 7
Chapter 6: Territory and counting
When is the game over?
Lesson · 10 min
Counting by area
Lesson · 15 min
Komi and the 9 × 9 game
Lesson · 20 min
Practice: who wins?
Practice · 12 min
Section 8
Chapter 7: Capturing races and seki
What is a capturing race?
Lesson · 10 min
Outside liberties first, shared ones last
Practice · 15 min
Seki: both sides live
Lesson · 15 min
Count, then fight
Practice · 15 min
Section 9
Chapter 8: Your first whole 9 × 9 game
Starting a game
Lesson · 10 min
Connect or cut, urgent or big
Practice · 15 min
Watch a whole game
Lesson · 20 min
Your first 9 × 9 game
Practice · 25 min
A few more games
Practice · 30 min
How far have you come?
Check · 10 min
Section 10
Chapter 9 (optional): Bigger boards and the AI story
13 × 13 and 19 × 19
Lesson · 15 min
Handicaps, kyu and dan
Lesson · 10 min
A short history and the AlphaGo story
Lesson · 10 min
Why other books count differently
Lesson · 8 min
Looking back
Practice · 5 min
Section 11
Final exam
Final exam
Quiz · 30 min
After the exam
Lesson · 5 min