Go board setup is almost suspiciously simple if you come from chess or Xiangqi. There is no line of pieces waiting in formation, no home row, no opening array to memorize. You begin with an empty grid, a few star points as landmarks, and black to move first. The real setup is not arranging pieces but understanding that stones go on intersections and live by liberties.
When to use this board
Use this page when you are setting up a physical board for the first time, when somebody asks where the stones start, or when a chess tutorial has left you expecting more pre-game furniture than Go actually has.
When not to
You already know the board and want tactics -> strategy or vs computer. You need capture rules explained in full -> how to play or rules.
How
- 01Start with an empty board. That is correct, not unfinished.
- 02Notice the star points as landmarks. They help orientation, but they do not carry magical rules of their own.
- 03Black places the first stone on any empty intersection. From that moment, the game is already underway.
- 04Build shape from there. In Go, setup ends almost the instant the first stone lands.
Gotchas
- There is no home row of pawns, knights, or anything else. Empty is the correct starting position.
- Diagonal contact does not connect stones. Only orthogonal neighbors share liberties.
- If you were looking for a place to buy a wooden set, that is a shopping errand, not this page.
FAQ
- Do I place all the stones on the board before the game starts, like in chess?
- No. The board starts empty. That is the correct opening position, not an unfinished one.
- What are the dots on the board actually for?
- They are star points. They help orientation and visual reference, but they are not special rule squares.
- Who moves first once the board is set?
- Black moves first.
- Once I understand the setup, where should I go to actually start playing?
- Open the home board or go straight to 9×9 if you want the smaller, easier first battlefield.