Go (board game)

Go is a board game played by two players. It is also refered to as Weiqi in Chinese (圍棋; 围棋), Baduk in Korea (바둑) and Igo or Go in Japanese (囲碁; 碁). Go is the worlds oldest game that is played in its original form, with a documented history of over 2.500 years.

Character

Go is played on a flat board with a grid of 19x19 intersections. Two sets of white and black stones are used. The game is played in turns and unlike Chess, black makes the first move in go. Each stone is placed on an intersection and the goal is to capture more territory than the oponent. Go is one of the most complex games in the world, far outweighing games such as chess.

Major Titles

There are 7 major go titles in Japan. The record for winning the most titles over the years is held by Japanese professional Cho Chikun, who has won 71 titles.

Tournament	Prize money	Current title holder
Judan		Cho Chikun
Tengen		Kono Rin
Oza		Yamashita Keigo
Meijin		Takao Shinji
Gosei		Cho U
Honinbo		Takao Shinji
Kisei		Yamashita Keigo

(last updated 2007-06-27)