Go: The Basics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Weiqi

Weiqi, or in direct translation, the surrounding game, was invented before the 4th century BC; the first recorded work mentioning the game dates from then. Some say the game was invented by an emperor in the 23rd century BC! The incorrect choices were Chinese chess, Poker, and Ice Hockey.

Answer: False

The black side always gets to make the first move in Go. It is said that this came about because the higher rated player between the two gets to play with white stones, and the higher rated player should always give the advantage of playing first to the inferior player.

Answer: Running your fingers through the bowl of unplaced stones

The most disrespectful thing to the opposite player during the course of a Go match is to make unnecessary noises. One should not fiddle with the stones in the bowl, clink stones together, place them hard on the board, or drop them on the floor. Stones should be gripped in a certain way and placed gently on the table with just a small click.

Answer: Breaths

In English, breaths are usually called liberties, a translation of the Japanese term. An isolated stone has 4 breaths, and by placing a same colored stone on a breath of another, you can increase the number of breaths your chain has, and therefore increase the difficulty of capture.

Answer: When capturing -- It is another name for taking opponent's stones off the board

To eat your opponents stones is when you have deprived your opponents stones of all of their breaths. When this happens you take your opponents stones off the board and they are said to have been eaten. Only territory counts for scoring under Chinese rules.

Answer: Eyes

Basically a mass of stones cannot be captured if they have two eyes. This gives the entire mass of stones two breaths; each of the eyes. Since the opposite color cannot play inside the eye without committing suicide, that player may not ever close all the breaths of those stones.

Answer: Black eats one white, white replays the just eaten stone to re-eat the black.

A jie occurs when one color's stone has only one remaining breath, but, by capturing that stone, the attacker leaves that attacking stone with also only one breath, the same spot as the recently captured stone. Jie rules prevent the defending player from recapturing on the same turn, however he may recapture on a subsequent turn.

Answer: True

Dead stones are stones still on the board, but have only one breath or are otherwise ensured to be captured. The player who has killed a group of stones may decide not to eat the dead stones, knowing that a move elsewhere would be more beneficial to territory, and there is no way that the opposing player can save those stones.

Answer: Nothing

Chinese scoring is slightly different from Japanese scoring. In Chinese scoring, captured stones do not have any outcome on the game, aside from giving you more territory on the board. The winner of the game may have lost more stones, as he sacrificed stones for board positioning. Japanese scoring does count captured stones (but not your own stones on the board) and open territory you control.

The two scoring methods usually either yield the same differential between white and black scores or differ by only one point.

Answer: Black and white both pass their turns

Both players can choose to pass on any turn, but to end the game the players must pass in consecutive terms. After that, the score is counted. Most games, however, end with a surrender once it is obvious who has the upper hand.