# Go - Where can I buy a board? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469 "2003-10-14T23:24:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oktberfest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@Oktberfest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oktberfest)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/1 "2003-10-14T23:24:22Z")
Does anybody know where I can buy a Go board? The only stores I know that sell games around here are Toys R Us, Walmart, and K-Mart. The workers at Toys R Us and K-Mart didn’t even know what it was. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/2 "2003-10-15T00:40:51Z")
Look online or go to a game store not a toy store. ---
**Author:** ![lucky\_henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@lucky\_henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucky_henry)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/3 "2003-10-15T00:42:57Z")
Or you can buy a Pente board and some extra peices. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/4 "2003-10-15T00:44:54Z")
[Here you go.](http://www.zooscape.com/cgi-bin/maitred/YellowLoop?quest=t120198&r=01) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/5 "2003-10-15T00:52:58Z")
I got mine from The Gameskeeper at the local mall. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone to play it with or teach me how to. (I suppose I could read the instructions, eh?) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/6 "2003-10-15T00:55:51Z")
Well, first you put a piece down. Then the other guy puts a piece down. Play continues until one of you wins or you die from sheer boredom. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/7 "2003-10-15T01:20:59Z")
**Johnny L.A.** : there are various Go tutorials online, and you can get a free software client to play others on the Internet Go server. See [Harry Fearnley’s Go Page](http://www.goban.demon.co.uk/go/main.html) for more details. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/8 "2003-10-15T01:27:12Z")
[Yahoo! Games](http://games.yahoo.com/games/login2?page=go) also has Go. One of the rooms is called The Hamster Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Oktberfest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@Oktberfest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oktberfest)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/9 "2003-10-15T01:42:58Z")
Thanks, especially to Q.E.D. Does anybody know how hard this game is to learn? I have heard it is much harder than chess. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/10 "2003-10-15T03:20:11Z")
I was going to comment that Game Keeper had them. I worked at Georgia (US) Game Keepers for two holiday seasons, but they both closed. Game stores, while not that common do exist. If you cant find one in the mall, check a strip center. Also, a Hobby shop or a Larger comic book shop _might_ carry one or two. You also could luck up, and find one in a Book Store… you might have to buy a GO book to get it… but if it comes to this, it is an option. Klutz Books has a board game book with 15 games included, a Non conventional (Smaller) Go board is included. For those who dont know the game, its a 19 x 19 board, like a chessboard, but all the squares are the same color. Also pieces are placed on intersections, and not the “spaces” (in the chess/checker sense) Players capture their opponents pieces after they are more or less surounded and the pieces have no “breathing room”. Situations can occur for surprise moves (like discovered check) but mostly a special rule “Ko” prevents most circular play. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/11 "2003-10-15T03:25:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oktberfest \* > \*\*Thanks, especially to Q.E.D. > > Does anybody know how hard this game is to learn? I have heard it is much harder than chess. \*\* I’ve not played in years, but it’s one of those games that takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. The rules are rather simple, you should have no trouble learning them quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/12 "2003-10-15T04:16:17Z")
**Oktberfest** wrote > [@](#): > > Does anybody know how hard this game is to learn? I have heard it is much harder than chess. What **Q.E.D.** said. You can be playing in a half hour or less. One of the cool things about Go is that there is a handicapping system that allows two people of very different levels to play and have a very even match. So you can find someone online who is much better and from the offset play games where you both win around 50% of the time. You may want to start off playing on a 9x9 board; the games are much quicker. Strategy’s a bit different from the bigger boards though. Go is one of the coolest games in the world, but unfortunately in the U.S., there are very few people who know it. You can usually find local clubs, but it’s not like chess where everyone you know has at least heard of it, and you probably already know 10 or 20 people who play it. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/13 "2003-10-15T04:22:12Z")
First off, just completely ignore asterion’s comment. Next, you can get a passable board and pieces at some bookstores. If you happen to live in an area with a Chinatown, Japantown, or Koreatown, go to the bookstores, stationery stores, or corner groceries there and get yourself one. The set I’m using at the moment has Paduk (Korean name for Go) and Chang-gi (Korean Chess) on the other. I got it just a couple of months under three years ago and have no problem with it. As to learning the game: It’s quite easy to learn the rules of the game & the basic mechanics of placing the pieces on the board, removing captured or dead pieces, etc. What’s difficult is learning to play well. One place to begin is [Sensei’s Library](http://senseis.xmp.net/?FirstMoves). If you’re looking for information on Go in America, check out the American Go Association. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/14 "2003-10-15T07:14:51Z")
BTW, if you want, here’s a 9x9 board I drew a while back: [http://www.quoke.com/Go\_Board\_9x9.jpg](http://www.quoke.com/Go_Board_9x9.jpg) I printed it out on card stock, folded it in half and kept it in my jacket pocket. It’s the right size to play with pennies and dimes, but the regular black and white stones are a bit nicer. ---
**Author:** ![Oktberfest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@Oktberfest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oktberfest)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/15 "2003-10-15T07:17:56Z")
Should I read up on the game or just start playing to learn? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/16 "2003-10-15T07:34:16Z")
Just jump in! You can find the rules many places; here’s one good one: [http://playgo.to/interactive/welcome.html](http://playgo.to/interactive/welcome.html) (I should mention that there actually are several different rule sets, but they’re all very similar.) ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/17 "2003-10-15T12:46:03Z")
Ishi Press has lots of boards, from starter sets to traditional boards costing hundreds of dollars (but they look very nice!) Also lots of books, but I agree with Bill H. - just jump in! [http://ishigames.com/go.htm](http://ishigames.com/go.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/18 "2003-10-16T06:08:50Z")
Wonder if he plays Go with the same vitriol he displays for his other competitive interests. There was an old SNL skit where two players are playing chess in the middle of a basketball court while the coach (was it Bill Murray?) runs around yelling at them. “Pawn to Rook 4! Pawn to Rook 4!!” he screams as he throws a chair across the floor Bobby Knight style. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-where-can-i-buy-a-board/207469/19 "2003-10-16T13:22:55Z")
IMHO the rules are simpler, but harder to understand, if that makes sense. But if you get the very basics and find someone to play with you should be able to get started ok. I had a problem finding a board locally; eventually I came across one in a board, roleplaying, and puzzle games shop near here. If I’d been serious about it I’d have looked online.