A Beginner's Glossary of Baduk (Go) Terms

Tap a term to see what it means.

Stones

The black and white playing pieces used in Baduk, placed one at a time on the intersections of the board's grid lines rather than within the squares themselves.

Liberties

The empty adjacent points directly connected to a stone or group of stones — a stone or group is captured and removed from the board once it has no liberties remaining.

Territory

The empty area of the board effectively surrounded and controlled by one player's stones, which counts toward that player's final score at the end of the game.

Atari

A term used to describe a stone or group of stones that has only one liberty remaining, meaning it will be captured on the opponent's very next move unless defended.

Ko

A specific repeating capture situation where a single stone could otherwise be captured back and forth indefinitely; a special rule prevents a player from immediately recapturing in the exact same position.

Joseki

A sequence of established, well-studied opening moves, typically played in a corner of the board, that is generally considered to result in a locally balanced or fair outcome for both players.

Komi

A points handicap given to the player using white stones to compensate for the inherent advantage of black moving first, since black would otherwise have a meaningful strategic edge.

A deceptively simple game with extraordinary depth

Despite its remarkably simple core rules — alternately placing stones to surround territory and capture opponent stones — Baduk is widely considered one of the most strategically complex games ever devised, with more possible board positions than there are atoms in the observable universe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the actual objective of the game?

The basic objective is to control more total territory (empty board area plus captured stones) than your opponent by the time the game ends, which occurs when both players agree that no further beneficial moves remain to be made.

Is Baduk the same game as Go?

"Baduk" is the Korean name for the game, while "Go" is the more commonly used name internationally, derived from the Japanese term for the game — all three names (Baduk, Go, and the Chinese "Weiqi") refer to essentially the same ancient board game.