Velobici / Chinese Rules

Based upon the rules as published on the China Weiqi Association website as of 2007-04-07 14:07:00

Table of contents Section One General Provisions Article One Weiqi Equipment Article Two Placing the Stones Article Three Liberties Article Four Captured Stones (提子) Article Five Illegal Moves Article Six Whole Board Repetition Prohibited Article Seven Concluding the Game Article Eight Live and Dead Groups Article Nine Determining the Result Section Two Rules of Play Article Ten Selecting for First Move Article Eleven Compensation for First Move Article Twelve Time Measurement Article Thirteen Concluding the Game Article Fourteen Suspending Play and Sealed Moves Article Fifteen Sportsmanship Article Sixteen Privileges and Obligations of the Players Section Three Adjudication Article Seventeen Article Eighteen Removing Stones Article Nineteen Illegal Moves Article Twenty Whole Board Repetition Prohibited Article Twenty-One Concluding the Game Article Twenty-Two Sealed Moves Article Twenty-Three Time Measurement Article Twenty-Four Sportsmanship Article Twenty-Five Other Matters Section Four Norms of Matches and Tournaments Article Twenty-Six Type of Matches and Tournaments Article Twenty-Seven Norms of Matches and Tournaments Article Twenty-Eight Computing Grades Article Twenty-Nine Withdrawing from Competion Section Five Conducting Matches and Tournaments and Sundry Matters Article Thirty Conducting Matches and Tournaments Article Thirty-One Article Thiry-Two Duties of the Referee Article Thirty-Three Match and Tournament Equipment Article Thrity-Four

Section One General Provisions

Article One Weiqi Equipment

1. Weiqi Board The board's surface has nineteen equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines, these parallel lines intersect perpendicularly, forming 361 intersections (hereinafter referred to as "points"). On the board's surface, nine points are marked with small circles, known as "star points". The center star point is also known as Tianyuan.
2. Weiqi Stones The stones are divided into two colors: black and white. The stones are of uniform, oblate shape. The proper quantity of black and white stones is 180 each.

Article Two Placing the Stones

1. Each of the players (opposing sides) hold one color of stones. Black plays first, followed by White, each playing only one stone at a time.
2. Stones are placed on the points (intersections) on the board.
3. Once placed, stones must not be moved.
4. The privilege to place a stones alternates, but each side may forego this privilege (pass).

Article Three Liberties

1. Those empty points adjacent to single stones on the board are that stone's liberties. Stones adjacent along a straight line to another stone of the same color form a single, indivisible, mutually interconnected chain. The liberties of such a chain are shared by all members of the chain. Stones adjacent along a straight line to a stone of the opposite color do not have a liberty at the point of the opposite color stone. If all the liberties are occupied by the opposing side, a condition of "no liberties" arises. Stones in a state of "no liberties" can not remain on the board.

Article Four Captured Stones (提子)

When a chain enters the state of "no liberties", the chain is called "captured stones" (提子). There are two cases:

1. After a play, should the opposing side's chain enter a state of "no liberties", the chain without liberties are picked up immediately.
2. After a play, should both chains belonging to both sides enter a state of "no liberties", the chain belonging to the opponent of the last played stone is picked up immediately.

Article Five Illegal Moves

Play on any point on the board, such that the played stone immediately enters a state of "no liberties", which at the same time that play does not remove an opposing chain of stones from the board, is an illegal move.

Article Six Whole Board Repetition Prohibited

Repeating a previous position on the board is prohibited (禁止全局同形再现).

Article Seven Concluding the Game

1. The game concludes when both sides agree that play has ended.
2. One side concedes defeat during the course of the game.

Article Eight Live and Dead Groups

Once play has concluded, chains whose capture can not be prevented are dead. Once play has concluded, chains that can not be captured are alive.

Article Nine Determining the Result

Once play has concluded, the result shall be determined by area scoring. First, the dead stones of both sides are cleared from the board, then the live chains, composed of live stones and the area they surround, of one side are counted. Empty points between live chains of opposing sides are counted as one-half for each side. Each empty point is equal to one stone. The standard value for determining the result is 180 and 1/2 points. The side whose count exceeds this standard value is the winner. The side whose count is less than this standard value is the loser. Should the count be equal for the two sides, the result is a draw. The result of game played with a handicap is specified in another rule.

Section Two Rules of Play

Article Ten Selecting for First Move

Determining which player has the first move will be done either by drawing lots or by nigiri.

Article Eleven Compensation for First Move

In official national competitions, to offset Black's advantage in moving first, at the conclusion of the game Black must compensate White by 2 and 3/4 points.

Article Twelve Time Measurement

Article Thirteen Concluding the Game

Article Fourteen Suspending Play and Sealed Moves

Article Fifteen Sportsmanship

Article Sixteen Privileges and Obligations of the Players

Section Three Adjudication

Article Seventeen

Article Eighteen Removing Stones

Article Nineteen Illegal Moves

Article Twenty Whole Board Repetition Prohibited

Article Twenty-One Concluding the Game

Article Twenty-Two Sealed Moves

Article Twenty-Three Time Measurement

Article Twenty-Four Sportsmanship

Article Twenty-Five Other Matters

Section Four Norms of Matches and Tournaments

Article Twenty-Six Type of Matches and Tournaments

Article Twenty-Seven Norms of Matches and Tournaments

Article Twenty-Eight Computing Grades

Article Twenty-Nine Withdrawing from Competion

Section Five Conducting Matches and Tournaments and Sundry Matters

Article Thirty Conducting Matches and Tournaments

Article Thirty-One

Article Thiry-Two Duties of the Referee

Article Thirty-Three Match and Tournament Equipment

1. Weiqi Board Standard shape shall be a rectangle, composed of horizontal lines equally spaced from 2.25 to 2.35 centimeters apart and vertical lines equally spaced from 2.4 to 2.5 centimeters apart, with an outer margin of 2 centimeters.
2. Weiqi Stones Standard diameter shall be from 2.2 to 2.3 centimeters; thickness of the stones shall not exceed 1 centimeter.
3. Time Clock The time clock shall have two clock faces, two push buttons capable of setting one clock running and the other stopped or both clocks stopped at the same time.
4. Overtime In general a stopwatch(?) shall be employed. For grass-root competitions, a wristwatch may be substituted.

Article Thrity-Four

The People's Republic of China Sport and Physical Culture Commission provides the authoritative interpretation of these rules and regulations.