Japanese Rules
Difficulty: Beginner Keywords: Rules
Japanese rules are the rules used in Japan. Japan had no written rules until 1949. They were revised in 1989. The new rules are rather different from the old rules, but have the same effect for nearly all games. Other parts of the world have often also adopted such rules. Furthermore, sets of rules similar to those used in Japan are often casually referred to as Japanese (style) rules.
Under Japanese rules:
- Scoring is by surrounded territory plus dead or captured stones, which is called territory scoring. (See also: Japanese Counting).
- There are no points in a seki.
- Suicide is not allowed.
- Longer repetitive situations, like triple ko, can cause a game to be voided.
- Resolving disputes about life and death or protective plays depends upon hypothetical play with special ko rules.
Table of contents |
Official Rule Sets
- Current official rules for professional play in Japan:
Nihon Ki-in 1989 rules
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WAGC 1979 Rules
Commentaries
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Jasiek's Commentary on the Japanese 1989 Rules
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Verbal Japanese Rules (Robert Jasiek, 2010)
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Commentary on the New Amateur-Japanese Rules
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On the rules of Go (Ikeda Toshio, 1968-9, 1991)
Other Japanese Style Rule Sets
- Interpretation: Japanese 2003 Rules (Robert Jasiek, 2004)
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New Amateur-Japanese Rules (Robert Jasiek, 2004)
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Applicable Traditional Japanese Rules (Robert Jasiek, 2008)
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Simplified Japanese Rules (Robert Jasiek, 2008)
- Logical Japanese Rules of Go (Robert Pauli, 2002-2004)
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Ikeda Territory Rules II (Ikeda Toshio, 1968-9, 1991)
- Lasker-Maas rules (Edward Lasker, 1968?, Robert Maas, 1995)
- Spight Japanese style rules