Other Games That Can Be Played Using Go Equipment

Gomoku

Played on a 19*19 or 13*13 board.

Connect 6

A more even version of Gomoku

Tic-Tac-Toe

Played in the squares of a 4x4 board.

Othello

Played on the squares of a 9*9 Go board. In fact, I've seen an Othello game set sold with a 9*9 Go ban, with star point at the 3-3 points and everything!

There are often star points on othello boards: http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic158681_md.jpg - Tas

Pente

On any non-tiny board.

Twixt

PhilosophersFootball

Sometimes played on a 19x15 board.

Connect4

Played in the squares of a 9*9 board.

starline: On IYT they call this 'stack4'. The IYT people have invented a variation which they call 'stack 4*4'. The rules are the same except the pieces can connect to any of the 4 sides. I haven't played a full game so I don't know if it's any good. I'll post again when I find out. Seems quite promising so far!

Tiddlywinks

The bigger the board the better. Go stones don't make the best tiddley-winks, but it is better than nothing.

Speaking as a world-class tiddlywinks player ( my credentials) I can categorically state that go stones would not be legal for use as winks in tournament games, and a goban does not meet the criterion for a mat. For further clarification, see Section 3 of the rules.--Tim Hunt.

I recently discovered/invented, a tiddly-go variant of capture go. We used various methods of propelling stones onto the board, however marble-style thumb flicking proved far superior to any other method (helping to prove that true tiddly-winks isn't the best choice for go equipment). First capture wins the game. Any stones displaced due to a play assume new positions on (or off) the board. (stones pushed off the board aren't considered a capture) This game is much better played with a referee who can nudge stones onto the nearest intersections after a play is made. --Joshual000

Step Aerobics

ilan: If you want to burn lots of money as well as calories, you can use a Kaya board with legs for your step aerobic workout. These Go bans seems similar in size to the "High Step Aerobic Step" shown on this site: http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/steps.html

Darts

Paint rings on your GoBan and throw darts at it.

Frisbee

joshual000: I think this was depicted on the cover of a 'Get Strong' book. This also leads to such variants as disc golf.

ilan: I suppose you mean using the Go bowl lid as the Frisbee.

joshual000: I suppose you could try a goban if you really wanted, the bowl lids seem to be best suited however.

ilan: You could use the Kaya tree before they chiselled the goban out of it for a Caber Toss.

joshual000: Sort of a preemptive use, wouldn't you say?

Sand Castle Building

starline: Fill the plastic containers up with sand (I forget the correct sand to water ratio - maybe 4 sand to 1 water?) and you are set to go. Plonk it down on your board for the perfect sandcastle. Don't forget to bring a go book to use as a fan. Go stones as windows and pathways are optional.

Tetris

Helger: Go board and stones are ideal for this. The falling of tetraminos --- this can be accomplished by carefully temperated blowing --- can be accompanied by realistic sounds. (Use bowls as tamtams.) Other interesting variations like pentris and hextris are possible.

Marathon: I think of Tetris as a computer game. It wouldn't be practical to play with real go equipment. But, if you want to see a nice computer game that uses virtual go stones and board, take a look at http://chesstris.com/ .

Mornington Crescent

Providing that you use Yunzi stone, the board can be used as a map of the underground.

Hnefatafl

Thurisaz: I found a description of the ancient Viking game Hnefatafl a while ago which claims to be more or less about the original game, and lo and behold, it can easily be played with a Go set - all you need is one special playing piece marking the King. Even the playing field has the same dimensions basically. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hnefatafl for details...

Alejo: Hnefatafl is a variation from the tablut games, the most popular is played on a 9x9 board as it takes the name of the family games. All their variants can be played on a go board, since the biggest one is limited to 19x19 (which is hnefatafl)... And yes, the only extra thing you need is one special piece to play as the king.

Variants also has a section that covers this topic.