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Scoring
    Keywords: Rules

At the end of a game of Go, a numeric score is determined for each player. The higher scoring player wins, or the game may be tied. In addition, the difference between the scores may be used to help determine relative ranking of the players.

While Go is played basically the same world wide, there are several different rules of Go in use. One of the ways that these rules differ is in scoring.

There are two main scoring methods in use: Area scoring and Territory scoring. While these methods will result in different scores, who is determined the winner, and the difference between the scores will be the same with either method in the vast majority of games under any given rule set. (SAS: This is not true. Black is often a point better off under area rules, compared to territory rules, because he often plays one move more than White. But if the komi is 5.5 or 7.5 then the winner will usually still be the same.)

Most people find these differences confusing. This is mainly because when you learn Go, you learn a method of counting, not scoring. It is also confusing because the definitions of area and territory are almost the same.

Area Scoring

In area scoring, your score is:

  • the number of your stones on the board
  • the number of empty points your stones surround

Area scoring is used in most rules, notably Chinese Rules and Ing Rules.

To determine the score with area scoring by hand, Chinese counting is generally used. An alternative method is Ing counting.

Territory Scoring

In territory scoring, your score is:

  • the number of empty points your stones surround
  • the number of your opponent's stones you've captured
    (both during the game, and dead stones on the board at the end)

Territory scoring is used in Japanese rules and Korean rules, and in several on-line servers.

To determine the score with territory scoring by hand, Japanese Counting is used.


There is a deeper discussion of the aspects of and differences between territory and area scoring. See Territory and Area Scoring. It also covers a few subtle points that vary in different rules.

There are a number of other scoring methods of historical and theoretical interest. In particular, Stone Counting Scoring, used centuries ago in China, has a different scoring system.


There are some house rules in Go where losing by a landslide counts as more than one loss. A Korean version that I am aware of is called a Mahn Bang.


The information from the Counting page should be consolidated here. Then the Counting page should be used to explain techniques of mentally calculating who is ahead or behind during the play of a game. -- Hu of KGS.

No. What you call "counting" is generally known as "positional judgement". - If it is seen as a bad habit to use too short SL page names, then Counting can be called "Counting the Score" and Scoring can be called "Definition of the Score". --RobertJasiek


Kokiri I have a question about professional scoring. I have seen in a couple of places (the book of the 1971 Honinbo Tournament?) mention that the 'professional way' of scoring is to count terratory in an area together with stones captured there but I haven't seen it done and don't really understand what it means. Can somebody please explain how it works in practice?



This is a copy of the living page "Scoring" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.