Go Board

    Keywords: Go term, Equipment

Chinese: 棋板 (q�bǎn or qi2 ban3); 棋盘 (q�p�n or qi2 pan2)
Japansese: 碁盤 (goban)
Korean: 바둑판 (RR?: baduk pan, M-R: Paduk p'an)

[Diagram]

Standard 19x19 go board

A real-life go board is a 19x19 grid of lines [1], and the grid isn't square but rectangular (about 8% longer than wide). This compensates for foreshortening when you look at the board.

The go stones are played on the intersections, including the edge of the board (the outer line), and the corners where two edges meet.

Dots at the nine star points, or hoshi, help the players orient themselves, and mark the location for handicap stones. The center start point is called tengen in Japanese, tianyuan in Chinese, or chunweon in Korean.

Some wonderful pictures at [ext] http://www.goban.co.jp/koutei.htm show the traditional art of these boards' construction.

How to apply the lines: [ext] http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~rozan/memori.htm

How to carve the "gardenia" legs: [ext] http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~rozan/kodawari.htm

Various finished Gobans: [ext] http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~rozan/gobannmihonn.htm

A special home made goban: [ext] http://yfh2.chez.tiscali.fr/goban.html

How to Balance a Warped Goban: Balancing a Warped Goban



See also:


[1] Other sized go boards exist. Commonly used alternative sizes include 9x9 and 13x13 boards.


This is a copy of the living page "Go Board" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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