Go Variants - Non-standard Boards

Non-standard Boards

Although Go is most commonly played on a board with 19×19 lines, 9×9 and 13×13 boards are also available. They are used by beginners and by players who want a game that finishes more quickly. Due to flexibility of configuration, the two smaller sizes are more often played on the online Go servers such as KGS Go Server, and board sizes from 2×2 to 38×38 are also allowed.

The annual Milton Keynes Go Tournament has a popular side-event that is played on a stylised map of Milton Keynes. Its non-conventional lattice presents some interesting possibilities.

Harald Schwarz invented a Go variant that is played on a circular lattice.

A toroidal board is two dimensional surface with an implied third dimension because it is as if a standard board has been rolled and two opposite edges joined to form a tube and then the ends of the tube joined. It can be simulated on a standard 19×19 board, but requires imagination on the part of the players to perform an abstract join at the edges. It is noteworthy that the toroidal board has no corners, so standard joseki do not apply. This kind of variant can also be performed with three other identifications, see Surface construction from polygons.

TriGo is a go variant that uses a triangular-grid goban, where each stone has up to six liberties. To compensate for this, there are several rule changes: ko and superko are limited in scope, komi is not used, and after the first stone is placed, every turn consists of placing two stones. After both players have passed a turn, the score is counted (the sum of captured stones and territory), and in the case of a draw the player passing first wins.