Atari Go
Atari Go is a simplified version of Go that provides beginners with a more gradual process to learning the rules of Go.
Benefits of Atari Go
You can play with paper and pen: As soon as you take a piece the game ends so you can theoretically play it with just a paper and pen.
The rules are simpler: You don’t have to worry about a lot of the rules like Ko, Rulesets, Life and Death, etc.
Granular Learning: Instead of learning all the rules at once, master the art of capturing stones first.
Rules
Unlike in regular Go where you earn points by both capturing stones and surrounding territory, in Atari Go you only have to worry about capturing stones.
1. It’s played on a 9×9 grid
Start on a grid (or board) that is 9 lines horizontal by 9 lines vertical. Place black and white stones in the center area (as shown right).
2. Black plays first
Black has an advantage with the first move so alternate colors regularly.
3. The first to capture a stone wins.
As soon as a stone (or group of stones) is captured, the capturing player wins. If you don’t know how to capture stones yet, check out Rules of Go and ignore everything except the “Capturing Stones” section. Also take a look at Stone Capturing Examples.
Try it out
Try it on your own board, with pen and paper, on a local program, or play against a bot.
The Handicap System
If – for example – the black player is a little stronger than the white player, you can make it so black has to capture 2 stones to win while white only has to capture 1.
Next Steps
You can draw in Atari Go. If you find that you’re drawing a lot, it might be a sign that you’re ready for the next step.
Up the limit. Make it first to capture 5 stones wins. You might notice subtle things change when you do this.
If you feel comfortable with that, try playing some 9×9 games using the standard ruleset.