Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the Portland Go Club?
To teach the game of go and provide opportunities for go players to meet in the Portland area and use publicly available go sets.
Who runs the Portland Go Club?
Volunteers form the board, and organize the meetups, tournaments, and outreach activities.
Is there a way I can communicate with the officers of the Portland Go club?
Send an e-mail to goclubportland@gmail.com
Besides meetups, what events does the Portland Go Club participate in?
We run tournaments about once per year and provide ways for people to learn about go by participating in events such as Mochitsuke, the Japanese American New Year’s Festival.
Are beginners welcome at the meetups?
Yes, we endeavor to teach beginners how to play, and how to improve their play. Beginners can watch games in progress, and someone is likely to offer a beginner a teaching game. There are ways to provide handicaps to make games between people of different skill levels more even.
Is go known by other names?
Yes, English alphabet versions of the Japanese name include igo and goe, Chinese names weiqi or weichi, and Korean name baduk. Go is most popular in China, Korea, and Japan.
Are the rules the same for go in every country?
No, there are slight differences between Japanese and Chinese rules, and other countries have other variations. But generally, the play is just the same. Most go tournaments in the U. S. follow American Go Association rules, which are somewhat based on Japanese rules.
Is go always played on the same size board?
The normal board has 19 intersections in each dimension but go is often played on 9 x 9 or 13 x 13 boards. The rules are the same, but a 9 x 9 game can be played more quickly and can be a good choice for beginners.
Is go harder to learn than chess?
Although the rules of go are in some ways simpler than chess, the various consequences of the go rules make it about as difficult to learn as chess.
Where can I learn about the basics of go online?
Watch this video intro created by former PGC President, Neal.
Where can I watch others play online?
You can watch others play on most of the go servers. E.g. on OGS.
Can I play against others online?
Yes, there are several free online go servers, which provide a way to play against humans, or against computer programs (bots or AI):
KGS Go Server - Formerly known as the Kiseido Go Server, now operated by the American Go Foundation
braindog - Northwest Go Server (30+ users -- several local)
Where can I get instructions/critiques of my games from professionals?
Are there other sites that have FAQ's for go?
What is an SGF file?
SGF or sgf stands for Smart Game Format. is a computer file format used for storing the position of moves in board games. It also records information about the players and commentary on the moves. Below are links to software for viewing SGF files:
Where can I follow go online?
Facebook groups include:
Go(Baduk,Weiqi)Players
Cbaduk1 (computer go)
Go(Weiqi/Baduk) community
Baduk-Go-Weiqi World Community
You can also check out the OGS Forums, with 14,000 users.