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| Play starts on an empty board, which is a square grid of horizontal and vertical lines. This is a small one with 5x5 lines forming 25 intersections, or ``points''. The standard size is 19x19, while 9x9 is ideally suited to beginners. The object of the game is to conquer a majority of the points on the board, either by occupying or enclosing them. |
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| The two players, Black and White, alternate in placing a stone of their color on an empty intersection. Black moves first. Stones cannot be moved, but can be captured. The unit of capture is a ``string'': a group of stones of one color that are connected along the board lines. A string is captured when it has no more adjacent empty points, or ``liberties''. Above we see four strings with 4 liberties each. |
