Go Crane

Learn Go in Go Crane with short lessons, a 180-stage Journey and 491 capture puzzles, then challenge computer opponents or share a board on one device.

Go Crane

Go Crane introduces the board game Go through quiet matches, animal opponents and an ink-inspired visual style. Also known as baduk or weiqi, Go asks you to place stones on grid intersections, build connected groups and surround territory. Capturing enemy stones matters, but the wider task is to make your position count across the board. The small set of basic actions opens into decisions about safety, space and when to leave a local fight alone.

Learn a rule, then put it to work

Ten short lessons provide an entry point before the longer Journey. Understanding liberties is especially important: when an opposing group loses its final liberty, it can be captured. Before choosing a move, inspect your own groups as well as the stones you want to threaten. Protecting a vulnerable connection can be more useful than chasing a capture that leaves your position exposed.

The Journey contains 180 stages, with Y8 also listing twelve chapter finales. GamePix describes twelve animal opponents and boards ranging from 7 by 7 to the full 19 by 19 size. This gives the learning process room to grow rather than asking a new player to begin with the largest board.

Choose focused puzzles or a full board

For concentrated practice, there are 491 capture puzzles. Free games at ten strengths provide another way to revisit a position or test what you have learned, and two players can share one device. These are different uses of the same rules: a puzzle narrows your attention, while a full game makes you balance several areas at once.

On a computer, click an intersection to place a stone. The published shortcuts include P to pass, U or Ctrl+Z to undo, H for a hint and Esc for the menu. Mobile placement normally uses one tap to aim and a second to confirm, with a one-tap option in settings. Use the learning tools to understand a decision rather than just finding the next move.