Chess ends with checkmate. Go does not have a single dramatic ending; the game stops when both players agree that nothing useful is left to do, and then the board is counted. For beginners this is the most confusing part of the game: when is it over? Did I win? What happens to the stones that are "obviously dead"? This article answers those questions for the rules used on this site.
The game ends with two passes
At any time, instead of placing a stone, a player may pass. When both players pass consecutively, the game ends and the score is counted. If one player passes and the other plays a stone, the game simply continues.
Passing is not surrender. It means: "I see no move that improves my position." Strong players pass when every border is settled and every remaining move would either gain nothing or lose points.
When should you pass?
You should pass when all of these are true:
- All borders between your area and your opponent's are closed. There are no gaps where one side could push in.
- There are no enemy stones left inside your area that could still be captured.
- None of your own groups is in danger.
- No ko is open that could change something.
If any of these is not true, there is still work to do.
Dead stones and why they matter here
In a traditional over-the-board game, players often stop while some hopeless stones remain on the board — for example a lone enemy stone deep inside your territory that could never escape. Both players agree it is "dead", remove it, and count.
On this site, the count is literal. After two passes, the program counts every stone on the board as alive, exactly where it stands. There is no negotiation step. So:
- Capture dead enemy stones before passing. If a hopeless enemy stone sits inside your territory, spend the moves to capture it. With area scoring, playing inside your own territory costs you nothing: an empty point and a stone both count one point for you.
- Do not leave your own hopeless stones inside the opponent's area hoping they will be ignored. Your opponent will capture them; if they forget, that is their loss.
This "play it out" approach is how computer Go servers using strict area scoring behave, and it has one big advantage: there are no arguments.
How the score is counted
We use area scoring:
- Count your stones on the board.
- Count the empty points that are surrounded only by your stones.
- Add the two numbers. White also receives 7.5 points of komi.
An empty region that touches stones of both colours belongs to nobody. The player with the larger total wins. Because komi has a half point, draws are impossible.
On a 9 × 9 board there are 81 points in total. If Black controls 45 and White 36, White's total with komi is 43.5, so Black wins by 1.5 points.
Why area scoring makes the end easy
In territory scoring (common in Japan and Korea), you count empty territory plus prisoners, and a stone played inside your own territory costs you a point. That makes the end of the game delicate for beginners. With area scoring (common in China and in computer Go), your stones count too, so adding stones inside your area is free. That is why this site can simply ask you to capture dead stones and then pass. The two systems almost always give the same winner; the difference is only in the bookkeeping. The scoring category of this site has more on that.
Resigning
A player may resign at any time. In Go, resigning a clearly lost game is normal and considered good manners, especially in long games. You do not need to play until every point is filled.
Beginners sometimes resign too early after losing a group. On small boards, keep playing unless the difference is truly hopeless; the computer at lower levels makes mistakes too.
A practical end-of-game checklist
Before you pass, go around the board once:
- Borders: is any border still open? Close it.
- Enemy stones inside your area: capture them.
- Your weak groups: make sure none can still be killed.
- Kos: resolve any open ko.
- Neutral points: fill them if you like; in area scoring they do not change the result, but it does not hurt.
Then pass. If your opponent keeps playing, answer sensibly and pass again when you are done.
Try it
The fastest way to feel the end of a game is to play 9 × 9 on the home page against the computer. Play until both of you pass and look at the final count. If you play on the online page and sign in on your account, you can replay the ending afterwards and see which points ended up where.
The basics are also in Go rules for beginners.
A short example on 9 × 9
Imagine a 9 × 9 game where Black has built a solid area on the left and White on the right, with a clear border of stones running down the middle. There is one white stone that landed inside Black's area earlier and has only two liberties; it cannot connect back to White's group and cannot make eyes on its own.
If Black passes now and White passes too, the program counts that white stone as alive. It sits on a point that would otherwise have been Black's, and it may even split Black's empty region so that some points touch both colours and become neutral. Black could lose several points this way.
Instead, Black spends two moves to capture the stone. With area scoring these moves cost nothing: the black stones count as points, the empty points they surround count as points, and the white stone disappears. Only then does Black pass.
What if your opponent keeps playing?
Sometimes, after you pass, your opponent keeps placing stones — inside their own area, inside yours, or in neutral points. Stay calm:
- If they play inside their own area, it changes nothing with area scoring. Pass again.
- If they play inside your area, check whether the stone could live. Usually it cannot; capture it if needed and pass again.
- If they play a neutral point, it gives them one point. You may take another neutral point too.
The game ends only when both players pass in a row, so you never lose the chance to respond.
Ending online games
When playing people on the online page, the same rules apply, and there is also the clock. If your time runs out, you lose regardless of the position, so do not leave the capturing of dead stones until the last seconds. If your opponent disconnects for too long, the game is decided for you.
Frequently asked questions
What if I pass by accident?
The game continues unless your opponent also passes. If they play a stone, you simply play your next move.
Does passing cost me a point?
Not with area scoring as used on this site.
My opponent left dead stones in my territory and passed. What should I do?
Capture them before you pass. Once both players pass, every stone on the board counts as alive.
Can a game end in a draw?
No. Komi is 7.5, so one side always wins by at least half a point.
Is it rude to play on in a lost game?
Not on small boards and not at the beginning. In long games against real people, resigning when the result is clear is appreciated.
