Igo is played by two players who alternately place white and black stones on the intersections of a grid of 19×19 lines, to occupy the largest territory possible. The rules of igo are easy: when a player (using white or black stones) surrounds the opponents' pieces with his pieces, he can remove them from the board. The player who occupies the largest territory is the winner.
The fascination of igo is that in spite of its simple rules, there are infinite possibilities for change. It also has profoundly artistic and creative properties. Consequently, igo has two sides; one based on mathematical deductions, and the other based on creativity.
Although computer software with levels close to the masters' levels in games such as chess and shogi has been developed, it is said that similar igo software will never be developed.
Also, one of the good points of igo is that it is easy to give handicaps. Igo is also called shudan (meaning "to talk with hands"); so the players, be they men or women of any age, can enjoy playing it with people from any country, even if they cannot understand each other's languages. Igo is the most enjoyable game ever created by human beings. If you do not yet know the game, please come and join the Igo Club, to learn a game which could turn out to be your lifetime hobby!
