One player uses the white stones and the other, black. A 2016 survey by the International Go Federation's 75 member nations found that there are over 46 million people worldwide who know how to play Go and over 20 million current players, the majority of whom live in East Asia. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. Game pieces, called stones, are played on the lines' intersections.Ī Some professional games exceed 16 hours and are played in sessions spread over two days. Go is played on a grid of black lines (usually 19×19).
