The history of Go stretches back some 3000 years and the rules
have remained essentially unchanged throughout this very long
period. The game probably originated in China and the future of
Tibet was once decided over a Go board when the Buddhist ruler
refused to go into battle; instead he challenged the aggressor
to a game of Go. In the Far East, where it originated, Go enjoys
great popularity today, and interest in the game is growing
steadily in Europe and America. More detail on the history of
the game is here. Like Chess, Go is a game of skill - it has
been described as being like four Chess games going on together
on the same board - but it differs from Chess in many ways. The
rules of Go are very simple and though, like Chess, it is a
challenge to players' analytical skills, there is far more scope
in Go for intuition. Go is a territorial game. The board, marked
with a grid of 19 lines by 19 lines, may be thought of as a
piece of land to be shared between the two players. One player
has a supply of blac