Japanese vs Chinese rules in Go
The game is identical — same moves, same captures, same ko. The difference is only in how you count at the end, and it changes how you play the last twenty moves.
The one real difference
| Chinese (area) | Japanese (territory) | |
|---|---|---|
| Your score | Your stones on the board + empty points you surround | Empty points you surround + prisoners you captured |
| Komi | 7.5 | 6.5 |
| Filling your own territory | Costs nothing | Costs you a point each stone |
| Dame (neutral points) | Worth playing out | Worth nothing |
What actually changes at the board
Under Japanese rules every stone you add inside your own territory removes one of your points, so the endgame ends earlier and more precisely — you stop as soon as nothing is left to gain.
Under Chinese rules a stone in your own area is neutral: it turns a point of territory into a point of stone. So you can safely play out every dame and every doubtful spot, which is exactly why beginners find it more forgiving.
A worked example
Say Black surrounds 72 empty points, has 9 stones on the board and captured 2 white stones.
- Chinese: 9 stones + 72 territory = 81, against White's area + 7.5 komi.
- Japanese: 72 territory + 2 prisoners = 74, against White's territory + prisoners + 6.5 komi.
Different numbers, same game — the two systems are constructed so that the winner almost always matches. Cases where they diverge (some seki positions, unusual ko outcomes) are rare enough that most players never meet one.
Where they genuinely differ: seki
In seki — a mutual-life position neither side can attack — Japanese rules award no territory inside the seki, while Chinese rules still count the stones. This is the classic case where the two systems can produce a different result, and it is the reason Japanese rules have a much longer rulebook.
Which to play
- Learning? Chinese. You cannot punish yourself by playing an extra stone, and counting is a single sweep of the board.
- Playing in Japan/Korea, or studying classical games? Japanese/Korean territory rules — that is what the literature uses.
- Online? Whatever the server defaults to. Your strength is unaffected.
TseGo supports both, selectable before a game — including online matches, where you are only paired with someone who chose the same ruleset. Komi switches automatically: 7.5 for Chinese, 6.5 for Japanese.
New to all of this? Start with the rules in 10 minutes.
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