A few simple rules ... limitless possibilities
Go-playing Programs
One way to improve your Go may be to play against a computer program. If you are a beginner, almost any program will do for this. But as you improve, you will find that playing a program of around your own strength does not necessarily improve your Go, it may make it worse: instead of learning good style, you just learn to play the particular moves which that program is unable to handle. The best program available in 2000 had a Nihon Kiin 2-kyu certificate, but British 1-dans could give it nine stones and beat it.
The best programs are commercial, meaning that you have to pay for them. If you can afford it, buy Many Faces of Go with its considerable tutorial material. A few years ago, if you are stronger than 8-kyu, you should have been able to beat any program, so playing strength was not an issue. If you are around 10-12 kyu, you might think it important to buy the program that is best at beating you. Then you should consider Go++ and HandTalk. Go++ has a much nicer-looking user interface, and HandTalk is harder to beat. But neither of them has any of the tutorial material that is part of Many Faces of Go.
Since 2007 programs using the Monte Carlo method are becoming available and these are certianly at dan level on small boards at least. Leela and the latest version of Many Gaces of Go feature this method.
Current strengths of the development versions of commercial and private programs can be seen at the Computer Go Ladder.
Some freeware and shareware Go-playing programs are available from the BGA's Software Catalogue. The best of them are Igowin which is a free version of Many Faces of Go, and EZ-Go which is a free version of EGO). A recent strong program is Leela with its free version LeelaLite. Peter's Go is a good one for improvers as it has different board sizes.
Also worth a mention are GnuGo, Minimago, SW1 and TurboGo.
Some commercial programs have shareware or free versions. HandTalk has a 9-by-9 version which may be freely downloaded from Yutopian.
Peepo.com is a complex data visualisation program, allowing you to play online (with certain browsers like Firefox) against the pachi engine. As of February 2012 it's open for initial user testing and feedback.
Here are some commercial programs (check current prices before ordering, postage normally extra):
| Program | Author | Description | Requires | Price | Suggested Source (UK if possible) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ego | Bruce Wilcox |
Has a range of nine "personalities" with distinct playing styles. Free cut-down version EZ-Go If paying in Sterling, make out a cheque to Sue Wilcox. | Dos | £18 or $25 | Bruce and Sue Wilcox |
| FunGo 2000 | Yong-Goo Park | English version developed from Korean version. Many features. Free cut-down version. | Windows | $36 | Yutopian |
| Goemate | Chinese | Program from China. |
32-bit Windows and a CD drive | $55 | Yutopian |
| Go++ | Michael Reiss |
Renamed version of Go4++.
One of the strongest programs available. |
32-bit Windows and a CD drive | $39.95 | goplusplus.com |
| Go Intellect | Ken Chen | Mac | n/a | Yutopian | |
| GOddess | PC version of "Go Intellect" |
32-bit Windows and a CD drive | $62.10 | ||
| Goliath | Mark Boon | Excellent user interface. Almost as good as HandTalk; plays more conservatively. Free cut-down versions. | Mac | £49.95 | n/a |
| Goliath 3.5 |
32-bit Windows and a CD drive | n/a | |||
| HandTalk | Chen Zhixing | The world computer Go champion from 1995 to 1997. User interface much improved. | Dos | n/a | Yutopian |
| Windows | $49.00 | ||||
| Many Faces of Go, version 9 | David Fotland | Possibly the best program for playing Go on a PC. Close behind the leaders in playing strength, and well ahead of all rivals, except perhaps Nemesis, in tutorial value. Free cut-down version Igowin. Version 12 includes Monte Carlo method. | Dos | n/a |
Chess & Bridge Smart Games Yutopian Schaak en Gowinkel het Paard |
| Many Faces of Go, version 11 | Windows | £69.95 $89.95 $85.50 95 euro | |||
| Nemesis | Bruce Wilcox; but he is no longer connected with it | Good user interface, with training modes that explain liberties, groups, influence, and "pattern" moves. Also shows Wilcox's idea of sector lines. | Dos, Windows or Macintosh | $39 | Nemesis Enterprises |
| Nemesis Deluxe | As above plus: a Joseki Tutor, a Tactical Wizard for life-and-death analysis, and Scribbler, for producing annotated board diagrams. | $89 | |||
| SmartGo | by Anders Kierulf | Version 2.8 (2.6 was 12Mb). | Windows/Vista now iPhone/iPod touch | $69, but free 15 day trial, then becomes Viewer only. | Smart Go, Inc. |
| Wulu | A team led by Miss Lei Xiuyu | Wulu finished 2nd place in the 1998 Ing Cup. | Windows | $69.00 | Yutopian |
This site has reviews of many of the above programs.