Go (known in East Asia as wéiqí in Chinese, igo in Japanese, and baduk in Korean) is a two-player abstract strategy game played on a grid. Its rules are among the simplest of any strategy game; its strategic depth remains incompletely mapped even by the strongest artificial intelligence systems. In Romania, the game has a modest but growing organized presence, coordinated by the Asociația Română de Go (ARG).

How the game works

The standard board is 19×19 lines, creating 361 intersections where stones may be placed. Players alternate placing one stone per turn — black moves first. Once placed, stones do not move, but they can be captured when completely surrounded. The objective is to control more territory (empty intersections bounded by your stones) than the opponent by the game's end.

Beginners typically start on 9×9 boards, which allow games to finish in 20–40 moves and make strategic patterns easier to recognize. The 13×13 board serves as an intermediate step before the full 19×19 game. Most Romanian clubs offer sessions specifically for 9×9 play aimed at newcomers.

Equipment

A standard go set consists of a board (goban), 181 black stones, and 180 white stones. Entry-level sets with a vinyl or paper board and plastic stones cost between 60 and 120 RON from hobby shops or online retailers. Wooden boards with slate-and-shell or glass stones are significantly more expensive and are generally purchased after several years of play.

Digital alternatives: the Online Go Server (OGS) allows free ranked play and includes a teaching library. Several Romanian club members are active on OGS and accept correspondence games from newcomers in their country.

Close-up of a go board with stones arranged in a mid-game position
A mid-game position on a 19×19 board — territory boundaries are forming but not yet final

The Romanian Go Association

The ARG was formally registered in the early 2000s and has affiliated with the European Go Federation (EGF). Membership gives Romanian players access to the European rating system (EGF rating), which uses a kyu/dan scale rather than Elo points. A newcomer typically starts at around 30 kyu and progresses through the kyu ranks toward 1 kyu before reaching amateur dan level.

As of 2025, ARG reports approximately 280 registered members, up from around 207 in 2019. The increase is concentrated in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara, largely driven by student clubs at technical universities.

Active clubs

Bucharest

Clubul de Go București meets regularly at a café in the Floreasca area (exact address on the ARG website, as the venue has changed twice in the past three years). Sessions run on Wednesday evenings and include an open game period for beginners. The club runs an annual open tournament in October, which typically draws 30–50 players from around the country.

Cluj-Napoca

The Cluj Go Club operates out of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science building at Babeș-Bolyai University on Thursday afternoons. It is one of the more technically oriented clubs, with several members who write game analysis programs and study computer go literature.

Timișoara

The go group in Timișoara meets less formally than the two above — typically organized through a Signal group chat and meeting in rotating locations. The Western Region Go Tournament, held annually in spring, is the main event organized from this hub.

National competitions

The Romanian Go Championship (Campionatul Național de Go) is held once per year, usually in Bucharest. It uses a Swiss-system format across six or seven rounds, with players split into open and women's sections. The top finishers earn EGF-rated results that affect their European ranking.

Separately, ARG organizes the Youth Go Championship for players under 18, which has run consistently since 2008. A small number of Romanian juniors have progressed to European youth championships, where they compete against players from countries with much larger organized go communities.

Getting started in Romania

  1. Contact ARG through their website to find the nearest active club or group.
  2. Attend a beginner session — most clubs do not require prior knowledge.
  3. Create an account on OGS to practice between in-person sessions.
  4. Register for the national championship once comfortable at 15–20 kyu level.

The EGF also maintains a club directory that is periodically updated with Romanian club information.

Note: Club meeting locations and ARG affiliation details should be confirmed directly with the association, as these change more frequently than for chess clubs.

See also: Chess Clubs & Competitions in Romania · Best Strategy Board Games of 2024