Objective
Rengo is a team variant of the traditional board game Go. The objective of the game is to claim more territory on the board than the opposing team.
Materials
- A Go board with a 19x19, 13x13, or 9x9 grid.
- Black and white stones.
- Two teams, typically consisting of 2 players each.
Basic Rules
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Setup: The Go board is placed in the center of the table, and each team receives a set of stones of one color - one team plays black and the other white.
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Starting the Game: The team with the black stones usually starts (traditionally, black goes first).
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Turn Structure: Team members alternate placing one of their stones on an empty intersection of the grid, moving clockwise. In each round, one member from each team takes a turn.
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Objective: Each team tries to create closed territories and surround enemy stones to "capture" them.
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Team Coordination: Team players are not allowed to discuss strategies or stone placements. Coordination is silent through the players’ moves.
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Capturing Stones (Atari): Stones or groups of stones with no adjacent free points are removed from the board.
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Passing a Turn: A player can "pass" their turn if they believe there are no advantageous moves left; the game ends when both teams pass consecutively.
End of Game and Scoring
- The game concludes when both teams pass consecutively.
- Each team counts the territory their stones enclose and the captured enemy stones.
- The team with the most territory and captured stones wins.
Strategic Tips
- Coordination: Silent coordination requires experience and intuition in the game of Go, as direct discussions are not allowed.
- Foresight: Each team member should plan moves not only for the present moment but also for future scenarios.
- Beware of Seki: Sometimes situations end in a balance where neither group can capture the other, known as Seki. These do not count as captured stones when scoring.
