The Purple Guide to Learning Go in 10 Days
What you can actually do with the world's oldest board game after a focused 10-day starter plan
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Ten days. A real skill. A concrete plan. Learn to play Go from absolute zero.
About this book
So you've heard about an ancient board game called Go—probably because a movie character played it, or you saw a photo of a beautiful wooden board. You're curious, but where do you even start? Every online resource either assumes you already know the rules or tries to sell you a full course. The Purple Guide to Learning Go in 10 Days is a different kind of plan: a friend walking you through one focused session per day for ten days, ending with a real game on the standard 19x19 board.
You don't need to be a strategy genius or buy any expensive equipment. This guide walks you through the first day of just placing stones and understanding the grid, through capturing your first enemy stone, to building territory and completing a full game. Each day builds on the last, with realistic milestones, troubleshooting tips, and honest answers about time and cost. By the end, you'll have played the full game and know exactly how to keep going if you want to.
Reader Reviews
David Walker
★★★★★I bought this on a whim after getting hooked on videos of professional Go games. Day one was exactly what I needed—it told me to just put stones on the intersections and stop worrying. I beat my first capture by day three and played my first full 19x19 game on day ten. The book's honesty about what I could and couldn't do by the last day actually made me want to keep going. Perfect for a curious beginner.
Jeffrey Lee
★★★★★This isn't a fluffy 'anyone can do it' guide. It's a tight, ten-day workout that tells you exactly what to do each session. The self-assessment checklist on day two made me realize I could get started with just a phone app for free. The comparison table on day three was especially helpful—I ended up buying a foldable 13x13 board for the feel of real stones. The best part is the realistic milestones on day seven; I finally stopped feeling lost.
Jessica Sanchez
★★★★★Good, honest plan, though I had to pace myself slower than the author suggests. I used two weeks to get through the ten days. The capture techniques in chapter four took me several tries to get right, but the troubleshooting in chapter nine saved me from quitting. My one grip: the writing can feel a touch sparse in places, but the content is solid and genuinely useful.
Sharon Robinson
★★★★★I've tried learning Go twice before with YouTube videos and felt stupid every time. This plan breaks it down into such tiny, digestible steps that day one felt doable—I just learned the grid and played my first few moves. The day eight narrative of a full practice game was my favorite part; it showed me the self-doubt is normal. I still lose every game, but I finally understand why. Great for anyone scared of the 19x19 board.
Jason Flores
★★★★★A practical, no-nonsense ten-day plan that respects your time. I really appreciated the honesty on day seven about what I couldn't possibly have learned yet, and the answers to my next questions on day ten. The only reason it's not five stars is the occasional jokey tone in the writing; sometimes I just wanted the facts. But I followed the plan, I played my first full game, and that's more than I ever did before.