Though I recommend that you join a go club, as this is the easiest and fastest way to learn go, it is also convenient to use a computer. Sitting at your terminal, you can play go, access the enormous collection of pro games available online and read about go and its history.

Kiseido, a publisher of go books, offers free services (www.kiseido.com/) where you can play go online; purchase go books, equipment and software; view recent tournament results from around the world; view Japanese prints on go themes; read essays on various aspects of go and read a brief introduction to go. You can play go against a computer program on a 9x9 board--ideal practice for beginners.

Yahoo also offers a game server that runs on Java.

The Nihon Kiin supplies information in Japanese, but has an English page at

http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/index-e.htm.

Next week, we'll look at sites that have other information.

The second step--part 3

We are still playing on a 9x9 board and the objective is to be the first to capture five or 10 stones, depending on your--and your opponent's--progress. Sometimes it is a good idea to use some bait to catch a big fish.

Diagram 1: It is White's move. Where should he play? Note that White's marked stones have only two liberties but Black's marked stones also have only two liberties, thanks to the presence of the white stone at A. Is it possible for White's marked stones to survive.

Diagram 2: White should reduce Black's liberties by playing at 1 (or at 2). However, Black can capture the two white stones with 2 (or 1 if White had played at 2).

Diagram 3: This is what the situation now looks like. The marked black stone is the last move played by Black.

Diagram 4: Next, White should play at 3. Again, Black is down to one liberty. Even if Black plays at 4 to reduce the liberties of the marked white stones to one, White plays at 5 and captures six stones.

The overall result is that White lost two stones but Black lost six. That is why it is sometimes a good idea to sacrifice some stones.

Is no group immune to the risk of being caught?

Diagram 5: This is an interesting position. White's stones are surrounded so it looks as they have a problem. In fact, they have only two liberties left. However, can Black capture them? There are only two possibilities at A and at B. What happens if Black plays at A?

Diagram 6: If he plays at 1 (A in Diagram 5), White still has a liberty left at B. However, black 1 has no liberties and cannot exist as it stands. In other words, it is suicide for Black to play at 1. The same applies to a black move at B.

Thus the White group in Diagram 5 is immune to attack and cannot be captured (as long as White doesn't fill in either of his liberties at A or B). We describe a group as alive when it cannot be captured.

Diagram 7: This is another example of a group that is alive. White has two liberties at A and B and Black cannot play at either spot.

Diagram 8: This white group is alive too. Black can play at A or B, and at C or D, but he cannot play at both A and B or at C and D. In other words, Black can never take away White's last liberty and capture the stones.

This week's problems

Problem 1: How many groups can you count that are alive?

Problem 2: How about this diagram? How many groups are alive?

Problem 3: What about the groups in this diagram? Hint: A group must always have two liberties to stay alive.

Next week, we will talk a little more about capturing rules, or you can find out tomorrow at Ben's Cafe in Takadanobaba (Tel: 03-3202-2445 or www.benscafe.com) where the English-speaking go community (Japanese welcome) congregates every Sunday starting at 11 a.m. You can enjoy free lessons until 1 p.m.

Rob van Zeijst is a four-time European champion and European representative at the Fujitsu World Championship.