Sunjang Baduk
Korea’s historical form of Go (순장바둑), the dominant version played in Korea before Japanese rules were introduced in the early 20th century. Sixteen stones are pre-placed in a fixed diagonal pattern, prisoners are not counted in scoring, and there is no komi. This creates a radically different opening theory with immediate territorial frameworks from move one.
Sunjang Baduk — 19×19 with pre-placed stones
Setup
Board: Standard 19×19 grid.
Pre-placed stones: eight black and eight white, placed before play begins. Half of them stand on star points and half do not, so the arrangement cannot be described as “the star points” - it is a fixed pattern of its own.
| Points | |
|---|---|
| Black | D4, G4, N4, D10, Q10, G16, N16, Q16 |
| White | K4, Q4, D7, Q7, D13, Q13, D16, K16 |
Each colour’s eight points map onto themselves under a 180 degree rotation of the board, which is what makes the opening balanced without komi. The standard placement creates a diagonal symmetry.
First move: Black plays first, and the move is prescribed: the centre point K10 is empty in the opening and Black must play there. No komi - the pre-placed stones are what balances the game.
Rules
All standard Go rules apply with these modifications:
- Capture scoring: Captured stones are simply removed from the board. They do NOT count as prisoners and are NOT subtracted from the opponent’s score. Only territory (surrounded empty intersections) is scored.
- No komi: The pre-placed symmetric position is considered fair. White receives no compensation.
- Ko: Standard ko rule.
- Suicide: Forbidden.
Scoring
Territory only: Score = empty intersections surrounded by your stones. Captures affect the board position (removing stones opens territory) but dead stones themselves have no point value.
Strategy
The pre-placed stones create immediate territorial frameworks. Opening theory revolves around how to exploit or undermine the pre-established positions. The lack of prisoner scoring means capturing stones is only valuable for the territory it reveals, not for the stones themselves. This discourages pointless capture races and rewards efficient territory-building.
Attribution
Traditional Korean variant. Public domain. Historically the dominant form of Go in Korea until approximately 1920. Source: Wikipedia, Korean Baduk Association historical archives.