Obsolete: BGA Software Catalogue

Page now obsolete - see current page

The items listed here are all freeware or shareware. Some are in the BGA's collection, and some are on other web sites. If an item is in the BGA's collection, its size is given in green; if not, it is given in black, or omitted.

programs that play Go
internet clients and server
McMahon draw programs
programs to view Go game records
databases for Go game records
tools & fonts for Go diagrams
text about Go
miscellaneous

Those from the BGA's collection which are programs for Dos or Windows are ZIP files. Some items from the BGA's collection are programs for Mac. These all have extension .sit or .hqx.

Links that directly link to the software itself are labelled: *name*

Note: some of these are shareware, so if you decide to keep them you should pay for them.

The gobase.org site has a list of software sorted by platform. BGA reviews of some of these programs are online here.

Go-playing programs

McMahon draw programs

Internet client programs

We no longer maintain detailed listings of Go clients.
You may find the listing of IGS clients on Jan van der Steen's gobase.org web site helpful. It has links for downloading the clients listed.

Internet server

For details of how to play online see our Go Server page.

 Game-record viewing (and editing) programs

Another source of game-record viewing programs (SGF only) is Jan van der Steen's page.

 
Game records

Databases for storing game records

Tools and fonts for presenting Go diagrams

Text

Miscellaneous

Name OS File size Description
AIGO Palm 3 171K By Atsushi Iizuka.
Shareware, $8.
AmiGo Amiga, OS 1.3 93K (download file amigo5_4.lha)
A Go board and player by Nikolaus Häfner & Todd Johnson.
Said to play as strongly as EZ-Go.
version 6.4
Atari-Go Palm 10K Plays a form of atari-Go (first capture Go) on a 10x10 board.
By Tapani Raiko.
Free
Augos Dos 211K By Joachim Pimiskern.
Not strong. Uses AI techniques.
Version 6.0
Free
Windows 327K
Aya Windows 725K A Go program by Yamashita, Hiroshi.
Placed 2nd in FJK 2000 Computer Go tournament.
version 4.23
Baduki Unix, Linux 189K A Go program by Lim Jaebum. Earlier version placed 21st in 1998 FOST cup. Provided as source code.
version 0.2.9.
requires gtk+ 1.0.x.
Dariush Windows 1.8MB A Go program by Frdric Boissac and Eric Marchand. It’s interface can also be used to play against a number of other Go playing programs, study joseki or solve problems. The free version available for download only plays on a 13×13 board.
Explorer Mac 430K By Martin Müller.
Recommended Mac program
Free since October 2001.
*CW* Dos 186K A Go program by Colin Walker.
version 2.0
$60
*EZ-Go* Dos 150K Cut-down version of Bruce Wilcox's EGO (described in BGJ 100). Go-playing program with personalities.
Recommended
Free; for $25 or £18 you can get the full EGO program.
*Fungo* Windows 3.9Mb By Yong-Goo Park.
Plays well (for a program), but slowly.
This is like the full commercial version of Fungo, except that you are restricted in the number of times you can play it.
Free.
Gnugo 3.6 Unix (and Mac OS X), Linux, Windows
  Current version of GnuGo for Unix, Linux and Windows, by the Free Software Foundation.
Version 3.6 (much stronger than previous versions)
Free, includes source code
*Gnugo 3.2* (Mac) Mac (Classic) 950K By Hideyuku Fujiwara.
C source available.
Version 3.2
Gnugo Palm Pilot   Plays badly
Gnugo Windows CE 2 720K By Alexander Seewald. Available as source code, or compiled for StrongARM, MIPS, or SH3. Needs up to 4Mb of memory.
Gnugo Windows CE 3.0 24K (v1.2.0)
720K (v2.6.2)
By Ivan Davtchev. Each version is available as source code, or compiled for StrongARM, MIPS, or SH3. Version 2.6.2 plays much better, but needs up to 4Mb of memory.
Goban Mac OS X 6.2Mb Version 42. Acts as a front end for GnuGo version 3.2. Uses SGF format. Can also be used as an internet Go client.
Recommended Mac OS X program.
Go game machine (Japanese)

*Go game machine* English-language version

Windows 832K From the Nihon Ki-in, and Tei Meikou 9p. Plays only on a 9x9 board. Reasonably strong. Very fast. Intended as an introduction to Go, particularly for children. Recommended

Use is free, the Nihon Ki-in retain the copyright.
GoKnot Windows 1.3Mb Acts as a front end for GnuGo. Also an SGF editor and internet Go client.
Gtkgo Unix 544K A Go program by Norbert de Jonge.
HandTalk
9*9 version
Dos 1355K A version of Professor Chen Zhixing's HandTalk, the program which was 1997 FOST world computer Go champion. This version plays only on a 9-by-9 board.
Igo* Dos 427K Free 9*9 version of David Fotland's Many Faces of Go.
Recommended as the best free introduction to Go for those who have Dos but not Windows. Includes an introductory tutorial about Go. Now includes the GOVIEW program for viewing games in Ishi format.
No version number. Dated 1995.
Free
Igowin Windows 786K Free 9*9 version of David Fotland's Many Faces of Go. Strongly recommended as the best free introduction to Go for those who have Windows. Includes an introductory tutorial about Go. Supersedes Igo, above.
Version 1.0. Dated 1998.
Free
Lumpy* Mac 376K A simple Go-playing program, based on Wally.
*Minimago* Java 156K Free 9*9 version of ImaGo by Robert Rehm
Described in BGJ 98
version 1.0
Moyoman Dos 650K An open source project aiming to develop a dan-strength program
*Peirson* Dos 153K Shareware go-playing program by Steve Peirson
version 1
£14.95 personal; £30 club
Quickie Go Mac 1.6MB A nice 68k- and Power- mac interface to the Gnugo playing engine by Jeremy Harris.
Free (Open Source)
SmartGo:9x9 Windows 950K Free 9x9 version of SmartGo:Player. By Anders Kierulf.
*Star of Poland* Dos 108K Free version of Janusz Kraszek's Star of Poland. Only plays 50 moves
version 4.0
*SW1* Dos 20K Free, cheap-and-cheerful, go-playing program
Good if you want something small and simple
*TMW* Dos 239 Shareware go-playing program by Tristan Wooster.
version 5
$ 20
*TurboGo* Dos 318K
Shareware Go-playing program by Arnoud van der Loeff. Includes an English-language tutorial.
Recommended
version 2.0
described in BGJ 94
25 guilders
Turbogo 32-bit Windows 1.14Mb Shareware Go-playing program by Arnoud van der Loeff. Includes an English-language tutorial.
Recommended
Version 5.0 (released 2000-08-20)
25 guilders
*Wally* Dos - any 39K A simple Go-playing program by W.H.Hewman, with C source.
described in BGJ94
Free
WinHonte Windows 229K By Fredril Dahl.
From
JellyFish AS in Norway, publishers of the leading backgammon program, Jellyfish.
Free for download, but not re-distributable.
"WinHonte uses several different neural nets for different tasks. Some nets are trained from self-play, while others are trained from pro games. It also uses alpha-beta search to solve local well-defined problems like connectivity and life-and-death."
*Wulu* Windows 95,
98, NT.
980K 13x13 Go-playing program by Jimmy Lu (Lu Jinqiang). Plays slowly.
ver 1.88.01.99E
Shareware Recommended
GoDraw Windows 1M The latest version of Geoff Kaniuk's program to run McMahon Tournaments.
Used in most UK tournaments.
Approved by the BGA
If you use it, please consider a donation to the Castledine-Barnes Trust.
GoDrawD Dos 192K Old version of GoDraw. Use the new version above instead. If you would like a copy of this version, please email Geoff Kaniuk.
MacMahon Windows 95 or better 172K Christoph Gerlach's program to run a McMahon draw.
You must notify Christoph if you use it.
Dragon Go Server Apache webserver, PHP   See also its Sourceforge project.
*BadukTracer* Mac   By Changsup Ryu. It uses SGF format, and does not handle comments or variations - though later versions may. Shareware: $20.
BeckBaduk ? 354K A Korean program. It uses any of three Korean formats: BeckBaduk, UniBaduk, and Neostone baduk.
Cgoban 1 Unix, X11 336K An SGF viewer and editor by William M. Shubert.
Supports the Go Modem Protocol. It is also a client for some Go servers.
Free, includes source code.
Cgoban 3 Java Virtual Machine 6Mb KGS client only, by William M. Shubert.
It is also an SGF viewer and editor.
Free, replaced cgoban2.
gGo Java Virtual Machine   Full SGF editor and internet go client. By Peter Strempel. Free.
Go for PalmOS PalmOS 14K By Adorjan Kiss. An interface for playing and replaying Go on a Palm. Uses SGF format.
Go2000 Windows 1844K By Changmei Hwung. Allows you to record games and positions, store them in a database, and index them on moves that you select. Uses SGF format. Shareware: $50 to register.
GoBoard Psion series 3a/c/mx 11K An "intelligent go board" for 2 players by Austin Wilkinson. It supports: saving of games (own format only); indefinite undo; prevents illegal moves; replays games; automatic removal of dead stones; score counting.
GoCE Windows CE   Records games in SGF format, and replays them.
GoGoD95 Windows 188K A game record reader by John Fairbairn. Reads and writes SGF and Ishi format.
BeckBaduk ? 354K A Korean program. It uses any of three Korean formats: BeckBaduk, UniBaduk, and Neostone baduk.
Go-Heaven Windows 500K By Markus Stahlberg.
Supports SGF and Ishi forrmats. Available in English- and German-language versions.
*GoMax* Dos 153K Go Maximizer, by John Fairbairn. Views game records in its own format. Comments, but no variations. Only two game records included - others are charged for.
version 2.0d
Gomo Mac (old 68k machines, PPC, and OS-X). ? By Henk Eskes. Records and replays SGF-4 game records. Supports comments and variations.
version 0.95
Freeware
Go Recorder Palm Pilot   version 1.0. By Frans Velthuis. Records games, can export SGF format.
shareware, $15
GoView Dos   Handles Ishi format game records. [ now incorporated in Igo ]
GoWrite Windows 620K By Lauri Paatero.
Many facilities for recording and annotating games. Can use SGF format. Used by the Japan Mail Go Society.
Shareware
Heibaisoft Windows 9.8Mb Uses SGF format.
Shareware, fee not known.
Hibiscus Windows 1088K By zjev ambagts. Uses SGF version 4, also Ishi format. Can produce RTF diagrams.
Jago Java Virtual Machine.   By Rene Grothmann.
An SGF editor and internet go client.
JiGo Replayer Java Virtual Machine. 741K By Dave Jarvis. Displays SGF format games etc.
Source code (java) also available from the same site.
Version 2.0.82.
Mac Windows ? By Changsup Ryu.
Uses SGF format, and does not handle comments or variations ? though later versions may.
Shareware: $20.
*"My Go Tutor"* Dos 70K Displays games, problems, etc. in SGF format: the data files normally supplied with MyGoTutor are not included, but supplied separately as MGT-W.
version 2.3
Described in BGJ 92
Free
PalmGo Palm 2 21K Can be used to record and replay games.
Also (formerly) known as GoBoard.
Shareware: $8
PilotGone Palm Pilot 31K By Brian Brunswick.
Can be used to record and replay SGF game records.
version 0.7.0
Free
PocketGo Pocket PC with StrongARM processor   Brian Dewey's SGF viewer and editor. You can now add/delete/edit variations and comments. Also has simple documentation in .LIT format.
Free.
*Pon Nuki* Mac 141K Pon Nuki Go Viewer
qGo Linux, Windows, Mac OS X 2Mb Written in C++, using the Qt library, by Peter Strempel and Johannes Mesa. Free.
*RP* Dos & Windows 182K Robert Parker's Go Programs, with C source. These programs use Ishi-format data files.
version 4.0
*SGView* Dos 83K Torsten Harling's program for reading SGF format files.
version 1.12
Shodan Mac OS X   Interactive study of games and problems.
Smart Game Board Mac   Uses SGF format.
*Smart Go* Mac 464K Uses SGF format.
stmgt Atari ST   Available to members of gobase.org only.
Telego Dos 145K For playing Go over a modem. Can display Ishi format files.
version 4.4
Described in BGJ 92
Shareware, $10
TenGo PalmOS 5 HiRes 147K For recording and editing games on a handheld. Uses display SGF format files.
Commercial, $14.95. Demo available.
TI-Go Texas Instruments TI-89 7K Two programs for the TI-89. One to record games in Ishi format, the other to read them back and display them. Available in English- and German-language versions files.
By Alexander Nittka
Went Psion-EPOC32, Series 5, 5mx and Ericsson MC218. 48K Reads and plays through games in SGF format. No comments or variations. Now allows save and load.
version 1.3.2.
Free. Source will also be free.
WinMGT Windows 1.09Mb Windows version of My Go Tutor, written by Hui Huang
Uses SGF format.
version 0.87
$30
*xmgt* Unix / X-windows 179K  
*Yago* Windows 161K Windows program by Denis Lambot, to display game records.
Handles both Ishi and SGF format. Now handles comments and variations, but not the current version of the format.
version 0.9 beta.
Free
*1739ch-i* requires any
Ishi-format reader
61K Ten commented professional chinese games from 1739. Posted to usenet by jzy. (same games as 1739ch-m)
Free
*djgames* 605K 883 uncommented professional games, provided by Dave Jarvis
*japt-i* 148K About 100 uncommented Japanese title games (same games as japt-m)
Free
*Ishi* 141K Games etc. Described in BGJ92
Free
*Kyu-level games* 209K Commented games involving kyu players.
Free
*1739ch-m* requires any
SGF-format reader
61K Ten commented professional chinese games from 1739. Posted to usenet by jzy. (same games as 1739ch-i)
Free
*japt-m* 99K About 100 uncommented Japanese title games (same games as japt-i)
Free
*various* 678K Games etc. normally distributed with "My Go Tutor". Described in BGJ 92
Free
*reviews* 755K More game records
Free
Arnoud's joseki tutor Windows 95/98/NT + shockwave ? by Arnoud van der Loeff, the author of TurboGo above.
A joseki database and tutor.
BIgo Assistant Windows 35Mb A populated fuseki and joseki database, built from over 24,000 game records and 340,000 variations.
By ?.
This "tiny" [sic] version is shareware, but disables itself after 50 runs unless you pay the fee of $35.
*GI Demo* Windows? 742K Demonstration version of a database of Go games. Contains 100 recent professional games, which you can use it to play through.
Jacoto any Java Virtual Machine 53K "Java Collection Tool"
Helps managing SGF-files. It displays their properties in a table and allows manipulating it in several ways.
By Steffen Glückselig
Free
Kogo's Joseki Dictionary Any system with an SGF browser 186K An SGF file containing a large variety of joseki.
Free
kombilo Any system with Python support.   A Go database program.
As supplied it is unpopulated (i.e. there are no game records in it), you populate it yourself with game records in SGF format.
By Ulrich Goertz.
Free.
*15x15* Windows 81K Andrew Grant's GIF images for constructing diagrams of go boards in html. Suitable for use with Simon Goss's GoFigs, below.

Each set includes 266 images of black and white stones numbered up to 100, empty points, lettered points, etc. The numbers 15x15 etc. refer to the size in pixels.

*19x19* 92K
*27x27* 113K
*39x39* 150K
*55x55* 191K
Corrinax Go Control 32-bit Windows 537K A Go publishing tool, which generates high-quality Go diagrams in an unspecified format from SGF files. Free
GoEdit Mac OS X   A diagram editor in ascii format with the Weiqi font.
*GoFigs* Windows 23K A simple and very useful program by Simon Goss. Version M2. It allows you to draw a Go position, and export the diagram as a bitmap (.BMP), as a Windows metafile (.WMF) or as HTML using small GIFs. The diagram may be full-board or any rectangular part of a board. Stones and points may be marked or numbered. Suitable for use with Andrew Grant's GIFs, above.
*GoFonts* Windows 82K Robert F. Nutter's five Windows fonts for drawing Go diagrams. With instructions for installation and use. See also here.
*GoType* Windows 27K Andrew Grant's Go font for Windows. Includes empty points, plain stones, marked stones, stones numbered up to 100, and lettered points. Also instructions on use.

New version, 2001-02-28.

SGF2TEX Unix or Dos   Daniel Bump and Reid Augustin's tool for converting SGF-format files to TeX.
Version 3.0.
*intergo* any 11K C source files, and documentation, for interfacing to Ishi-format files.
Free
*text* any 328K Various text files from internet sources on Go, etc.
Described in BGJ 92
Free
Arnoud's screensaver Windows 95/98/NT 359K by Arnoud van der Loeff, the author of TurboGo above. When your PC is not in use, it plays through professional games on the screen. If the PC is in an office, this is a way of interesting your colleagues in Go.
*Bakaban* Windows 240K Bakaban is a free Windows program, which allows you to play Go on a variety of surfaces (for example a torus or a klein bottle). Produced by David Bofinger. Review from BGJ 135.
BIgo OCR ? 848K BIgo OCR is a program for scan and recognition of Go diagrams and fast manual input (linear input) of Go games.
BIgo OCR is info-donationware.
*flips* Windows 358K Reverses Ishi-format game records that have been recorded the wrong way up. Dos, Windows 32S, & Windows versions.
Described in BGJ 94
Free
Goban Screensaver Linux 530K Go screensaver for Linux. Free and open source.
*GoBase* Dos 204K Utilities from Dieter Garling for converting file formats. E.g. converts from SGF (=MyGoTutor) format to Ishi format.
version 2
Described in BGJ 94
goDummy Unix?   Bill Shubert's user-interface to a Go-playing program. This is a complete Go-playing program, without the move-generating bit. So if you want to write your own Go-playing program for Unix, you can start with this and just write the interesting bit. It supports the Go Modem Protocol.
*Gomoku* Dos 29K Two programs to play gomoku
*Gomoku* Windows 45K Gomoku, by P.S.Neeley. Requires VBRUN300.DLL.
version 1.0
$ 10
*IGoNet* Windows 358K IgoNet, by David Atkinson, allows two players to play Go over the net.
version 2.0
JText2Sgfs any Java Virtual Machine 4K A utility to extract SGF game records from from a single text file.
By Steffen Glückselig
Free
OpenGo Windows, or Linux/Unix   By Jeffrey Greenberg. This is the source code for a Go-playing program, but without the actual Go-playing engine. Thus, it allows a would-be writer of a Go-playing program to get on with the interesting bit, the actual move-generating engine, while OpenGo handles the tedious stuff of displaying the board on the screen, collecting the user's mouseclick for where he wants to play, supporting the Go Modem Protocol, etc. It does in fact come with a few weak move-generating engines.
Version 5.0.
Free.
*Procishi* Windows 17K A program by Steve Bailey, for manipulating and rearranging game records in Ishi format.
Version 3.
SGFsaver Windows 161K By Francois Mizessyn. Screensaver for Windows that displays Go games.
Free.
uliGo Any system with Python support.   A program to practice solving Go problems.
By Ulrich Goertz.
Free.
Last updated Sat Apr 20 2013.
If you have any comments, please email the webmaster on web-master AT britgo DOT org.