What Is Life In 19x19?

Updated

Life In 19x19 (lifein19x19.com) is an English-language discussion forum for the board game Go, also called Weiqi or Baduk. It is a community site where players read and post threads across boards such as General Go Chat, Beginners, Amateurs, Professionals, Go Rules, and Tournaments. It is not a store or an official organization, so use it to read discussions, ask questions, and follow community news rather than to buy equipment or get official rulings.

What the site is

The forum describes itself as "Go, Weiqi, Baduk... Thats the life." Its structure is a standard bulletin board: a board index lists topic areas, and each area shows a topic count, a post count, and the latest post with author and date. Visitors can read topics, use search and advanced search, view unanswered or active topics, and register or log in to take part.

Main boards and what each is for

Board What it covers Scale shown on the index
Introductions and Guidelines Forum rules and newcomer introductions 647 topics, 4,253 posts
General Go Chat General Go conversation 2,687 topics, 39,711 posts
Beginners Questions from new players 762 topics, 10,914 posts
Amateurs Improving your game, resources, your own games 649 topics, 12,624 posts
Professionals Higher-level discussion and analysis of pro games 1,297 topics, 20,687 posts
Go Rules Rule sets and rule theory 324 topics, 7,264 posts
Tournaments Tournament announcements and reports 115 topics, 2,366 posts
Announcements Tournaments, new Go sites, software updates 790 topics, 6,973 posts
Off Topic Non-Go discussion 984 topics, 16,187 posts
Forum/Site Suggestions and Bugs Problems and suggestions about the site 357 topics, 4,210 posts
Creative writing Go-related creative writing 66 topics, 639 posts

There is also an "Improve Your Game" section whose first visible board is Game Analysis, where members post games for review.

Who it suits

  • New players can start in Beginners and read the rules thread in Introductions and Guidelines before posting.
  • Improving amateurs can use Amateurs and Game Analysis to discuss their own games and training resources.
  • Stronger players and rules enthusiasts have Professionals and Go Rules for deeper analysis and rule-set debate.
  • Organizers and travelers can check Tournaments and Announcements for events and site or software news.

If you want structured lessons or a place to buy Go equipment, this forum is not that; it is a place for discussion among players.

How to use it

  1. Open the board index and pick the board that matches your question, for example Beginners for a first rules question.
  2. Read the forum rules in Introductions and Guidelines before posting.
  3. Use Search or Advanced search to check whether your question already has a thread; the index also links to Unanswered topics and Active topics.
  4. Register or log in to start a thread or reply. Reading appears open to visitors, while posting requires an account.
  5. To follow a game review, post your game in Game Analysis with context such as your level and what you want feedback on.

The index shows recent activity dates, so check the latest post on a board to judge whether it is currently active before expecting a quick reply.