GO 9x9 FOR THE ZX SPECTRUM
© LAWLORD 2026, version 1.3

The game of Go on a 9x9 board, against the computer or for two
players. Runs on the ZX Spectrum 48K, 128K, +2, +2A, +3 and Pentagon.


LOADING

go9x9.tap is the tape. On the 48K type LOAD "" and press ENTER.
On the 128K and +2 choose Tape Loader from the menu, on the +2A and
+3 choose Loader. First a picture loads, then the game loads under
it, all at once; loading takes about three and a half minutes.

go9x9.sna is a memory snapshot for emulators; the game starts at once.


MENU

After loading, and before every new game, the menu shows the
settings:

  1  BLACK     YOU
     WHITE     COMPUTER
  2  LEVEL     30 SEC A MOVE
  3  HANDICAP  NONE
     KOMI      7
  4  KEMPSTON  JOYSTICK OFF
     ENTER     START

Key 1 chooses who plays which colour: you Black and the computer
White, the computer Black and you White, or two players.
Key 2 chooses the computer's time per move: 10, 20, 30 or 60
seconds (with two players the line is empty).
Key 3 chooses the handicap: none, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stones.
Key 4 turns the Kempston joystick on or off (it is off at first).
Each key goes round its choices; ENTER starts the game (with the
joystick on, Fire starts it too).


KEMPSTON JOYSTICK

With the joystick on, a square cursor appears on the board. The
joystick moves it, and Fire plays there, as if you typed the
coordinate and pressed ENTER; the keys work as before. After two
passes, Fire on a stone marks it dead or alive, and Fire on an empty
point counts the score.

Turn it on only with a Kempston interface, or in an emulator set to
Kempston. Sinclair and Cursor joysticks are not supported: their keys
are the digits used for the rows.


MAKING A MOVE

Column letter (A-H and J; there is no I on the board), row digit,
ENTER. For example: E, 5, ENTER.

What you type appears on the panel after the ">" sign. The letter
and the digit can be typed in either order; a new letter or digit
replaces the previous one. CAPS SHIFT + 0 (DELETE) clears the input.

The last move is marked with a dot on the stone.


KEYS

P   pass.
U   take back a move. Against the computer it takes back its move
    and yours.
N   new game, which also means resigning. Answer Y to the question
    NEW?, then the menu appears; any other key returns to the game.
The menu settings can also be changed during a game:
K   handicap: 0, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stones.
S   which side the computer plays: White (S CPU W); nobody, for two
    players (S 2 PL.); Black (S CPU B).
L   the computer's time per move: 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds.
    Takes effect from its next move.


PANEL

MOVE             move number
BLACK TO PLAY    Black to move (or WHITE TO PLAY)
CAPT. B, W       stones captured by Black and by White
THINK            the computer is thinking
I PASS           the computer passed
WHITE RESIGNS    the computer resigned (BLACK RESIGNS if it played
                 Black)
TAKEN            the point is occupied
KO               the move is forbidden by the ko rule
SUICIDE          suicide is not allowed
SUPERKO          the move would repeat an earlier position
FULL             the game has 255 moves, no more can be recorded


RULES

Area scoring (Chinese rules): one point for each of your stones on
the board and for each empty point of your territory.
White gets 7 points komi, so a draw (JIGO) is possible.
Suicide is not allowed. A position that has already occurred in the
game may not be repeated (positional superko).


HANDICAP

2 to 5 stones, chosen in the menu or with key K. They are placed on
G7, C3, G3, C7, E5 (in this order). White moves first; komi is 0.5
points. Key K before the first move sets the handicap up at once;
during a game it applies from the next game.


END OF THE GAME

The game ends after two passes in a row.

The computer marks the dead stones itself with a cross; while it is
thinking, the panel shows WAIT. If you disagree, type the coordinate
of a stone and press ENTER: the mark of the whole chain is switched.
ENTER without a coordinate counts the score. The panel reminds you
of this: DEAD:A1 and ENT=END.

Black's territory is marked with filled squares, White's with hollow
ones. The panel shows both scores (B 45, W 36) and the result: the
winner's letter and the margin including komi, for example B+2 or
W+3.5.

If a pass was a mistake, key U returns to the game before counting.

If you pass and the computer is winning anyway, it passes too. It
decides by the same count as at the end of the game, with the dead
stones it sees, so it thinks a few seconds longer then.
In a hopeless position the computer resigns.


THE COMPUTER

The time per move is kept on average. In the opening the computer
often moves at once from its opening book; in clear positions it
moves faster, and the time saved goes to the difficult moves.

While you think, the computer also thinks about your possible
moves. Keys pressed while the computer is thinking take effect
after its move.

It reads ladders: it knows when a string in atari that runs away
will still be captured by a ladder.

Strength: about 8 kyu (estimated from matches).


CHANGES IN VERSION 1.3

A loading screen.


CHANGES IN VERSION 1.2

The Kempston joystick (menu key 4): a cursor on the board, Fire to
play.


CHANGES IN VERSION 1.1

The menu before the game.
The computer reads ladders.
No more mistaken passes: the computer now counts the score properly
before agreeing to end the game.