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Is there a program for the C64 that plays the game of Go?

Progress on Go engines has started later than with chess, so maybe there is no C64 Go software from the 80s, but maybe someone has recently created such a program?

The program does not have to be strong, just be able to play the game.

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  • If there was it would have been terrible. Even in the late 90's the state of the art for Go AIs was very bad, and that was on much more capable computers. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Go#Early_decades
    – user722
    Commented Nov 24, 2017 at 19:07
  • Thanks. Wikipedia mentions two programs written in the 80s in Forth. None of them is for the C64, but one runs on a computer with only 1K of RAM, so writing one for the C64 should not be impossible. Of course, it is weak, and it only uses a 15x15 board. But, in fact, a 9x9 board would also be okay.
    – RetroQuestion2017
    Commented Nov 24, 2017 at 20:39
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    I wrote one for the BBC Micro in the '80s. It was a bit rubbish as you might expect but I got it to the stage where it would beat me.
    – Chenmunka ♦
    Commented Nov 25, 2017 at 11:27
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    @Chenmunka It's interesting to hear from a person who has actually written a go program at that time. Do you still have it?
    – RetroQuestion2017
    Commented Nov 25, 2017 at 14:12
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    @RetroQuestion2017. No, I don't still have it. It taught me a lot about pattern recognition, and about Go, when I wrote it. But the limits of the machine stopped it being any real use.
    – Chenmunka ♦
    Commented Nov 26, 2017 at 9:04

2 Answers 2

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Yes, it was written by Stack Computer Services Ltd., but it's not very good. OK for beginners to learn from.

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  • There is also a Go game called Go Player for the Amiga and Atari ST. Here is a video of the Atari ST version
    – Tim Locke
    Commented Nov 24, 2017 at 21:00
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    Thanks. The game from Stack Computer Services seems to have the strength of ca. 20 kyu. It's a good example. I can imagine that beginners could have fun playing against it. I'll have to play against the Atari program to see how good it is.
    – RetroQuestion2017
    Commented Nov 25, 2017 at 14:10
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    Now, I have also found Microgo1 for the C64. It uses a 9x9-sized board and plays a decent beginner's game.
    – RetroQuestion2017
    Commented Nov 25, 2017 at 17:41
  • I wonder what kind of recent program (LZ? ) could be ported reasonnably on a C64... once the training is done there is not much computation left... but "not much" by today's standard is definitely not "not much" by c64 standard ... but just playing with current "intuition" and almost no "reading" would make it stronger than 20kyu probably
    – Olivier Dulac
    Commented Jul 25, 2019 at 18:13
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    @OlivierDulac: If one were to treat one or more a modern flash chips as a large ROM, and use a modest but application-specific combination of 1980s "jellybean" logic chips to interface it, one could probably improve performance enormously. While 32Kx8 ROM chips weren't terribly cheap during the C64's reign, augmenting a $200 C64 with $400 worth of 32Kx8 ROM chips loaded with "data from the future" and other logic could probably have yielded something that could play Go better than any stock computer that could be bought for $600.
    – supercat
    Commented Nov 1 at 17:22
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There is a Port of GNU Go available for the C64. It is for Version 1.2 which is a Werk Engine but it works.

Game link: http://www.c64games.de/phpseiten/spieledetail.php?filnummer=6751

Download link: https://www.c64games.de/hugo.php?art=d&fil=6751&Dateiname=/g/gnugo.zip

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