Editing Rules of Go (section)

==== Capture ====
'''Step 2 of a play. (After playing their stone) a player removes from the board any stones of their opponent's color that have no liberties.'''

The stones removed from the board are said to have been ''captured'' by the player moving.

The diagrams below show the capture of a white stone by Black. To begin with, the white stone has a single liberty at ''a''. By playing a stone at ''a'', Black removes the last remaining liberty of the white stone. It is subsequently removed from the board.

{|border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  b|  w|  A|  r
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
| dl|  d|  d|  d| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  b|  w| b1|  r
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
| dl|  d|  d|  d| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  b|   |  b|  r
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
| dl|  d|  d|  d| dr|24}}
|-valign="top"
|Before
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|Black plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After removal
|}

At the edge of the board and especially in the corners, stones have fewer liberties to start with and are more easily captured.

{|border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  b|   |   |   |  r
|  w|  b|   |   |  r
| lA|   |   |   |  r
| dl|  d|  d|  d| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  b|   |   |   |  r
|  w|  b|   |   |  r
| b1|   |   |   |  r
| dl|  d|  d|  d| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  b|   |   |   |  r
|  l|  b|   |   |  r
|  b|   |   |   |  r
| dl|  d|  d|  d| dr|24}}
|-valign="top"
|Before
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|Black plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After removal
|}

Next, White captures a chain of four black stones by playing at ''a''.

{|border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  w|  u|  u| ur
|  w|  b|  A|   |  r
|  w|  b|  b|  w|  r
|  l|  w|  b|  w|  r
| dl|  d|  w|  d| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  w|  u|  u| ur
|  w|  b| w1|   |  r
|  w|  b|  b|  w|  r
|  l|  w|  b|  w|  r
| dl|  d|  w|  d| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  w|  u|  u| ur
|  w|   |  w|   |  r
|  w|   |   |  w|  r
|  l|  w|   |  w|  r
| dl|  d|  w|  d| dr|24}}
|-valign="top"
|Before
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|White plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After removal
|}

Black captures the white chain by playing at ''a''. The black stone is not captured, because the white stones are removed first, providing it with two liberties.

{|border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |   |   |  r
|  l|   |   |  b|  b
|  l|   |  b|  w|  w
| dl|  d|  b|  w|drA|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |   |   |  r
|  l|   |   |  b|  b
|  l|   |  b|  w|  w
| dl|  d|  b|  w| b1|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |   |   |  r
|  l|   |   |  b|  b
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
| dl|  d|  b|  d| b1|24}}
|-valign="top"
|Before
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|Black plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After removal
|}

Black captures the marked white chain at the edge of the board by playing at ''a''. Then White captures the black stone in the corner by playing at ''b''.

{|border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  w|  w|  w|  r
|  l|   |  b|  b|  w
| dl|  b| wT| wT|drA|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  w|  w|  w|  r
|  l|   |  b|  b|  w
| dl|  b| wT| wT| b1|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  w|  w|  w|  r
|  l|   |  b|  b|  w
| dl|  b|  d| dB| b1|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  w|  w|  w|  r
|  l|   |  b|  b|  w
| dl|  b|  d| w2| b1|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  u|  u| ur
|  l|   |  b|   |  r
|  l|  w|  w|  w|  r
|  l|   |  b|  b|  w
| dl|  b|  d| w2| dr|24}}
|-valign="top"
|Before
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|Black plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After capture
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|White plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After capture
|}

Here, White captures the three marked black chains by playing at ''a''. 
{|border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  b|  b| ur
|  w|  w|   |  w|  r
|  w| bT|  w| bT|  w
| bT|  A| bT| bT|  w
| bT| bT|  w|  w| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  b|  b| ur
|  w|  w|   |  w|  r
|  w| bT|  w| bT|  w
| bT| w1| bT| bT|  w
| bT| bT|  w|  w| dr|24}}
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{{Go board 5x5
| ul|  u|  b|  b| ur
|  w|  w|   |  w|  r
|  w|   |  w|   |  w
|  l| w1|   |   |  w
| dl|  d|  w|  w| dr|24}}
|-valign="top"
|Before
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|White plays
|&nbsp;&nbsp;
|After capture
|}