Go software

[RealNick]

Can anyone here recommend Go software that teaches and plays a reasonably strong game. I am a beginner and want to learn more about the game.

If anyone here plays backgammon something like GnuBG would be perfect.

Thanks!

[freegame]

there is GnuGo http://www.gnu.org/software/gnugo/

there are loads of programs that can run the GnuGo engine, store game databases, be used to store and solve tsumego.
have a look here http://senseis.xmp.net/?Software

[Li Kao]

I'd play igowin for a few days on 9x9 and then play people on KGS.

If you really want to play a computer, then AFAIk fuego is one of the strongest free engines. But people generally recommend playing humans rather than AIs, since most AIs play a strange style or have specific weaknesses you might tailor your style to. So if you play an AI, play one that's stronger than you.

But IMO solving tsumego and playing other humans is better than playing an AI.

[alejo]

I agree with Li Kao, as soon as you learn the basics of fighting and life-and-death, you should start playing humans. Or you'll get the famous bot-disease!!!

Gnugo, mogobot or fuego are all fine, but Gnugo may be the most extended engine so it's easier to plug it into any software.

[Li Kao]

I don't think playing bots is that bad for you as many other think, but playing humans is just soooo much more fun. And playing bots that are weaker than you is bad.

[alejo]

I think playing against bots is fine for learning the basics of fighting. Once you improve, you'll realise bots make certain silly mistakes, such as allowing you to kill a group by not defending it.

So playing with bots for some weeks/one month isn't bad, but I'd recommend switching to human players once you've adquired certain knowledge of "which stones are gonna die" and "what did go wrong with them"

[karaklis]

If you start winning against a bot (GnuGo or Aya), you can give it handicap stones and then raise the number of handi stones (I am currently playing Aya with five stones).

Unfortunately this does not apply to MC engines (like FueGo), unless it has dynamic komi, but as far as I know there is no freely available engine with dynamic komi.

[Mike Novack]

.......
Unfortunately this does not apply to MC engines (like FueGo), unless it has dynamic komi, but as far as I know there is no freely available engine with dynamic komi.......

Did you possibly mean "available for free" instead of "freely available"? I don't think you'd have any difficulty finding an application using MC/UTC that allowed handicapping either way (but you might have to pay for the program)