The pieces used are black and white lens-shaped disks, called stones.
Black starts out with 181 stones and White with 180. The total of 361 stones corresponds to the number of intersections on the standard 19x19 go board.
The stones are usually kept in wooden bowls next to the board.
How Go Is Played
At the beginning of the game, the board is empty.
One player takes the black stones, the other player the white ones.
The player with the black stones, referred to as `Black', makes the first move. The player with the white stones, referred to as `White', makes the second move. Thereafter, they alternate making their moves.