In short, while glossing over some technical details:
Under Japanese rules, a player’s score can be computed as either:
- Their territory plus their opponent’s dead/captured stones, OR
- Their territory minus their own dead/captured stones.
Under Chinese rules, each player’s score can be computed as either:
- Their territory plus their own living stones, OR
- Their territory minus their own dead/captured stones, if pass stones are used.
In addition, a third method to counting under Chinese rules is to use the half-scoring method, described above, where only one player’s score needs to be counted.
If the total number of stones that each player is supplied with is known, Ing counting methods (such as by filling in or counting stones left in the bowl) are also alternative ways to count.
Thus, when using the Chinese rules in over the board play, it can basically be just as easy to count as under the Japanese rules, since using pass stones reduces counting to only tallying up territory and captures. However, Chinese rules can also equivalently use half-scoring and Ing counting.