Misplaced Pages

#52947

105-550: Players of the game of Go often use jargon to describe situations on the board and surrounding the game. Such technical terms are likely to be encountered in books and articles about Go in English as well as other languages. Many of these terms have been borrowed from Japanese , mostly when no short equivalent English term could be found. This article gives an overview of the most important terms. Although Go originated in China ,

210-410: A ko threat . Because Black has the advantage of playing the first move, the idea of awarding White some compensation came into being during the 20th century. This is called komi , which gives white a 5.5-point compensation under Japanese rules, 6.5-point under Korean rules, and 15/4 stones, or 7.5-point under Chinese rules (number of points varies by rule set). Under handicap play, White receives only

315-418: A sente move elsewhere forcing the player to respond, in which case the opponent may then recapture the ko . Such a sente play is referred to as a ko threat . This kind of repeated back and forth sequence of ko capture, ko threat, response to ko threat, ko re-capture, etc., is known as a ko fight . Komi ( 込み, コミ ) is a bonus in score given to white as compensation for going second. There

420-424: A ' knight's move ' since it resembles the movement of the knight in chess . Kiai ( 気合い ) translates as 'fighting spirit', meaning play that is aggressive or where the player takes the initiative. Kiai typically means keeping sente and not letting the opponent have his or her way. A sensei might say, "You play too passively — put some kiai in your moves!” Kiai moves can surprise an opponent and turn

525-414: A 0.5-point komi, to break a possible tie ( jigo ). Two general types of scoring procedures are used, and players determine which to use before play. Both procedures almost always give the same winner. Both procedures are counted after both players have passed consecutively, the stones that are still on the board but unable to avoid capture, called dead stones, are removed. Given that the number of stones

630-447: A black stone. Such a point is often called a false eye . There is an exception to the requirement that a group must have two eyes to be alive, a situation called seki (or mutual life ). Where different colored groups are adjacent and share liberties, the situation may reach a position when neither player wants to move first because doing so would allow the opponent to capture; in such situations therefore both players' stones remain on

735-404: A circled point, because doing so would allow the opponent to capture their group on the next move. The outer groups in this example, both black and white, are alive. Seki can result from an attempt by one player to invade and kill a nearly settled group of the other player. Tactics deal with immediate fighting between stones, capturing and saving stones, life, death and other issues localized to

840-479: A group of stones or a shape where such a move could be played. The illustration shows a nakade often referred to as bulky five or chair shape. Nerai ( 狙い ) is a Japanese go term (noun, from the verb nerau) meaning threat, aim, target, follow-up. A peep is a move normally played in sente in which a stone is placed directly next to an empty point that would connect two groups. The move typically provokes an immediate response, since it threatens to separate

945-399: A group of stones that prevents capture) and establish formations for potential territory. Players usually start near the corners because establishing territory is easier with the aid of two edges of the board. Established corner opening sequences are called joseki and are often studied independently. However, in the mid-game, stone groups must also reach in towards the large central area of

1050-490: A handicap—Black is allowed to place two or more stones on the board to compensate for White's greater strength. There are different rulesets (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, AGA, etc.), which are almost entirely equivalent, except for certain special-case positions and the method of scoring at the end. Basic strategic aspects include the following: The strategy involved can become very abstract and complex. High-level players spend years improving their understanding of strategy, and

1155-746: A larger board with more scope for play and longer games and, on average, many more alternatives to consider per move. The number of legal board positions in Go has been calculated to be approximately 2.1 × 10 , which is far greater than the number of atoms in the observable universe , which is estimated to be on the order of 10 . The name Go is a short form of the Japanese word igo ( 囲碁 ; いご ), which derives from earlier wigo ( ゐご ), in turn from Middle Chinese ɦʉi gi ( 圍棋 , Mandarin : wéiqí , lit.   ' encirclement board game ' or ' board game of surrounding ' ). In English,

SECTION 10

#1732776106053

1260-464: A move is kikashi when it yields a high efficiency in play by forcing the opponent to abandon a course of action. A kikashi stone will usually be sacrificed while conferring an advantage; for example, the kikashi stone could act as a ladder breaker or destroy the opponent's potential eyeshape, while the answering move has no value at all. Moves can be kikashi , or not, depending on whether they are answered with appropriate sophistication or not. If

1365-490: A move is not suicide because the Black stones are removed first. In the "Examples of eyes" diagram, all the circled points are eyes. The two black groups in the upper corners are alive, as both have at least two eyes. The groups in the lower corners are dead, as both have only one eye. The group in the lower left may seem to have two eyes, but the surrounded empty point marked a is not actually an eye. White can play there and take

1470-506: A much earlier age, such as Sumire Nakamura and Cho Chikun . In order to qualify as a first-dan professional (1p), one must have deep resources of game experience and study. In local positions, professionals are often on close ground with each other, understanding good shape , tesuji , life and death , fuseki and joseki patterns. However, in global positions they often differ in positional judgement —the global impact and interaction of josekis and differing importance of various parts of

1575-416: A novice may play many hundreds of games against opponents before being able to win regularly. Strategy deals with global influence, the interaction between distant stones, keeping the whole board in mind during local fights, and other issues that involve the overall game. It is therefore possible to allow a tactical loss when it confers a strategic advantage. Novices often start by randomly placing stones on

1680-568: A number of amateur players acknowledged as having pro 6 dan understanding of the game. In South Korea, there are several amateur systems in use, with the recent introduction of official 7-, 6- and 5-dan amateur ranks, each of which is somewhat stronger than the corresponding European grade. A 7-dan amateur will have won three national events, and will be effectively of lower-ranked pro standard. The older gup system does not easily match others. In practice, in Korean clubs, grades may be worked out against

1785-465: A number of reasons, such as promotion not keeping up with actual gains in strength, or the fact that professional ranks (unlike kyu or amateur dan) may rise, but never fall (even if the player grows weaker). This has posed some problems, esp. with regards to international rank discernment. There are currently over one hundred people who have the rank of 9p (the highest professional rank), though many of them no longer play competitively. A further distinction

1890-543: A partnership of Chinese investors interesting in promoting the game of go in Europe. The aims of the system are to "give the strongest players a chance to compete on the same level as the Asian pro players", "attract more media attention and therefore also attract more sponsors." Any player holding a European passport and having been a citizen of an EGF-member country for at least 10 years is eligible, providing they are not already

1995-432: A player has on the board is directly related to the number of prisoners their opponent has taken, the resulting net score, that is, the difference between Black's and White's scores is identical under both rulesets (unless the players have passed different numbers of times during the course of the game). Thus, the net result given by the two scoring systems rarely differs by more than a point. While not actually mentioned in

2100-638: A professional player belonging to another professional association. The EGF also supports an "EGF Academy" that provides high-level training to the strongest young players in Europe. The Academy is a collaboration between the EGF, CEGO and the Ge Yuhong Go Academy in Beijing. Tuition is provided by both European and Asian professionals, and includes exchange programs allowing students to travel to China to study. The first Pro Qualification Tournament

2205-527: A professional player in China and Korea. The result, that new 1-dan professionals are generally stronger than other 1 dans in the past. In Japan, the Oteai system was reformed in 2004. The goal was to help alleviate some of the rank inflation that had crept in over the years. Today's Japanese system uses various benchmarks; for example, winning certain tournaments or a certain number of games, to be promoted by

SECTION 20

#1732776106053

2310-514: A rank. The Korean and Chinese systems have also been similarly changed in the past several years. These systems have increased the importance of international tournaments by incentivising rank promotion through international placement. Recent criticism has been given to this aspect, arguing that an individual may increase many professional ranks at once through the virtue of a single competition result (such as Piao Wenyao ). In theory, professional dans should beat all levels of amateur dans. In reality,

2415-454: A situation in which the ko rule applies Players are not allowed to make a move that returns the game to the immediately prior position. This rule, called the ko rule , prevents unending repetition (a stalemate). As shown in the example pictured: White had a stone where the red circle was, and Black has just captured it by playing a stone at 1 (so the White stone has been removed). However, it

2520-491: A specific part of the board. Larger issues which encompass the territory of the entire board and planning stone-group connections are referred to as Strategy and are covered in the Strategy section above. There are several tactical constructs aimed at capturing stones. These are among the first things a player learns after understanding the rules. Recognizing the possibility that stones can be captured using these techniques

2625-400: A stone can never be moved and can be taken off the board only if it is captured . A player may pass their turn, declining to place a stone, though this is usually only done at the end of the game when both players believe nothing more can be accomplished with further play. When both players pass consecutively, the game ends and is then scored . Vertically and horizontally adjacent stones of

2730-475: A stone on the first line three spaces into the defender's territory from the strong stone. Due to the special properties of the edge of the board, the defender cannot usually cut off the stone. Moyō ( 模様 ) is a framework for potential territory which usually consists of unconnected stones with some distance between them. The early game usually consists of competing for moyo by attempting to expand one's own and/or invade or reduce one's opponent's. This term

2835-403: A stone such that it or its group immediately has no liberties unless doing so immediately deprives an enemy group of its final liberty. In the second case, the enemy group is captured, leaving the new stone with at least one liberty, so the new stone can be placed. This rule is responsible for the all-important difference between one and two eyes: if a group with only one eye is fully surrounded on

2940-433: A time. The usual board size is a 19×19 grid, but for beginners or for playing quick games, the smaller board sizes of 13×13 and 9×9 are also popular. The board is empty to begin with. Black plays first unless given a handicap of two or more stones, in which case White plays first. The players may choose any unoccupied intersection to play on except for those forbidden by the ko and suicide rules (see below). Once played,

3045-666: A way as to construct territories rather than kill. The end of the middlegame and transition to the endgame is marked by a few features. Near the end of a game, play becomes divided into localized fights that do not affect each other, with the exception of ko fights, where before the central area of the board related to all parts of it. No large weak groups are still in serious danger. Moves can reasonably be attributed some definite value, such as 20 points or fewer, rather than simply being necessary to compete. Both players set limited objectives in their plans, in making or destroying territory, capturing or saving stones. These changing aspects of

3150-438: Is a fundamental mistake, rather than safe play. The kosumi ( 尖み, コスミ ) is a move placed at a point diagonally adjacent to another of one's own stones where the adjoining intersections are unoccupied. A ladder ( 四丁, シチョウ , shichō ) is a sequence of moves in which an attacker pursues a group in atari in a zig-zag pattern across the board. A liberty ( Japanese : 呼吸点 , Hepburn : kokyūten , Chinese: qì 氣 )

3255-415: Is a term for a situation where a stone or group of stones has only one liberty and may be captured on the next move if unable to attain additional liberties. A group in such a situation is said to be in atari or under atari . Beginners often verbally call out "atari" in a manner similar to calling out " check " in chess, but it is considered inappropriate for more advanced players. In the illustration,

List of Go terms - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-492: Is a tied score, i.e., the players have an equal number of points at the conclusion of the game. Jigo can be avoided by adding a fractional komi to white's score. Joseki ( 定石 , jōseki ) are established sequences of play which (locally speaking) are considered to give an optimal result (balanced exchanges and/or equal territories/influences) to both players. There are thousands of such lines that have been researched and documented. Often joseki are played out early in

3465-404: Is a vacant point that is immediately adjacent to a stone in a cardinal (orthogonal) direction, or connected through a continuous string of same-colored stones to such a point. A stone, chain, or group must have at least one liberty to survive. A group that has two or more separate internal liberties (eyes) is impossible to capture. Miai ( 見合い ) (Korean: 맞보기 ) are a pair of vacant points on

3570-423: Is adjacent to two or more chains of the same color. A vacant point adjacent to a stone, along one of the grid lines of the board, is called a liberty for that stone. Stones in a chain share their liberties. A chain of stones must have at least one liberty to remain on the board. When a chain is surrounded by opposing stones so that it has no liberties, it is captured and removed from the board. An example of

3675-559: Is an important step forward. Go professional A Go professional is a professional player of the game of Go . The minimum standard to acquire a professional diploma through one of the major Go organisations is very high. The competition is tremendous, and prize incentives for champion players are very large. For example, the Honinbo Tournament has a grand prize of about $ 350,000. Almost all professional players are from China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. This

3780-607: Is because until recently, only China ( China Qiyuan ), Japan ( Nihon Ki-in , Kansai Ki-in ), South Korea ( Korea Baduk Association (Hanguk Gi-Won)), and Taiwan ( Taiwan Chi Yuan Culture Foundation ) had professional Go organizations. In 2012, the AGA Professional System was established in the United States. In 2014, the EGF professional system was established in Europe. Professional rankings are separate from

3885-406: Is considered to be an example of a divine move. The double hane ( 二段バネ , ni-dan bane ) is a sequence of two moves in succession that step around an opponent's adjacent group. It can be an aggressive and appropriate way to play, although it exposes the stones to cutting. Eyes are internal, fully surrounded liberties of a group of stones. An eye cannot be filled by the opponent until all of

3990-452: Is no agreement on what Komi ought to be, but is commonly in the range of 4.5 to 7.5 points. Komi almost always includes a half point for breaking ties. Korigatachi ( 凝り形 ) is often translated as 'over-concentrated', but more literally is 'frozen shape'. If a player uses his stones in an inefficient way, the result will be korigatachi . Knowing something about this problem should tell you how to avoid it. Placing stones too close together

4095-420: Is non-obvious and which balances strategy and tactics to create an unexpected turning point in a game. A divine move is singular; it is of such rarity that a professional Go player might reasonably hope to play a single such move in a lifetime. The term comes from the Japanese phrase kami no Itte ( 神の一手 ) , meaning 'move of God' or 'Godly move'. The ear-reddening move played by Hon'inbō Shūsaku in 1846

4200-421: Is often translated as 'framework', 'potential' or 'wall'. Myoushu ( 妙手 , myōshu ) is an inspired move—a move which turns a game around or otherwise exceeds expectations. An example of myoushu is the ear-reddening move played by Honinbo Shusaku in 1846. A nakade ( 中手 , inside move) refers to a move inside an opponent's group that prevents the opponent from making two eyes. It can also refer to

4305-421: Is readily apparent that now Black's stone at 1 is immediately threatened by the three surrounding White stones. If White were allowed to play again on the red circle, it would return the situation to the original one, but the ko rule forbids that kind of endless repetition. Thus, White is forced to move elsewhere, or pass. If White wants to recapture Black's stone at 1 , White must attack Black somewhere else on

List of Go terms - Misplaced Pages Continue

4410-425: Is surrounded by the opponent on the outside, because each eye constitutes a liberty that must be filled by the opponent as the final step in capture. A formation having two or more eyes is said to be unconditionally alive , so it can evade capture indefinitely, and a group that cannot form two eyes is said to be dead and can be captured. The general strategy is to place stones to fence-off territory, attack

4515-414: Is that some 9p players regularly hold titles, others won some titles, some entered the title leagues, and many 9p never had the fortune to achieve any of the above. Traditionally it has been uncommon for a low professional dan to beat some of the highest pro dans. But since the late-1990s it has slowly become more common. This trend has been primarily credited to the result of increased competition to become

4620-444: Is the development of a flexible, efficient position that is difficult for the opponent to attack, often by means of contact plays and sacrifice. Seki ( 関, セキ ) is a Japanese term for an impasse that cannot be resolved into simple life and death . It is sometimes translated as "mutual life" ( Chinese : 雙活 ; pinyin : shuāng huó ). For example, a capturing race may end in a position in which neither player can capture

4725-402: Is used in Japanese when a prediction comes true or when someone wins a lottery. In Chinese ta chi'ih ( Chinese : 打, 打吃 or 叫吃 ; pinyin : dǎ, dǎ chī or jiào chī ; Wade–Giles : ta, ta ch'ih or chiao ch'ih ); Korean: dansu ( 단수 ). As the distance of a stone from the edge of the board has important tactical and strategic implications, it is normal to term the corner points of

4830-419: The score of the player with the white stones as compensation for playing second). Games may also end by resignation. The standard Go board has a 19×19 grid of lines, containing 361 points. Beginners often play on smaller 9×9 or 13×13 boards, and archaeological evidence shows that the game was played in earlier centuries on a board with a 17×17 grid. Boards with a 19×19 grid had become standard, however, by

4935-415: The 5-3 point (low kakari ) or the 5-4 point (high kakari ) when an opponent has previously played the 3-4 point, as in the diagram. More generally a kakari is low if it is played on the third line and high if it played on the fourth line. Kakaris higher than the fourth line are uncommon in professional play. A keima ( 桂馬, ケイマ ) is a stone placement which makes an 'L' shape. It is sometimes called

5040-423: The Black stones. (Such a move is forbidden according to the suicide rule in most rule sets, but even if not forbidden, such a move would be a useless suicide of a White stone.) If a Black group has two eyes, White can never capture it because White cannot remove both liberties simultaneously. If Black has only one eye, White can capture the Black group by playing in the single eye, removing Black's last liberty. Such

5145-655: The Grand Slam that has the largest prize pool in Europe (the overall champion won €10,000 in 2021). Furthermore, they are provided with opportunities to compete in Professional Go Leagues organised by the EGF since 2020, which are reserved only to professional players and also offer high prize pools. During major European tournaments, professional players are also paid to provide live commentary of games. Seven qualification tournaments have resulted in nine European players being awarded professional status by

5250-462: The Japanese custom of arranging marriage through a series of meetings ( miai ) to view prospective spouses ( 見る miru , "view", 合う au , "meet"). A monkey jump is a move, usually used in the end-game, which can reduce one's opponent's territory significantly. It can be played when the attacker has a strong stone on the second line and the defender has no nearby stones on the first or second line guarding his hoped-for territory. The attacker places

5355-490: The Japanese professional ranking system, distinction between ranks was traditionally considered to be roughly one third of a handicap stone (making the difference 3 pro dan equal to one amateur dan). The strength of new professionals (1-dan) was usually comparable to that of the highest ranked amateurs. Currently the professional ranks are assumed to be more bunched together, covering not much more than two amateur dans; so that pro 1 dans win some games against 9 dans. There are also

SECTION 50

#1732776106053

5460-567: The Netherlands a "classes"-system (German: "Klassen") was established by Go pioneer Bruno Rüger in 1920. It comprised a further subdivision into Kyu/Dan half-grades with classes 18 and 17 = amateur 1-dan with the 17 being on the stronger side. It was replaced by the Japanese amateur ranking system in the 1970s. A European professional system was established by the European Go Federation in 2014, with sponsorship from "CEGO",

5565-455: The amateur ratings (usually 30-kyu through 7-dan ). Professional rankings are 1-dan through 9-dan (sometimes written 1p through 9p ). In the past, a 1-dan professional was roughly equal to a (European) 7-dan amateur. However, since the competition to become a professional has increased since the late 1990s (particularly in China and Korea), it has become the case that new 1-dan professionals are much stronger than they usually were in

5670-399: The answering move strengthens the position, then the play is not kikashi but aji keshi (ruining one's own potential). Ko ( Japanese : 劫, コウ , Hepburn : kō , pronounced / k oʊ / ; Chinese: 打劫) refers to a situation where the ko rule applies. The ko rule states that a move cannot be played such that it causes the board to look exactly the same as it did at the end of

5775-437: The black group with false eye a can be killed by white in two turns. When a group of stones is mostly surrounded and has no options to connect with friendly stones elsewhere, the status of the group is either alive, dead or unsettled . A group of stones is said to be alive if it cannot be captured, even if the opponent is allowed to move first. Conversely, a group of stones is said to be dead if it cannot avoid capture, even if

5880-439: The board (1, 1) points, and count lines in from the edge. Dame ( Japanese : 駄目 , pronounced / ˈ d ɑː m eɪ / DAH -may ; [daˈme] ; Chinese : 單官 ; pinyin : dan1 guan1 ; Wade–Giles : tan kuan ) are unfilled neutral points that will not benefit either side. Typically, the term refers to vacant points that lie between two opposing forces, and will eventually be filled without altering

5985-413: The board (in seki). Neither player receives any points for those groups, but at least those groups themselves remain living, as opposed to being captured. Seki can occur in many ways. The simplest are: In the "Example of seki (mutual life)" diagram, the two circled points are liberties shared by both a black and a white group. Both of these interior groups are at risk, and neither player wants to play on

6090-454: The board during the opening and middle game. The strength differences between professional levels is usually considered to be no more than 2–3 handicap stones. Therefore, the difference between professional dan levels corresponds to about one-third to one-fourth of a handicap stone. Each country has different rules for promotion. Ranks may, therefore, differ somewhat from country to country. Professionals may also differ in actual strength for

6195-406: The board impacts the course of the game regardless of whether a player makes moves to realize the latent potential. A situation is said to contain bad aji when the presence of the opponent's stones or weaknesses in one's own position create a threat of compromising the position at an opportune moment in the game. It can be very difficult for players to assess the best moment to play a move to realize

6300-428: The board so forcefully that Black moves elsewhere to counter that, giving White that chance. If White's forcing move is successful, it is termed "gaining the sente "; if Black responds elsewhere on the board, then White can retake Black's stone at 1 , and the ko continues, but this time Black must move elsewhere. A repetition of such exchanges is called a ko fight . To stop the potential for ko fights , two stones of

6405-457: The board that are equivalent in value. For example, if Black plays at A , White can play at B and suffer no disadvantage from the exchange. This occurs often. Miai can be seen in the fuseki stage on a large scale, or in a simple life and death problem, such as a straight four-space eye. This shape is alive because of its two central points a and b : if Black plays a , White can answer with b and vice versa. The term originates from

SECTION 60

#1732776106053

6510-457: The board to capture more territory. Dame are points that lie in between the boundary walls of black and white, and as such are considered to be of no value to either side. Seki are mutually alive pairs of white and black groups where neither has two eyes. Ko (Chinese and Japanese: 劫 ) is a potentially indefinitely repeated stone-capture position. The rules do not allow a board position to be repeated. Therefore, any move which would restore

6615-456: The board with one's stones than the opponent. As the game progresses, the players place stones on the board creating stone "formations" and enclosing spaces. Stones are never moved on the board, but when "captured" are removed from the board. Stones are linked together into a formation by being adjacent along the black lines, not on diagonals (of which there are none). Contests between opposing formations are often extremely complex and may result in

6720-411: The board, as if it were a game of chance. An understanding of how stones connect for greater power develops, and then a few basic common opening sequences may be understood. Learning the ways of life and death helps in a fundamental way to develop one's strategic understanding of weak groups . A player who both plays aggressively and can handle adversity is said to display kiai , or fighting spirit, in

6825-517: The current English and Western technical vocabulary borrows a high proportion of terms from the Japanese language because it was through Japan that the West was introduced to Go . Many of these terms are from a jargon used for technical Go writing and are to some extent specially developed for Go journalism. Some authors of English-language Go materials avoid use of Japanese technical terms, and

6930-432: The elements of life or death are the primary challenges of Go. In the end game players may pass rather than place a stone if they think there are no further opportunities for profitable play. The game ends when both players pass or when one player resigns. In general, to score the game, each player counts the number of unoccupied points surrounded by their stones and then subtracts the number of stones that were captured by

7035-414: The expansion, reduction, or wholesale capture and loss of formations and their enclosed empty spaces (called "eyes"). Another essential component of the game is control of the sente (that is, controlling the offense, so that one's opponent is forced into defensive moves); this usually changes several times during play. Initially the board is bare, and players alternate turns to place one stone per turn. As

7140-465: The eye. When a group shares (is adjacent to) one or more eyes with the opposing player's groups, those eyes do not count as territory for either player. Sometimes those eyes are reduced to dame as other areas of the board change to give one or both groups additional eyes, allowing one or both players to fill the shared eyes. But sometimes those shared eyes do not resolve ( see seki ). Playing gote ( 後手 , after hand) means responding directly to

7245-453: The game and involve dividing the corners. There are also "mid-game joseki", dealing with for example an invasion into a common enclosure or framework. Though joseki have some parallel with chess openings , they differ significantly. Chess openings structure the whole board while joseki deal only with a local position. Therefore, the choice of which joseki (of many possible) to play in any given situation should be based on an assessment of

7350-417: The game and takes a large proportion of professional players' thinking time. The first stone played at a corner of the board is generally placed on the third or fourth line from the edge. Players tend to play on or near the 4–4 star point during the opening. Playing nearer to the edge does not produce enough territory to be efficient, and playing further from the edge does not safely secure the territory. In

7455-423: The game around. Examples of kiai include defending with a move that also counter-attacks or answering a kikashi (forcing move) in an unexpected way. Kiai is also a term used in Japanese martial arts , usually as a name for a loud yell accompanying an attack. Literally meaning 'an enlivenment', kikashi ( 利かし ) is a forcing move, usually one made outside the primary flow of play. Unlike sente , though,

7560-522: The game is played is heuristic, meaning it is learned information about how the patterns of the stones on the board function, rather than a rule. Other rules are specialized, as they come about through different rulesets, but the above two rules cover almost all of any played game. Although there are some minor differences between rulesets used in different countries, most notably in Chinese and Japanese scoring rules, these differences do not greatly affect

7665-549: The game proceeds, players try to link their stones together into "living" formations (meaning that they are permanently safe from capture), as well as threaten to capture their opponent's stones and formations. Stones have both offensive and defensive characteristics, depending on the situation. An essential concept is that a formation of stones must have, or be capable of making, at least two enclosed open points known as eyes to preserve itself from being captured. A formation having at least two eyes cannot be captured, even after it

7770-480: The game usually occur at much the same time, for strong players. In brief, the middlegame switches into the endgame when the concepts of strategy and influence need reassessment in terms of concrete final results on the board. Aside from the order of play (alternating moves, Black moves first or takes a handicap) and scoring rules, there are essentially only two rules in Go: Almost all other information about how

7875-406: The game. In the opening of the game, players usually play and gain territory in the corners of the board first, as the presence of two edges makes it easier for them to surround territory and establish the eyes they need. From a secure position in a corner, it is possible to lay claim to more territory by extending along the side of the board. The opening is the most theoretically difficult part of

7980-426: The global position. This includes considerations of the direction of play, current balance of territory and influence, and one's own game strategy. It is also quite possible to deviate from joseki and obtain a good result if the surrounding position allows. In other words, joseki are sensitive to the context in which they are played. A kakari ( 掛かり, カカリ ) is an approach move to a corner position, such as at

8085-401: The group's other liberties have been filled. The presence or absence of eyes in a group determine life or death of that group: A group with one or no eyes will die unless its owner can develop them; conversely, a group with two or more eyes will live since an opponent can never reduce the group down to a single liberty. Eyes are counted as occupied territory of the group that fully surrounds

8190-417: The joining of Bat , meaning 'field', and Dok , meaning 'stone'. Less plausible etymologies include a derivation of Badukdok , referring to the playing pieces of the game, or a derivation from Chinese páizi ( 排子 ), meaning 'to arrange pieces'. Go is an adversarial game between two players with the objective of capturing territory. That is, occupying and surrounding a larger total empty area of

8295-475: The life of a large group, while others may be worth just one or two points. Some ko fights are referred to as picnic kos when only one side has a lot to lose. In Japanese, it is called a hanami ko. Playing with others usually requires a knowledge of each player's strength, indicated by the player's rank (increasing from 30 kyu to 1 kyu, then 1 dan to 7 dan, then 1 dan pro to 9 dan pro). A difference in rank may be compensated by

8400-509: The middlegame, the players invade each other's territories, and attack formations that lack the necessary two eyes for viability. Such groups may be saved or sacrificed for something more significant on the board. It is possible that one player may succeed in capturing a large weak group of the opponent's, which often proves decisive and ends the game by a resignation. However, matters may be more complex yet, with major trade-offs, apparently dead groups reviving, and skillful play to attack in such

8505-552: The name Go when used for the game is often capitalized to differentiate it from the common word go . In events sponsored by the Ing Chang-ki Foundation, it is spelled goe . The Korean name baduk (바둑) derives from the Middle Korean word Badok , the origin of which is controversial; the more plausible etymologies include the suffix dok added to Ba to mean 'flat and wide board', or

8610-448: The opening, players often play established sequences called joseki , which are locally balanced exchanges; however, the joseki chosen should also produce a satisfactory result on a global scale. It is generally advisable to keep a balance between territory and influence. Which of these gets precedence is often a matter of individual taste. The middle phase of the game is the most combative, and usually lasts for more than 100 moves. During

8715-408: The opponent's sente move. A hane ( Japanese : 跳ね ; Chinese : 扳 ; pinyin : bān ; Wade–Giles : pan ) is a move that goes around one or more of the opponent's stones. Hayago ( 早碁 ) means 'quick go', 'fast go' or 'quick play'. Most hayago games last either five minutes, with ten seconds allotted for each move, or ten minutes, with thirty seconds per move. A jigo

8820-427: The opponent's weak groups (trying to kill them so they will be removed), and always stay mindful of the life status of one's own groups. The liberties of groups are countable. Situations where mutually opposing groups must capture each other or die are called capturing races, or semeai . In a capturing race, the group with more liberties will ultimately be able to capture the opponent's stones. Capturing races and

8925-481: The opponent. The player with the greater score (after adjusting for handicapping called komi ) wins the game. In the opening stages of the game, players typically establish groups of stones (or bases ) near the corners and around the sides of the board, usually starting on the third or fourth line in from the board edge rather than at the very edge of the board. The edges and corners make it easier to develop groups which have better options for life (self-viability for

9030-453: The other. There are numerous types of seki positions that can arise, characterized as cases in which neither player adds a play to groups that do not have two eyes . The area remains untouched; at the end all groups involved are deemed alive, but no points are scored for territory. Go (game) The playing pieces are called stones . One player uses the white stones and the other black. The players take turns placing their stones on

9135-433: The outside, it can be killed with a stone placed in its single eye. (An eye is an empty point or group of points surrounded by a group of stones). The Ing and New Zealand rules do not have this rule, and there a player might destroy one of its own groups (commit suicide). This play would only be useful in limited sets of situations involving a small interior space or planning. In the example at right, it may be useful as

9240-413: The owner of the group is allowed the first move. Otherwise, the group is said to be unsettled: the defending player can make it alive or the opponent can kill it, depending on who gets to play first. An eye is an empty point or group of points surrounded by a group of stones. If the eye is surrounded by Black stones, White cannot play there unless such a play would take Black's last liberty and capture

9345-804: The past. There have also been professional Go players from the West competing in East Asian professional associations, specifically Romania, Austria, Germany, Russia, Hungary, Australia, Finland and the United States of America. Professional dan rankings are normally awarded in Japan, China, South Korea or Taiwan, through one of the professional Go associations. The attainment of professional qualification differs in different countries: Most professional players begin studying Go seriously when they are children, commonly reaching professional status in their mid to late teens. Some rare students achieve professional status at

9450-468: The player's last move. Consequently, if a player captures a single stone, the opponent cannot respond immediately by capturing the stone the player used to make the original capture. This would make the board look as it did immediately prior—a situation that could repeat indefinitely. A player may take advantage of the ko rule by playing a move with the knowledge that the opponent will not be permitted to recapture immediately. The opponent, however, may play

9555-406: The potential of aji in a position or to remove the threat of bad aji in one's own position. In the diagram, the triangled stone is dead, and the three squared white stones appears to be trapped. However, the aji of the triangled stone enables White to escape by jumping to White 1. If black resists, the two black stones can be captured with the help of the triangled stone. Atari ( 当たり )

9660-431: The previous board position would not be allowed, and the next player would be forced to play somewhere else. If the play requires a strategic response by the first player, further changing the board, then the second player could "retake the ko," and the first player would be in the same situation of needing to change the board before trying to take the ko back. And so on. Some of these ko fights may be important and decide

9765-435: The resident strongest amateur. The Taiwan Chi Yuan Culture Foundation also employs a dan system similar to that in Japan. It ranks its professional players from beginner dan (初段) up to 9-dan, being the highest. However, the amateur ranking system is established by another organization which certifies amateur player through competitions, ranking player from beginner dan (初段) to 6-dan with 7-dan being honorary. In Germany and

9870-412: The rules of Go (at least in simpler rule sets, such as those of New Zealand and the U.S.), the concept of a living group of stones is necessary for a practical understanding of the game. Examples of eyes (marked). The black groups at the top of the board are alive, as they have at least two eyes. The black groups at the bottom are dead as they only have one eye. The point marked a is a false eye, thus

9975-410: The same color form a chain (also called a string or group ), forming a discrete unit that cannot then be divided. Only stones connected to one another by the lines on the board create a chain; stones that are diagonally adjacent are not connected. Chains may be expanded by placing additional stones on adjacent intersections, and they can be connected together by placing a stone on an intersection that

10080-451: The same color would need to be added to the group, making either a group of 5 Black or 5 White stones. While the various rulesets agree on the ko rule prohibiting returning the board to an immediately previous position, they deal in different ways with the relatively uncommon situation in which a player might recreate a past position that is further removed. See Rules of Go § Repetition for further information. A player may not place

10185-420: The score. Basically, dame points are of no interest, though they must be filled before counting the score under area (Chinese style) scoring. The Japanese rules define a dame as a vacant point that is not surrounded by live stones of only one color, so the term can also refer to an empty point that is tactically useful as a liberty for a unit. A divine move is an exceptional, inspired and original move; one that

10290-411: The tactics and strategy of the game. Except where noted, the basic rules presented here are valid independent of the scoring rules used. The scoring rules are explained separately. Go terms for which there is no ready English equivalent are commonly called by their Japanese names. The two players, Black and White, take turns placing stones of their color on the intersections of the board, one stone at

10395-449: The time the game reached Korea in the 5th century CE and Japan in the 7th century CE. Go was considered one of the four essential arts of the cultured aristocratic Chinese scholars in antiquity. The earliest written reference to the game is generally recognized as the historical annal Zuo Zhuan ( c.  4th century BCE). Despite its relatively simple rules , Go is extremely complex. Compared to chess , Go has both

10500-417: The triangled white stones are said to be in atari , because black can capture them in a single move. If black plays a move at a , the white pieces are immediately captured and removed from the board. In Japanese, atari ( Japanese : 当たり, あたり, or アタリ ) is the nominalized form of ataru ( 当たる , あたる , or アタル ), meaning 'to hit the target' or 'to receive something fortuitously'. The word atari

10605-561: The two groups. A pincer is a move that approaches an opponent's stone from both sides. The purpose of the attack is to diminish the opponent's ability to form a base or occupy a territory on the side. A probe is a sophisticated move designed to yield information about the opponent's intentions based on how they respond. The Japanese term for a probing move is yosu-miru ( 様子見る ) . The phrase yōsu o miru literally means 'to see how things stand'. A probe draws on other concepts such as kikashi , aji , and korigatachi. Sabaki ( 捌き )

10710-512: The vacant intersections ( points ) on the board . Once placed, stones may not be moved, but captured stones are immediately removed from the board. A single stone (or connected group of stones) is captured when surrounded by the opponent's stones on all orthogonally adjacent points. The game proceeds until neither player wishes to make another move. When a game concludes, the winner is determined by counting each player's surrounded territory along with captured stones and komi (points added to

10815-425: The very top amateurs have proven very able. The conventional wisdom is that such players may achieve some of the insight of a pro, though perhaps not the detailed knowledge. In China, Korea, and Japan, there are two distinct ranking sets, one for amateur players and one for professional players (who receive a fee for each game they play, bonuses for winning, and fees for other related activities such as teaching). In

10920-446: The way they are applied can differ in subtle ways from the original meanings. A few Korean-language terms have come into use (e.g., haengma as a way of describing the development of stones). Aji ( Japanese : 味 , Chinese : 味道 ; pinyin : wèi dào ; Wade–Giles : wei tao , Korean 맛[ma:t]) meaning 'taste' refers to the latent potential of stones to open various avenues of play. The aji in various positions on

11025-447: Was held in three European cities in the same year as the system's launch, and resulted in first Pavol Lisý of Slovakia and secondly Ali Jabarin of Israel emerging as the most successful players and thus the first two European professional players. A summary of all Qualification Tournaments is given below. Professional players in Europe receive various benefits. They gain automatic qualification to prestigious European tournaments, including

#52947