Technical
Game
- Byo Yomi
- "Reading the seconds". When time is almost up, the timekeeper counts the remaining seconds aloud. Traditional in Japanese title matches. In the west, the term is (wrongly) used for the Japanese time system. (Incidently, the Western Japanese time system is also a bad interpretation of the actual system.)
- Goban
- The board on which Go is played.
- Jigo
- A drawn game.
- Komi
- A 'points' allowance give to White in a even game to compensate Black for having the first move.
- Nigiri
- A method of fairly choosing something using Go stones: One player picks up an unseen handful of white stones. The second player says odd or even. If he is correct, the second player gets to choose otherwise the first player chooses. When used to select colour in even games, if the second player is correct, he gets Black.
Phases
- Fuseki
- The opening phase of the game.
- Chuban
- The middle game.
- Yose
- The endgame. Also: Shuban.
Points - Areas
- Moku
- A point on the board. Also used in scoring.
- Dame
- A neutral point, of no value to either player.
- Eye
- A point or group of points, completely surrounded by stones of one player. Two eyes are needed for a group to be alive. (Ignoring seki situations.) For more info, see eyes.
- Territory
- Empty points, completely surrounded by a player's live stones at the end of the game, are considered territory of that player.
Ranks
- Shodan
- One-dan level.
- Dan
- Master rank.
- Kyu
- Student rank.
- Insei
- Japanese student studying to be a professional.
Other basic terms
- Atari
- The state of having only one liberty left.
- Joseki
- A standardised sequence of moves, usually in a corner.
- Tenuki
- To abandon the local position and play elsewhere.
- Tesuji
- A good move.
Points
- 3-3
- San-san.
- 3-4
- Komoku.
- 3-5
- Mokuhazushi.
- 3-6
- Oomokuhazushi.
- 4-4
- Hoshi (actually all star points, but 4-4 when talking about Joseki).
- 4-5
- Takamoku (literally: "high point").
- 4-6
- Ootakamoku.
- 5-5
- Gonogo.
- 10-10
- Tengen.
Connections
Straight
Tactics
Moves against stones of the opponent
Boshi: A capping move. Usually played at a one space interval above an enemy stone.
Hane: A move that 'bends round' an enemy stone, leaving a cutting point behind.
Hane tsugi: A hane () followed by a connection ().
Hasami, Pincer: A move () which attacks an invading stone () from both sides.
Kakari: Approach move () against a single stone () in the corner. The diagram shows a keima kakari.
Magari, Bend. Move that bends around an enemy stone, leaving no cutting points.
Peep: See diagram. Both and are peeps.
Ponnuki: Diamond shape that results from the capture of a single stone. In the example, white's capture of a black stone at "a" creates a ponnuki.
Ko. Example: captures a black stone at "a". Black is not allowed to retake at "a", because that would repeat the previous position.
Seki: A local stalemate between two or more groups dependent on the same liberties for survival. In the example, the marked groups are in seki.
- Semeai
- A race to capture between two adjacent groups that cannot both live. In the example, whoever has sente will win the semeai.
Shicho: A ladder. In the example, assuming an otherwise empty board, white can't escape.
Geta: A net. In the example, creates a net, from where the marked white stones can't escape.
Snapback. Putting your opponent in atari with a stone that is in atari itself, but if the opponent would capture your sacrificial stone, he would still be in atari.
Strategic concepts
Concepts
- Aji
- Latent possibilities left behind in a position.
- Aji keshi
- A move which destroys one's own aji (and is therefore bad).
- Amarigatachi
- A position where you were apparently attacking nicely and pushing the opponent around, but you either let the opponent live or got a trivial profit.
- Damezumari
- Shortage of liberties.
- Furikawari
- A trade of territory or groups.
- Haengma
- Fuzzy Korean concept of moves.
- Hamete
- A basically unsound move which complicates the situation. Often the obvious answer to a hamete is bad and it is difficult to see the right way to play. Also "trick play".
- Honte
- "The proper move". Used of a seemingly slow but solid move that leaves no bad aji.
- Kikashi
- A move which creates aji while forcing a submissive reply.
- Miai
- Two points related to each other such that if one player takes one of them, the opponent will take the other one.
- Moyo
- A potential territory.
- Nakade
- Play inside the opponent's group's eye space that kills it.
- Oiotoshi
- "Connect and die"
- Oshitsubushi
- A way of countering nakade.
- Sabaki
- "Skilful process successfully handling an awkward situation".
- Shape
- Shape.
- Suji
- Fuzzy Japanese concept of moves.
Conflicting objectives or terminology
Good
You want to be Strong and Thick, but also Light.
Bad
You don't want to be Heavy or Overconcentrated, but also not Weak or Thin.
- Note: This section is probably not entirely correct.
Initiative
- Gote
- Losing the initiative.
- Sente
- Gaining the initiative; a move that requires a reply.
Openings
See Overview Of Fuseki Patterns.