uxs/ Terms And Concepts

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Table of contents

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

[Diagram]
Nobi  

Nobi.

[Diagram]
Ikken Tobi  

Ikken Tobi.

[Diagram]
Niken Tobi  

Niken Tobi.


Diagonal

[Diagram]
Kosumi  

Kosumi.

[Diagram]
Hazama Tobi  

Hazama Tobi.


Knight's moves

[Diagram]
Keima, Kogeima  

Keima, Knight's Move; Kogeima, Small Knight's Move.

[Diagram]
Ogeima  

Ogeima, Large Knight's Move.


Enclosures

[Diagram]
Shimari example  

A Shimari is a (Corner) Enclosure.


Non-basic connections

[Diagram]
Bamboo Joint  

Bamboo joint.

[Diagram]
Tiger's Mouth  

Tiger's Mouth, Cat's Face.

[Diagram]
Table  

Table.

[Diagram]
Trapezium  

Trapezium.

[Diagram]
Empty triangle  

Empty Triangle - this is (almost always) bad shape !

[Diagram]
Parabola  

Parabola.

[Diagram]
Almost Bamboo Joint  

Almost bamboo joint?.

[Diagram]
Sake Bottle  

Sake bottle, Dog's Head.

[Diagram]
Horse Head  

Horse Head.

[Diagram]
Loch Ness Monster  

Nessie's Face, Giraffe's Face.


Tactics

Moves against stones of the opponent

[Diagram]
Boshi  

Boshi: A capping move. Usually played at a one space interval above an enemy stone.

[Diagram]
Hane  

Hane: A move that 'bends round' an enemy stone, leaving a cutting point behind.

[Diagram]
Hane tsugi  

Hane tsugi: A hane (W1) followed by a connection (W3).

[Diagram]
Pincer example  

Hasami, Pincer: A move (W1) which attacks an invading stone (black+circle) from both sides.

[Diagram]
Kakari example  

Kakari: Approach move (W1) against a single stone (black+circle) in the corner. The diagram shows a keima kakari.

[Diagram]
Magari  

Magari, Bend. Move that bends around an enemy stone, leaving no cutting points.

[Diagram]
Peep !  

Peep: See diagram. Both W1 and B2 are peeps.

[Diagram]
Ponnuki  

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.

[Diagram]
Contact play  

Tsuke, Contact play.

[Diagram]
Crosscut  

Crosscut.

[Diagram]
Shoulder hit  

W1 is a Shoulder Hit.


Life & Death, Capturing

[Diagram]
Ko example  

Ko. Example: W1 captures a black stone at "a". Black is not allowed to retake at "a", because that would repeat the previous position.

[Diagram]
Seki example  

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.

[Diagram]
Semeai example  
Semeai
A race to capture between two adjacent groups that cannot both live. In the example, whoever has sente will win the semeai.
[Diagram]
Ladder example  

Shicho: A ladder. In the example, assuming an otherwise empty board, white can't escape.

[Diagram]
Net example  

Geta: A net. In the example, B1 creates a net, from where the marked white stones can't escape.

[Diagram]
A snapback  

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.

[Diagram]
Tsumego example. Black to play and kill.  

Tsumego are Go Problems. Most often they are about Life and Death.


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.


uxs/ Terms And Concepts last edited by uxs on November 3, 2005 - 13:58
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