English Go Terms

A glossary of English go terms.

See also English Shape Terms Discussion, Go Terms

• Aim Inside
• Amateur
• Apprentice
• Approach ko
• Attachment
• Bamboo joint
• Bend
• Big point
• Board
• Box formation
• Blind spot
• Bridge under
• Bump
• Capping play
• Capture two recapture one
• Capture three recapture one
• Capturing race
• Chain
• Checking extension
• Clamp
• Clump
• Compensation
• Connection
• Contact play
• Corner approach
• Corner enclosure
• Crosscut
• Descent
• Diagonal connection
• Direct Connection
• Draw
• Ear play
• Elephant's move
• Empty triangle
• Endgame
• Equivalent
• Erasure
• Exchange (of territories or groups)
• Extension
• Fighting spirit
• Forcing move
• Framework
• Full triangle
• Group
• Hanging connection
• Hasty Move
• Indirect Connection
• Influence
• Initiative
• Invasion
• Jump
• Knight's move
• Ladder
• Ladder breaker
• Large knight's move
• Last big point or last play
• Leaning attack
• Light
• Loose ladder
• Middle game
• Mirror go
• n-Connection
• Net
• Neutral point
• New move
• Loss of initiative
• One-space jump
• One-way street
• Only move
• Opening
• Overconcentrated shape
• Overstretched shape
• Overtime
• Peep
• Pincer
• Play elsewhere
• Potential
• Prisoners
• Probe
• Professional
• Proper move
• Reading problem
• Sector line
• Shape
• Shortage of liberties
• Shoulder hit
• Slide
• Snapback
• Solid connection
• Sphere of influence
• Splitting move
• Squeeze
• Stalemate
• Standard sequence
• Star point
• Stretch
• String
• String Connection
• Swimming
• Teacher
• Temperature
• 10-10 point
• Ten-Thousand year ko
• Territory
• Thank-you move
• Thick
• Thick Cut Protection
• Thick Shapes
• Three-stage ko
• Throw-in
• Toss (guessing the stones)
• Trick play
• Triple ko
• Turn
• Two-stage ko
• Urgent
• Wedge

Some foreign terms do not have common English equivalents. They are usually used even when writing in English.

• Atari
• Hane
• Ko

While it is generally preferable to use English terms when writing in English, be aware that some foreign terms ("komi" and "seki", to name two) are used more often than their English counterparts. (See /Discussion.)

Notes:

• Know the difference: "lose" versus "loose."
• How to order lists alphabetically