File Format

This page provides an overview of file formats that are used to store (and exchange) Go games.

Table of contents Major file formats Some other formats Still to investigate See also

Major file formats

• GIB
  • Used by the Korean Tygem server, allegedly the world's largest Go server.

• NGF
  • Used by the Korean wBaduk server.

• SGF
  • The Smart Game Format, (originally the Smart Go Format?) is the most popular file format on the internet for games and problems.

• GO, SF, Ishi
  • This is the self-proclaimed Standard Format; it was used by some programs for years.

• Text diagrams
  • Used on Usenet to express games in newsgroups that disallow attachments, text characters formatted into a board are commonly used in discussions. Sensei's Library diagrams seem to be based on this practice. Many diagram editors can import these diagrams, and see also WinMGTToSLFConverter

• UGF, UGI, UGZ
  • This format is mostly used in Asia, sometimes compressed and called 'UGZ'

Some other formats

• SGN
  • Smart Game Notation is a file format for saving positions. Its main purpose is to make collection of go problems.

• Jago XML
  • Jago has its own XML-based data format. This format is also supported by gGo and glGo. Advantages are described at the Jago website.

• PGN
  • Portable Game Notation, a file format for chess games.
    TimBrent: itsyourturn.com uses PGN for its Go games
    (not to be confused with Portable Network Graphics)

• XGF - An XML Game Format
  • This is a detailed draft proposal for moving SGF from its list format into an XML-based format. The spec warns people not to implement the format yet, though. XGF 0.1 is dated April 7, 2002, though, so it seems that the proposal gained too little developer support to be used.

Still to investigate

• BDX - which program? See forum for MultiGo
• GAM - TurboGo pretends to be able to load it, possibly the same format as the old Nemesis game format (binary). Jan van der Steen had possibly built a converter for this format (very old, for Amiga? Atari?)
• GOS
• HON
  • old format formerly used by WinHonte
• Liberty - This was used by the AtariGo software, it is mentioned in the notes of GoBase's sgf2misc
• MPA
  • see PilotGOne

See also

• Utilities