Intermediate Plays

    Keywords: Tactics

Does Go have a concept of intermediate plays, to correspond to [ext] Zwischenzug , also known as intermezzos, in chess?

[Diagram]
A standard modern opening  

This is an example (on the left side) brought up by Denis Feldmann on rec.games.go, in a quite normal opening pattern for modern pros. The game normally continues with White at a, after which Black can complete the joseki sequence in the upper left.

B9 does have a function in the way of a probe here. Should it be taken as having the character of an intermediate move, too? Might an ordinary translation into Go terms of the concept be as an interpolated kikashi?

Charles Matthews

For a discussion of this opening pattern, see


I think a key difference between chess and Go in the analysis of this concept is that, in chess, there's a much more "instant" victory condition (checkmate rather than scoring). As an example, if a zwischenzug is a check, it _must_ be answered immediately (by virtue of the rules of the game). In Go, you can make a decision as to how big (i.e. how many points it's worth) a threat (or otherwise forcing) move is - and one might be right to ignore it in a way that one usually can't during a game of chess.

- Andrew Walkingshaw


Bill: Taking your own (larger) sente before replying to your opponent's sente is common in go, but I do not know of a term for doing so. Zwischenzug fits, I think. Such a play can be a probe.

That having been said, I don't think that the above is a good example of either concept. B9 is a good play in its own right, maybe the best play.

Discussion moved to Probing during the attach and draw back joseki /Discussion.


hnishy: I have never heard of a special term for zwischenzug in Go. kikashi is usually used for such a situation. "interpolated kikashi" is a good translation, I think. A good example appears in the large avalanche joseki:

[Diagram]
kikashi W3  

After B2 atari, White plays a zwischenzug W3 to gain a liberty before W5. (W3 at W5 is met by B8.)


Intermediate Plays last edited by hnishy on July 2, 2024 - 00:37
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