Group

In this game, 100 stones have been played. The following stones are commonly called a "group"

• the nine white stones in the lower left
• the three white stones in the upper left
• the black structure in the upper middle
• the black stones in the upper right
• the unmarked white stones running from the upper right to the centre
• the ten white stones in the lower right
• the black stones at the bottom form two groups that are likely to become one, if they swallow the five white stones dividing them, or connecting via one of the points a

The stones in the centre are not all clearly part of a functional unit. The groups identified above, are in different states of stability and development.

Group vs. Chain

The term group is sometimes also used to refer to collections of stones which are all solidly connected together. In those contexts where it matters, such as in rules texts or go theory, the terms chain or string are usually used instead, to differentiate this concept from the more vague group concept described above.

See also

• Weak group and strong group
• Virtual groups
• Formal definition of group, for algorithmic and programming purposes
• Chain and string

[1] See topic:9960