Spightonians
Bill Spight initiated a classification of moves by their immediate vicinity, as shown in the following diagram.
There are 21 such basic patterns, which I propose to call Spightonians (スパイトニャン). Some of them are very useful.
All moves can be classified under one of the 21 Spightonians, which are a great classification tool. This page uses them to provide a field guide with which the reader can identify moves if their name is not known. It is arranged by the number of enemy stones and then by the number of friendly stones the move touches. See also /conventions.
Table of contents | Table of diagrams The 4 immediate neighbours Untouched move Open move Kosumi Kado or Kata Hazama Nozoki Narabi Straddle botsugi Fill The touch The tap The thrust Carve The general wedge The Chop Impinge The Division Sashikomi The gouge |
0 Enemies
0 Friends
The untouched move (アンタッチ) is the ancestor of a prolific family of subclasses, distinguished by their more distant neighbours. Unfortunately, because of this dependence on context it does not lend itself to general tactical considerations.
Three subclasses are of particular importance: Open moves with no stones on the diagonals, kosumi with one friend on a diagonal and the strike with only enemies on the diagonals.
Open Move
kosumi (コスミ) - diagonal move
Subclasses:
- kaketsugi (カケツギ) - diagonal or open connection
- rappa-tsugi?
Strike (Only Enemy Stones Nearby)
This move makes most sense if the two stones straddle an enemy stone at a, in which case it is called kata-tsugi (堅ツギ) - solid connection. If a empty this move is an empty triangle. If a empty and there are 2 enemy stones at b this move can be guzumi.
This unfortunate situation occurs when you need to connect one of the stones with a living group.
1 Enemy
0 Friends
This is a useful Spightonian, but not as useful as the next one. See the touch.
Subclasses:
- hane (綽)
- tsuke (ツケ) the attachment
- hasami tsuke (挟みツケ) - clamp (if there is a friend at [SS|\conventions].
- hara-zuke (腹ツケ) - attachment at the belly of a group.
- kosumi tsuke (コスミツケ)
1 Friend
This is the most useful Spightonian. See tap.
Subclasses: (The distinction between the first three depends on other context.)
- osae - block (If all diagonals are empty or there is a white stone at the SW diagonal.)
- oshi (押し) - Push (If all diagonals are empty.)
- hai (這い) - the Crawl
- magari (曲がり) - the Turn(If the SW diagonal is a friend)
This move is only possible when taking a group of enemy stones.
About this Page
Created: Sebastian, 2004-11-27
Footnotes
[1] The terms nozoki and peep do not exactly fit in this classification, because they say nothing about the other neighbours. To be exact, this move should be called open peep.
[3] The term atekomi includes several related cases.
[4] The term de also includes the case where the North stone is at the Northwest diagonal.