Group

    Keywords: Go term

Chinese: 块 (kuài); 块儿 (kuàier)
Japanese: -
Korean: -

Informally, a group consists of a number of stones of one colour, hanging together as if effectively connected. They are a functional unit on the board, occupying and influencing a certain area.

[Diagram]

Groups

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

  • the nine white stones white+square in the lower left
  • the three white stones in the upper left
  • the black structure black+circle in the upper middle
  • the black stones black+square in the upper right
  • the unmarked white stones running from the upper right to the centre
  • the ten white stones white+circle 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.

The Chinese term, 块(塊)kuài, is not a noun, but a measure word (aka classifier, counter), i.e. it acts as a unit in which a noun is counted. The noun used in this context is 棋 qí, here meaning "stones“. Measure words must be combined with a numeral, or a demonstrative pronoun, or both. E.g.: 一块棋 yí kuài qí, "a group (of) stones, one group (of) stones", 这两块死棋 zhè liǎng kuài sǐ qí, "these two dead groups". Primary meaning of kuài is "a chunk of (something)", but also "a piece (e.g. of land)".



See also


This is a copy of the living page "Group" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2011 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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