GLOSSARY

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A

Aji - Aji are plays which may or may not "work." In many cases their intrinsic efficay and value is the same whether played immediately or later, but it is  their impact on the course of the game that is vastly different. Aji literally means "taste" but in Go it's really closer to "aftertaste", and in fact a proper definition is "residual threats in a position after it has nominally been decided".

Aji-Keshi - Erasing or destroying Aji

Aji Waru - Bad Aji

Aki Sankaku - empty triangle; shape of three stones; generally bad shape

Amashi - a strategy for white in games without Komi

Ana - Hole

Atari - Atari is an arrangement of stones where there is only one more move until a capture. In the middle of the board, for example, if your stone is surrounded on three of the four sides by opposing stones, your stone is in atari.

Ate - Common Japanese abbreviation for atari

Atekomi - "Aim inside"; a half-cut of two enemy pieces connected diagonally

B

Boshi - A capping move

Byo-Yomi - Overtime

C

Chimari - See Shimari

Chuban - Middle game

D

Dame - Dame is a neutral point of territory, controlled by neither black nor white.

Damezumari - Shortage of liberties

Dan - Together with Kyu, the playing strength ranking scale, Master

De - "Go-between"; extending between 2 enemy pieces

Dead Stones - Dead stones are a surrounded group of stones without two eye shapes, so they have no chance of survival, even though they haven't been captured yet. They are removed from the board at the end of the game.

E

Eyes - Eyes denote an internal liberty among a group of your own stones, so it would be suicide for your opponent to move into the space. Having two eyes in a group is a way of securing territory.

F

Furikawari - Trade, swap

Fuseki - The opening moves of the game, in which you sketch out broad claims on territory.

G

Gote - Forced to answer. Opposite of sente.

Guzumi - Bad shape, but nonetheless a [very] good move

H

Hane - An attachment to an enemy stone which diagonally connects to your own piece, already attached to the same stone

Hasami - Pincer attack

Hiki - Draw-back

Hiraki - Extension along 3rd or 4th line along side of the board

Honinbo - A Japanese top title ("ancient go family"; 7-game title match)

Horikomi - "Throw in"; a sacrifice move

Hoshi - 4-4 point

I

Ikken Shimari - (One point enclosure); stones at 4-3 and 4-5

Ikken Takagakari - one point high attack

Ikken Tobi - one point of jump

J

Joseki - Joseki is a close-in battle, fighting over a specific piece of territory.

K

Kakari - Attack on a sole stone in a corner

Kake - Cover

Karui - Move basic to a Sabaki Katachi

Katachi - Correct shape [Takagawa]; especially good shape [Engels]

Katasuki - Shoulder hit (diagonal direct attack)

Keima - Knight move

Keshi - Erasure

Kikashi - Move requiring certain response

Ko - Ko is a situation involving capture and immediate recapture. Ko is illegal without another move first, elsewhere on the board, since a board position can't be repeated twice. In the example to the right you see white has just taken blacks stone. Black can not return the take and thus must move elsewhere.

Kogeima - A less usual word for Keima

Kogeima Kakari - small knight's attack at 3-5

Kogeima Shimari - (small knight's enclosure); stones at 4-3 and 3-5

Komi - the number of points subtracted at the end of the game to compensate for that player having the first move.

Komoku - (small point); the 3-4 point

Kosumi - direct diagonal extension

Kosumitsuke - diagonal extension which attaches to enemy

Kyu - together with Dan, the playing strength ranking scale, Ameture

L

Liberties - Liberties are unoccupied intersections next to a stone or group of stones. A single stone isolated in the middle of the board, then, would have four liberties: one up, one down, one to the right, and one to the left.

M

Me - ari Me-nashi - one eye against no eye

Miai - equivalent points

Mochikomi - abortive invasion

Mokuhadzushi - (point detached); the 5-3 point

Moyo - territorial framework; potential territory

N

Ni-dan Bane - "two-step Hane"

Niken Takagakari - two point high attack

Niken Tobi - two points of jump

Nozoki - "peeping"; moving so as to threaten a cut on the next move

O

Ogeima Kakari - large knight's attack at 3-6

Ogeima Shimari - (large knight's enclosure); stones at 4-3 and 3-6

Oi-otoshi - a Tesuji using throw-ins to create Damezumari

Oki - a putting or a placement

Oki Go - handicap go

Omoi Katachi - heavy, clumsy shape

Osae - block

S

Sabaki Katachi - light flexible shape

Sabaki - quick development; settling a group by making a flexible and resilient shape

Sagari - descent (towards an edge)

Sanren-sei - An opening using two 4-4 points and the middle 10-4 point

San-san - 3-3 point

Seki - Seki is an impasse situation in which groups live without having two eyes. The example to the left shows a good example. If black plays, white will take all of black's stones inside of the white structure and have an opertunity to make eyes. If white plays, black will take all of white's stones.

Semeai - race to capture

Sensei - teacher

Sente - the advantage; no current threat with forced response

Shicho - ladder

Shimari - corner enclosure (2 stones)

Snapback - situation where capturing a stone leaves you in atari

Suicide - If you attempt to move into a place where you would automatically be captured, that is suicide. Suicide is illegal, and the Internet Gaming Zone version of Go simply won't let you harm yourself in this way.

T

Takagakari - high attack

Takamoku - 5-4 point

Tesuji - A particularly clever local move. Usually makes possible something no other move would accomplish.

Tobi - jump

Tokkuri - a particular triangular shape

Tsuke - direct attack (attaching) to an enemy stone

U

Uchikomi - invasion

V

Vose - end game

W

Warikomi - thrust into or squeeze into; playing a lone stone between 2 enemy pieces

Watari - connect or bridge underneath or along the edge of the board

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