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22OCT89
GLOSSARY OF JAPANESE GO TERMINOLOGY
According to writer and humanitarian, L. Ron Hubbard -
"One of the biggest barriers to learning a new subject is its
nomenclature, meaning the set of terms used to describe the things it
deals with. A subject must have accurate labels which have exact
meanings before it can be understood and communicated."
"THE ONLY REASON A PERSON GIVES UP A STUDY OR BECOMES CONFUSED
OR UNABLE TO LEARN IS BECAUSE HE OR SHE HAS GONE PAST A WORD THAT WAS
NOT UNDERSTOOD."
The following glossary is compiled from various books on the game, most
of which are available from the Ishi Press.
AJI Literally "taste". The weaknesses existing in a group or situation which
may subsequently be exploited. Aji may be "good aji" or "bad aji"
i.e. good taste or bad taste.
ATARI A warning that one or more stones are in danger of capture on the
next move. The corresponding English term is "check" and has
essentially the same meaning as in chess. Imminent threat of capture.
It is beginner's practice to announce atari although the situation
should be obvious to the second player.
BAMBOO JOINT A formation of four stones occupying the corners of a 2 x 3
rectangle. : :
BREATHING SPACE A liberty.
CARPENTER'S SQUARE A formation of stones resembling this tool.
CRANE'S NEST A well-known symmetrical formation resembling a bird's nest.
CHUBAN The middle game. Also called OYOSE.
DAI-DAI-GEIMA A giants knight's move, e.g., C-3 to G-4.
DAME No man's land. A vacant point between two rival groups having no
territorial value. A vacant point.
DAN Master title. In the Japanese Go ranking system Dan levels are the
expert levels starting with 1-Dan and go up to 9-Dan similar to the
"black belt" rankings of Karate and other martial arts.
EYE A vacant point securely surrounded by the stones of one color. A cluster
of two or more points that will yield an eye.
FALSE EYE An apparent eye, part of whose structure is vulnerable to attack.
FUSEKI Opening strategy taking the entire board into consideration. The
opening plays in a game in which usually the corners and sides are
occupied.
GO-BAN The board used for playing Go. Traditionally it is 2-1/2 to 3
inches thick and has 4 short removable legs. The playing field
is a grid of 19 by 19 lines (361 intersections).
GOTE A defensive or aggressive move which is not sufficiently potent
to demand a direct response. The opposite of sente (q.v.).
GO TSUBO The conventional wood bowl for containing stones.
HAMATE A tactic, actually unsound but sufficiently misleading to be
difficult of analysis; a devious play.
HANE A diagonal extension in which both stones are adjacent to the same
enemy stone.
HASAME Squeeze play.
HONTE A theoretically correct move.
HOSHI Star; a handicap point.
ISHI Stones.
JI DORI GO A derogatory description covering conditions where both players
capture territory independently without combat as long as possible.
JOSEKI The standard opening tactics of corner play. A recognized sequence of
plays in a corner.
KAGEME A pattern that appears to contain two protected eyes where one of
the eyes is actually subject to attack.
KAKARI A relationship between stones that are not connected.
KAKE TSUGU A defensive move that protects a connection between friendly
stones but is not adjacent to them.
KATACHI An efficient and economical arrangement of stones. Good shape.
KEIMA Spacing stones as in the standard knight's move in chess. The small
knight's shape.
KESHI A territory-reducing or erasing play.
KIKASHI A forcing play to which there is usually only one answer.
KIRU A move that severs a potential connection between enemy stones.
KO The potentially cyclic pattern of successive captures involving the
same points. Sometimes called a knot. Ko means "infinity". A situation
in which one side captures a single stone and the other side, though
theoretically able to retake the capturing stone, is forbidden to do
so until a play has been made elsewhere.
KO THREAT A forcing play intended to allow recapture in the ko.
KOMI Points or stones sometimes awarded as compensation for playing second.
KOGEIMA See Keima
KOMOKU A highly conventional opening move, specifically C-4, D-3 and so on.
KOSUMI A play on a point diagonally one space from another stone. A one-step
diagonal extension.
KYU A ranking system below the Dan (master) levels. The Kyu rankings range
from 1-kyu (highest) to 20-kyu (lowest).
KYOKUMEN The atmosphere of the game in the early stage.
LADDER A tactical manoeuvre in which a group is driven in a ladder formation.
see SHI-CHO.
LIBERTY A vacant intersection adjacent to a stone or group. A breathing space.
ME An Eye. Unoccupied point. Also a liberty.
MEIJIN The highest rank in the Japanese hierarchy of Go players.
MIAI Points of reciprocity. Two vacant points which if the first player
occupies one the second player will occupy the other.
MOKU Eye
MOKU HAZUSHI C-5 or E-3, particulary as an opening move.
MONKEY JUMP A tactical manoeuvre, commonly seen in the yose, which is worth
about eight points. Also called the monkey-slide.
MOYO A loose formation of stones enclosing a large territory.
NIKKEN A 2-point interval.
NOBIRU Placing a stone adjacent to a friendly stone on the board,
particulary in extending the continuity of a line of stones.
NOZOKI When the enemy has stones on three points around a vacant point,
this term implies a play on the fourth point, where the enemy is
about to play. A preparatory move in conection with tactics for
severing a possible connection between enemy stones.
OBA An extension play that is big in terms of territory or influence.
OGEIMA An extended knight's move, such as C-2 to D-5. The large knight's
shape.
OI OTOSHI A tactic involving sacrificing one or more stones in order to
capture a greater number.
OSAE (OSAERU) A blocking play directly at the end of a line of enemy stones.
OYOSE The middle game. Also see CHUBAN.
OZARU A special move along the border of the field during the end game in
the form of an extended knight's move, e.g. from C-2 to F-1.
PONNUKI The diamond formation made by four stones about a single point.
SAN-SAN The corner points C-3, C-17, R-3, and R-17. Any of the 3-3 points.
SEIMOKU The nine marked handicap points.
SEKI Impasse. A pattern of interlaced black and white stones such that
whichever plays first will be captured. A local deadlock situation.
SEMEAI A close-coupled battle where only one of the two engaging groups
can survive. A situation in which there is insufficient room for
both of two rival contiguous groups to live.
SENTE The aggressive advantage. The side that has sente is effectively
forcing the direction of the game. The initiative. The player with
sente does not feel obliged to reply to his opponents last move.
SHI-CHO (SHICHO) The ladder pattern.
SHI-CHO BREAKER A stone in the path of a ladder which trips it.
SHIKKEN A 4-point interval.
SHIMARI The moves involved in securing a corner. An enclosure of the corner
by two stones.
SHODAN First Dan or 1-Dan. The first (lowest) master title.
SHOGI Japanese chess.
SNAP-BACK A tactical manoeurve in which a stone is sacrificed to reduce to
one the liberties of a group which is then captured.
STAR POINT One of the nine handicap points.
SUTE ISHI Sacrificed stones.
TAIGAISEN A game with no handicap.
TAKAMOKU A relatively hazardo