Yose

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You may also be looking for the Hebrew name Yose; see Jose.

Yose (ヨセ, Yose^?) is a Japanese language term used in the board game go in connection with go endgame plays. It is not, properly speaking, synonymous with the endgame phase as a whole in a game of go — it has often been used that way in the English-language literature of the game, but that is because of a misinterpretation of the original meaning. From the Japanese, a yose would mean a tightening play, in relation strictly to a play on the board that consolidates territory, or destroys the opponent's territory.

[edit] Early yose

Such a play can occur quite early in the game. In expert play there are some yose plays that are taken before the middlegame phase of unlimited fighting has subsided. In novice play there are often, for quite different reasons, endgame plays that are relatively small taken, when it would be more profitable to use the initiative for a play with broader implications.

[edit] Oyose

Oyose, or large yose, is another term often used in English language literature. It can be used for a yose that is large enough to be hard enough to count with precision (say, 20 points or more). It is also used to label the phase of the game (the early endgame) immediately after middlegame combat that could have resulted in large groups dying has subsided; in which the typical yose plays are substantial plays that were neglected because of the very pressing nature of the struggle.

[edit] Endgame counting

Fundamental to skill in the endgame is the ability to evaluate plays in different areas of the board, and thus identify which plays have priority. This usually depends on counting: deciding numerically how many points are at stake. Knowledge of counting begins with some simple examples and heuristics. In the worst case, if actual proofs are required rather than practical ways to win positions, combinatorial game theory has been shown to be implicated.