Fuseki (布石) is the whole board opening in the game of Go. As played on a large board (ie. a 19x19 line goban), the basic principle is to play in the corners, which are more effcient than the sides or the center for making territory. In the game of Go, the term opening theory (also opening game or early game —borrowed from Chess terminology) refers to concepts which underlie where, why, in what order, and in what shapes the first several moves are played. ... Go is a strategic, two-player board game originating in ancient China between 2000 BC and 200 BC. Go is a popular game in East Asia. ... Go equipment refers to the objects which are necessary in order to play the game of Go. ... A territory is a defined area (including land and waters), usually considered to be a possession of an animal, person, organization, or institution (from the word terra, meaning land). In politics, a territory is an area of land under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority. ...

Certain professional players are known for their use of specific or innovative fusekis, and their ability to combine their use of those fusekis with other strengths in competitive play. Perhaps the most highly regarded player of the 20th century, Go Seigen, created an uproar when he played his third move (black 5) on tengen (the center point) in a game against the reigning Honinbo Shusai. Considered an unwise move in a normal context, it was considered an insult against someone of the Honinbo's stature. Go Seigen lost the controversial 4-month game (due to help from one of the Honinbo's students), but proved his ability was competitive, even when employing such an unusual strategy. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Wu Qingyuan (呉清源, Pinyin: Wú QÄ«ngyuán, born May 19, 1914), known to the world as the Japanese Go Seigen, is considered by many to be the greatest player of the game of go in the 20th century. ... Tengen is the center point on a Go board. ... Honinbō ShÅ«sai (本因坊秀哉) is the professional name of Tamura Hoju, also known as Tamura Yasuhisa (1874 -– 18 January, 1940), a Japanese professional Go player. ...

Because each move is typically isolate and unforced (i.e. not a sente move), patterns for play on the whole board have seen much less systematic study than for joseki, which are often contact moves which require specific and immediate responses. Hence a game of Go may easily explore an unfamiliar path. Go terms are terms in Go, technical terms likely to be met in books and articles about go in English, and in other languages also. ...

Fuseki principles

There are a good number of general ideas on fuseki, but they are in some cases modified as time goes by. One clear case is the priority to give to a corner enclosure, and an extension to the middle of a side. The classical view, particularly for the 4-3 point, was that the corner enclosure is bigger and should be given priority. The introduction of the Chinese opening contradicted that idea, and has led to many similar patterns being tried. Go terms and concepts are important in the game of Go. ... The Chinese opening (often Chinese fuseki) (Japanese: 中国流布石, chūgokuryū fuseki; Chinese: 中国流布局, zhōngguóliú bùjú) is an opening pattern in the game of Go. ...

Basic fusekis

Only a relatively small proportion of fusekis have a recognised name. These include the Three-star fuseki (sanrensei fuseki), Two-star fuseki (nirensei fuseki), Chinese fuseki, Kobayashi fuseki, and Shusaku fuseki. To be more precise, these are names for the moyo formations which Black makes on one side of the board. Since White has a choice of perhaps two dozen legitimate variations on the other side, these are in fact large complexes of fusekis. The Chinese opening (often Chinese fuseki) (Japanese: 中国流布石, chūgokuryū fuseki; Chinese: 中国流布局, zhōngguóliú bùjú) is an opening pattern in the game of Go. ... Kobayashi fuseki is a fuseki for Black stones in the game of Go. ... Shusaku fuseki (秀策流布石) is a traditional fuseki for black stones in the game of Go. ...

The Chinese fuseki, which has an intricate history but was indeed developed by Chinese players, was very popular from about 1970 onwards, and has by go standards a thoroughly-researched theory.

Fuseki patterns

In 1900 professional play only knew of a relatively small selection of established patterns in the opening. The range of possibilities is great, and the number of game records from high-level play that are actually published is not so large (even now a few thousand a year, only).

This has always meant that the patterns of fuseki are not directly analogous to chess openings. It is rather misleading to assume that go players follow set openings in the same way, although they may indeed employ joseki and have favourite patterns. This is a list of chess openings by the ECO classification: See also Chess and chess openings. ... Opening theory for the traditional Asian game of go has been studied in depth for many centuries. ...

This is shown in the way openings take their names, for the most part, from the strategy or pattern employed by Black (the first player). Typically there are two dozen or more replies for White 2 and White 4, even restricting the scope to ideas played in high-level games. A fuseki pattern is therefore more like what a chess player would call a complex of openings.

Since around 1990, there has been a succession of fashionable openings, largely a product of Korean professionals, which have been studied and played in a more chess-like manner (that is, with successive refinements hammered out in high-profile games). This style of innovation is actually something new to the go tradition, however; it is not the traditional way, and there is a large part of go strategy that remains unexplored with that intensity.

See also

• Go opening theory
• Joseki

In the game of Go, the term opening theory (also opening game or early game —borrowed from Chess terminology) refers to concepts which underlie where, why, in what order, and in what shapes the first several moves are played. ... Opening theory for the traditional Asian game of go has been studied in depth for many centuries. ...

External Links

• Fuseki Database
• Fuseki Expert