Yose (Mind Loft)

About Yose (Mind Loft)

Yose is the Japanese word for the endgame of Go, the part of the game after the big fights when the borders are settled and the last few points are shared out. Mind Loft, a free site of daily browser games, sets one such position each day. On the day we looked it was an 8x8 board with 10 open points and a komi of 3.5; to win you had to finish at least 4 ahead, and perfect play got there by half a point.

The skill is order. Every open point is worth something, but a move that forces an answer keeps the turn, and the side that keeps the turn takes the next point too. That is why the biggest point on the board is so often the wrong one to play first.

Every board is solved to the last stone, ko included, and on most days exactly one first move keeps the win. White answers every move perfectly. You pass when nothing is worth playing, and two passes end the game, which is then counted by area.

A new position goes up at midnight US Eastern Time. Mind Loft groups it with its other endgame dailies: Turn (Othello), Four (Connect Four), Mate (chess) and Chain (dots and boxes).

How to play Yose (Mind Loft)

1. Open mindloftdaily.com/yose and press Start to see the day's position, the komi and the margin you need.
2. Look at the open points left between the settled groups.
3. Play a stone; White answers with perfect play.
4. Keep playing the open points in the best order, and pass when nothing is worth playing.
5. Two passes end the game; the board is counted by area to see if you won by enough.

Screenshots

Tips

• Play moves that force a reply first; they keep the turn for you (sente).
• A point that is big but lets White answer elsewhere can cost you the game.
• Count the area before each move to see how much margin you still have.
• Watch for ko; positions are solved with ko included.

Questions