In the game of
Go (
Wei Qi/
Badouk), the term group can be used in one of two ways:
1. Strictly, in the sense of the rules, to mean several stones of the same colour which are all connected to one another along orthogonal (horizontal, vertical) directions. The stones in such a group will always live or be captured together; in order to take one stone prisoner, you must surround the whole group.
2. Loosely, and in a strategic sense, to mean several stones of the same colour in the same general area of the board. Although not a group according to the rules, since some stones can be captured without capturing the whole group, it is useful to think of them as such, because it is often possible to connect them together if so desired.
Consider the following diagram:
.........
.000.....
....0.0..
...0.....
.........
By the looser (strategic) definition, all these stones would be considered part of the same group, whereas, according to the "legal" definition, only the three in a line in the top left would be considered as such, while the others are merely individual stones.