The Endgame (Yose)
📋 What it is
In the endgame you play the biggest boundary moves first, because each point of territory counts toward the win.
🗣️ Coach says
When the big frameworks are set, the endgame (yose) decides close games by POINTS. Play the moves that gain the most territory (or deny the most) FIRST — a "big" endgame move can be worth several points, a small one just one. Careful endgame wins games that looked lost.
🧠 Memory hook
Biggest boundary moves first. In a close game, endgame points decide it.
😂 Giggle
Why did the Go player think about the whole board?
Because a local fight can be won while the whole game is lost!
😲 Whoa!
Many amateur games are decided in the endgame by a few points — a player who's "behind" in the middle game can win purely by playing a sharper, larger-first endgame.
✅ Quick check: In the endgame, which moves should you play first?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
The biggest ones — the boundary moves that gain (or deny) the most territory, since every point counts toward the result.
Playing largest-first maximises the points you secure before small moves.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
In a finished-looking position, find the boundary move worth the MOST points and play it first.