Knight's Move (Keima) in Go — Shape and Strategy | PlayGo.gg

When a stone is placed in relation to another, in such a way that knights move in chess.

What is a knight's move?

A keima is two stones placed in a knight's-move relationship — two points along one axis and one along the other, the same shape as a chess knight's leap. Japanese players call this the small knight's move (kogeima) to distinguish it from the large knight's move (ōgeima), which adds an extra space.

The keima is the workhorse shape of Go. It appears in opening enclosures, side extensions, attacks against weak groups, and sabaki (light, flexible play in the opponent's sphere). It develops one line faster than a diagonal while keeping most of the same structural integrity.

When to use a keima?

The choice between keima and a one-space jump is one of the most common shape decisions in Go:

- Jump: connects more solidly, almost impossible to cut on an empty board. The proverb says it's never bad. - Keima: covers slightly more territory, runs slightly faster, but leaves a potential cutting point in the gap.

Reach for keima when you need to attack, when the surrounding area is empty enough that the cut wouldn't work, or when you want light, flexible shape that an opponent can't easily seal in. Reach for the jump when you have nearby weaknesses, when the opponent has stones that could exploit a cut, or when you don't want to defend later.

The proverb "strike at the waist of the keima" describes the standard cut — a stone wedged into the gap between the two keima stones. The cut succeeds when it has nearby support; it fails when the cutter dies in a ladder or net. Strong players read each position rather than memorizing "keima cuttable" or "keima safe."

Example of a keima in a game

Which moves coming off of the D7 stone are knight's moves?

The keima is Go's most reliable medium-distance shape. Pick it when you want speed without giving up too much safety, and read the cut carefully whenever the opponent has stones nearby that could turn the strike at the waist into a real fight.