diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/node_gen.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/node_gen.go
index 5796544b48..7412969425 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/node_gen.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/node_gen.go
@@ -297,21 +297,18 @@ func (n *CommStmt) Format(s fmt.State, verb rune) { FmtNode(n, s, verb) }
 func (n *CommStmt) copy() Node {
 	c := *n
 	c.init = c.init.Copy()
-	c.List = c.List.Copy()
 	c.Body = c.Body.Copy()
 	return &c
 }
 func (n *CommStmt) doChildren(do func(Node) error) error {
 	var err error
 	err = maybeDoList(n.init, err, do)
-	err = maybeDoList(n.List, err, do)
 	err = maybeDo(n.Comm, err, do)
 	err = maybeDoList(n.Body, err, do)
 	return err
 }
 func (n *CommStmt) editChildren(edit func(Node) Node) {
 	editList(n.init, edit)
-	editList(n.List, edit)
 	n.Comm = maybeEdit(n.Comm, edit)
 	editList(n.Body, edit)
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/stmt.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/stmt.go
index 181a0fd582..0f44acd8b4 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/stmt.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ir/stmt.go
@@ -220,13 +220,12 @@ func editCases(list []*CaseStmt, edit func(Node) Node) {
 
 type CommStmt struct {
 	miniStmt
-	List Nodes // list of expressions for switch, early select
-	Comm Node  // communication case (Exprs[0]) after select is type-checked
+	Comm Node  // communication case
 	Body Nodes
 }
 
-func NewCommStmt(pos src.XPos, list, body []Node) *CommStmt {
-	n := &CommStmt{List: list, Body: body}
+func NewCommStmt(pos src.XPos, comm Node, body []Node) *CommStmt {
+	n := &CommStmt{Comm: comm, Body: body}
 	n.pos = pos
 	n.op = OCASE
 	return n
@@ -274,11 +273,13 @@ type ForStmt struct {
 	HasBreak bool
 }
 
-func NewForStmt(pos src.XPos, init []Node, cond, post Node, body []Node) *ForStmt {
+func NewForStmt(pos src.XPos, init Node, cond, post Node, body []Node) *ForStmt {
 	n := &ForStmt{Cond: cond, Post: post}
 	n.pos = pos
 	n.op = OFOR
-	n.init.Set(init)
+	if init != nil {
+		n.init = []Node{init}
+	}
 	n.Body.Set(body)
 	return n
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go
index ff699cd54d..19a88e21a2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go
@@ -1149,9 +1149,11 @@ func (p *noder) blockStmt(stmt *syntax.BlockStmt) []ir.Node {
 
 func (p *noder) ifStmt(stmt *syntax.IfStmt) ir.Node {
 	p.openScope(stmt.Pos())
-	init := p.simpleStmt(stmt.Init)
+	init := p.stmt(stmt.Init)
 	n := ir.NewIfStmt(p.pos(stmt), p.expr(stmt.Cond), p.blockStmt(stmt.Then), nil)
-	*n.PtrInit() = init
+	if init != nil {
+		*n.PtrInit() = []ir.Node{init}
+	}
 	if stmt.Else != nil {
 		e := p.stmt(stmt.Else)
 		if e.Op() == ir.OBLOCK {
@@ -1186,7 +1188,7 @@ func (p *noder) forStmt(stmt *syntax.ForStmt) ir.Node {
 		return n
 	}
 
-	n := ir.NewForStmt(p.pos(stmt), p.simpleStmt(stmt.Init), p.expr(stmt.Cond), p.stmt(stmt.Post), p.blockStmt(stmt.Body))
+	n := ir.NewForStmt(p.pos(stmt), p.stmt(stmt.Init), p.expr(stmt.Cond), p.stmt(stmt.Post), p.blockStmt(stmt.Body))
 	p.closeAnotherScope()
 	return n
 }
@@ -1194,9 +1196,11 @@ func (p *noder) forStmt(stmt *syntax.ForStmt) ir.Node {
 func (p *noder) switchStmt(stmt *syntax.SwitchStmt) ir.Node {
 	p.openScope(stmt.Pos())
 
-	init := p.simpleStmt(stmt.Init)
+	init := p.stmt(stmt.Init)
 	n := ir.NewSwitchStmt(p.pos(stmt), p.expr(stmt.Tag), nil)
-	*n.PtrInit() = init
+	if init != nil {
+		*n.PtrInit() = []ir.Node{init}
+	}
 
 	var tswitch *ir.TypeSwitchGuard
 	if l := n.Tag; l != nil && l.Op() == ir.OTYPESW {
@@ -1259,13 +1263,6 @@ func (p *noder) selectStmt(stmt *syntax.SelectStmt) ir.Node {
 	return ir.NewSelectStmt(p.pos(stmt), p.commClauses(stmt.Body, stmt.Rbrace))
 }
 
-func (p *noder) simpleStmt(stmt syntax.SimpleStmt) []ir.Node {
-	if stmt == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	return []ir.Node{p.stmt(stmt)}
-}
-
 func (p *noder) commClauses(clauses []*syntax.CommClause, rbrace syntax.Pos) []*ir.CommStmt {
 	nodes := make([]*ir.CommStmt, len(clauses))
 	for i, clause := range clauses {
@@ -1275,7 +1272,7 @@ func (p *noder) commClauses(clauses []*syntax.CommClause, rbrace syntax.Pos) []*
 		}
 		p.openScope(clause.Pos())
 
-		nodes[i] = ir.NewCommStmt(p.pos(clause), p.simpleStmt(clause.Comm), p.stmts(clause.Body))
+		nodes[i] = ir.NewCommStmt(p.pos(clause), p.stmt(clause.Comm), p.stmts(clause.Body))
 	}
 	if len(clauses) > 0 {
 		p.closeScope(rbrace)
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iexport.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iexport.go
index ef2c4527a9..bf093c60c7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iexport.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iexport.go
@@ -1197,7 +1197,7 @@ func (w *exportWriter) commList(cases []*ir.CommStmt) {
 	w.uint64(uint64(len(cases)))
 	for _, cas := range cases {
 		w.pos(cas.Pos())
-		w.stmtList(cas.List)
+		w.node(cas.Comm)
 		w.stmtList(cas.Body)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iimport.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iimport.go
index ba7ea2f156..af2dd84a38 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iimport.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/iimport.go
@@ -792,7 +792,7 @@ func (r *importReader) caseList(switchExpr ir.Node) []*ir.CaseStmt {
 func (r *importReader) commList() []*ir.CommStmt {
 	cases := make([]*ir.CommStmt, r.uint64())
 	for i := range cases {
-		cases[i] = ir.NewCommStmt(r.pos(), r.stmtList(), r.stmtList())
+		cases[i] = ir.NewCommStmt(r.pos(), r.node(), r.stmtList())
 	}
 	return cases
 }
@@ -1033,7 +1033,9 @@ func (r *importReader) node() ir.Node {
 	case ir.OFOR:
 		pos, init := r.pos(), r.stmtList()
 		cond, post := r.exprsOrNil()
-		return ir.NewForStmt(pos, init, cond, post, r.stmtList())
+		n := ir.NewForStmt(pos, nil, cond, post, r.stmtList())
+		n.PtrInit().Set(init)
+		return n
 
 	case ir.ORANGE:
 		pos := r.pos()
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/stmt.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/stmt.go
index 03c3e399eb..bfeea06e83 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/stmt.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/stmt.go
@@ -360,29 +360,23 @@ func tcReturn(n *ir.ReturnStmt) ir.Node {
 
 // select
 func tcSelect(sel *ir.SelectStmt) {
-	var def ir.Node
+	var def *ir.CommStmt
 	lno := ir.SetPos(sel)
 	Stmts(sel.Init())
 	for _, ncase := range sel.Cases {
-		if len(ncase.List) == 0 {
+		if ncase.Comm == nil {
 			// default
 			if def != nil {
 				base.ErrorfAt(ncase.Pos(), "multiple defaults in select (first at %v)", ir.Line(def))
 			} else {
 				def = ncase
 			}
-		} else if len(ncase.List) > 1 {
-			base.ErrorfAt(ncase.Pos(), "select cases cannot be lists")
 		} else {
-			ncase.List[0] = Stmt(ncase.List[0])
-			n := ncase.List[0]
+			n := Stmt(ncase.Comm)
 			ncase.Comm = n
-			ncase.List.Set(nil)
-			oselrecv2 := func(dst, recv ir.Node, colas bool) {
-				n := ir.NewAssignListStmt(n.Pos(), ir.OSELRECV2, nil, nil)
-				n.Lhs = []ir.Node{dst, ir.BlankNode}
-				n.Rhs = []ir.Node{recv}
-				n.Def = colas
+			oselrecv2 := func(dst, recv ir.Node, def bool) {
+				n := ir.NewAssignListStmt(n.Pos(), ir.OSELRECV2, []ir.Node{dst, ir.BlankNode}, []ir.Node{recv})
+				n.Def = def
 				n.SetTypecheck(1)
 				ncase.Comm = n
 			}