diff --git a/go/types/api.go b/go/types/api.go
index 01d89281..025ccfef 100644
--- a/go/types/api.go
+++ b/go/types/api.go
@@ -79,6 +79,18 @@ type Importer func(map[string]*Package, string) (*Package, error)
 // A Config specifies the configuration for type checking.
 // The zero value for Config is a ready-to-use default configuration.
 type Config struct {
+	// If Strict is set, the type-checker enforces additional
+	// rules not specified by the Go 1 spec, but which will
+	// catch guaranteed run-time errors if the respective
+	// code is executed. In other words, programs passing in
+	// Strict mode are Go 1 compliant, but not all Go 1 programs
+	// will pass in Strict mode. The additional rules are:
+	//
+	// - A type assertion x.(T) where T is an interface type
+	//   is invalid if any (statically known) method that exists
+	//   for both x and T have different signatures.
+	Strict bool
+
 	// If IgnoreFuncBodies is set, function bodies are not
 	// type-checked.
 	IgnoreFuncBodies bool
diff --git a/go/types/check_test.go b/go/types/check_test.go
index cfea1ac9..e16e52e8 100644
--- a/go/types/check_test.go
+++ b/go/types/check_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 //		_ = x /* ERROR "not declared" */ + 1
 //	}
 
+// TODO(gri) Also collect strict mode errors of the form /* STRICT ... */
+//           and test against strict mode.
+
 package types_test
 
 import (
diff --git a/go/types/expr.go b/go/types/expr.go
index 6cc572d9..22d5b804 100644
--- a/go/types/expr.go
+++ b/go/types/expr.go
@@ -1406,10 +1406,18 @@ Error:
 
 // typeAssertion checks that x.(T) is legal; xtyp must be the type of x.
 func (check *Checker) typeAssertion(pos token.Pos, x *operand, xtyp *Interface, T Type) {
+	// no static check is required if T is an interface
+	// spec: "If T is an interface type, x.(T) asserts that the
+	//        dynamic type of x implements the interface T."
+	if _, ok := T.Underlying().(*Interface); ok && !check.conf.Strict {
+		return
+	}
+
 	method, wrongType := MissingMethod(T, xtyp, false)
 	if method == nil {
 		return
 	}
+
 	var msg string
 	if wrongType {
 		msg = "wrong type for method"
diff --git a/go/types/testdata/expr3.src b/go/types/testdata/expr3.src
index 3e710517..43825dd4 100644
--- a/go/types/testdata/expr3.src
+++ b/go/types/testdata/expr3.src
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ func type_asserts() {
 	_ = t.(*T)
 	_ = t /* ERROR "missing method m" */ .(T1)
 	_ = t /* ERROR "wrong type for method m" */ .(T2)
-	_ = t /* ERROR "wrong type for method m" */ .(I2)
+	_ = t /* STRICT "wrong type for method m" */ .(I2) // only an error in strict mode (issue 8561)
 
 	// e doesn't statically have an m, but may have one dynamically.
 	_ = e.(I2)
diff --git a/go/types/testdata/stmt0.src b/go/types/testdata/stmt0.src
index 026d784e..a9e72996 100644
--- a/go/types/testdata/stmt0.src
+++ b/go/types/testdata/stmt0.src
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ func typeswitches() {
 	case T:
 	case T1 /* ERROR "missing method m" */ :
 	case T2 /* ERROR "wrong type for method m" */ :
-	case I2 /* ERROR "wrong type for method m" */ :
+	case I2 /* STRICT "wrong type for method m" */ : // only an error in strict mode (issue 8561)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ func typeswitch2() {
 	switch A(nil).(type) {
 	case A:
 	case B:
-	case C /* ERROR "cannot have dynamic type" */:
+	case C /* STRICT "cannot have dynamic type" */: // only an error in strict mode (issue 8561)
 	}
 }