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Double Sente
  Difficulty: Advanced   Keywords: EndGame

[Diagram]
Diag.: double sente

A double sente move is a move which is sente for either player. It is always important to grab these moves as soon as possible in the endgame, because whoever plays them gets points for free - no move is lost by playing a double sente play, but it does give one points.

In this diagram (assuming that there is white territory to the left and black to the right), black 1 is a double sente move: If white does not answer, black makes a huge incursion into white's territory, while if white plays the same move, she threatens to jump into black's. White answers at 2, and black can also play 3 to 6 in sente. White can exchange A for B later.

It is important to play this type of move before the opponent does so: Black has gained 6 points here compared to a white play at 1, at no cost of moves. Giving two of these, rather common, positions to your opponent already costs over 10 points - which can easily be the difference between win and loss even at moderate levels.


BillSpight: Double sente is relative. It depends on what else is on the board. Any play, whether a sente or gote in the abstract, can be a double sente if the reply when either player makes the first play is larger than anything else on the board. Usually, double sente are played as soon as they arise.

Beware of so-called double sente. For instance, Kano's "Yose Dictionary" (Yose Jiten) gives the following as a 2-point double sente (p. 30).


[Diagram]
Diag.: Double sente???

[Diagram]
Diag.: Black sente???

After the exchange of B 1 - W 2, White has a 1 point sente sequence with W 4 - B 7. The score is +5 (for Black).


[Diagram]
Diag.: White sente???

After the exchange of W 1 - B 2, Black has a 1 point sente sequence with B 4 - W 7. The score is +3.


If this is a double sente, then whoever plays it picks up 2 points (by comparison) for free.

But do not be misled. This is actually a gote worth about 3 2/3 points (miai value).


[Diagram]
Diag.: Black's follower

After B 1, B 3 is a gote worth about 2 1/4 points. If there are bigger plays on the board, White is unlikely to respond to B 1.


[Diagram]
Diag.: White's follower

After W 1, W 3 is worth slightly more than 3 points.


So if there are plays worth between about 3 2/3 and 3 points elsewhere, Black is unlikely to respond to W 1.

This is a middling gote. Do not think of it as a double sente.



This is a copy of the living page "Double Sente" at Sensei's Library.
(C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.