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Costly Atari
   

Sometimes you need to play your kikashi while you can. But sometimes it is aji keshi or entails a direct loss. One common mistake is to atari a first-line hane when you are going to tenuki.

Here is an example from Rob van Zeijst's column in the [ext] Daily Yomiuri Online.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage (ii)

Giving 2 points komi, Black loses by 1 point.



But Black's atari at 5 in the first diagram is a mistake. Black can salvage jigo if he does not atari.

[Diagram]
Diag.: No atari

The difference is that Black has not sacrificed a stone in the top right corner. The extra point gives Black a tie.



What about White's earlier atari? Was it a mistake, too?

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage (B)

After B 9 White has a dilemma. Maybe the best thing is to protect the corner.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage (B2)

But after B 2 White is plainly lost.



If White continues to mirror with W 1

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mirror

W 3 protects the corner. W 7 is tesuji. If B 8 captures at a, White plays at b.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Seki

B 2 makes seki. Now White suffers a big loss.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Seki (ii)

White can try W 1, but B 8 is tesuji to kill White's corner stones.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Ko

W 1 is tesuji. B 2 is a mistake. If Black prevents a seki, White makes a ko and wins.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Seki (iii)


So White's early atari seems necessary to prepare for the atari with sente when Black cuts. Two similar ataris, one right, one wrong. Go is not a very easy game. :-)

-- BillSpight



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