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Basic Live Shapes
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  Difficulty: Beginner   Keywords: Life & Death

Here are some basic live shapes. See also: Nakade and shape.

Live shapes have to have two eyes.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Small life in the corner

This is the smallest live group you can create. Now, why is this group alive? Consider the next diagram:


[Diagram]
Diag.: Why it is alive?

Even though Black is surrounded by White, the group is completely alive. If White plays a or b, that stone will die at the end of the turn, and the black group will still be alive.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Other small corner shapes

These two groups are small as well (just 5 and 6 stones) but this is interesting because it is not one unit (one string of connected stones) -- it is two co-dependent units.

(White requires a stone at a or b. -- Dale)

(But the group is alive, because if Black plays at a then White can play at b and conversely.)


[Diagram]
Diag.: Six more codependent stones

Here's another invincible pair.


[Diagram]
Diag.: A small unit along a side

This is the smallest unit I can find on the side.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Small units in the center

Here are the smallest live shapes in the center.

-- FCS, Arno Hollosi



[Diagram]
Diag.: An unlikely quartet

I don't think you'd ever see this shape in a game, but it's interesting in that there are four co-dependent groups.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Three odd fellows

Here's a group of three units.

And the list goes on and on...

-- FCS



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