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Gun Eight
Path: LifeAndDeath   · Prev: GunSix   · Next: SquareNineInTheCorner
Path: GiveMeLiberties   · Prev: LibertiesStonesRatio   · Next: CapturingRace

    Keywords: Life & Death

1. No outside liberties

[Diagram]
Diag.: Gun Eight

When there are no outside liberties, this eight-point large eye shape can be turned into seki or ko. In this position a is the vital point.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Main line

After White 1, Black 2 threatens to kill the white stone, forcing White 3.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Continuation 1: Seki

Black 4 - White 5 makes seki. White 5 - Black 4 does the same. (Though White 5 indicates a desire to avoid ko. In that case Black's reply at 4 is not urgent.)

Seki is the usual result, but there is a throw-in ko.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Continuation 2: Ko

White can throw a stone into the corner to make a two-step ko.

Black can throw in at 2 to make the same ko. However, this ko normally favors White, so Black will usually make seki.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Variation at 2: seki

This is a more straightforward way of reaching seki. Here 4 and 5 are miai : Black 5 - White 4 also reaches seki.



2. Outside liberties

[Diagram]
Diag.: Gun Eight with outside liberties

As soon as there is an outside liberty, this shape is alive with 7 points.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Gun Eight with outside liberties

Thanks to the outside liberty, Black can atari at 6. Without that extra liberty, Black 6 puts himself into atari.



3. Endgame conclusions

When the last outside liberty is taken, the play on the 2-2 is normally a 3 1/2 point gote (Miai Counting).


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Path: LifeAndDeath   · Prev: GunSix   · Next: SquareNineInTheCorner
Path: GiveMeLiberties   · Prev: LibertiesStonesRatio   · Next: CapturingRace

This is a copy of the living page "Gun Eight" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.