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Aliases
FlowerViewingKo
PicnicKo

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SecondCourseOnKo

Referenced by
GoTerms
Ko
GTLReview1558CutA...
SenteKo
TeachingGame67Pat...

 

Hanami Ko
Path: SecondCourseOnKo   · Prev: TakingSenteInAKo   · Next: SenteKo
    Keywords: Ko

Following on from lopsided kos:-

I've always seen this translated as a 'flower-viewing Ko', but I am not sure how literal that is.

Anyway, the gist is that it is a ko where one of the sides stands to lose a lot, wheras the other stands to lose very little.

For the side which has nothing to lose, it is the best type of ko possible, because anything he gains from it will be to his benefit and he doesn't have the risk of losing anything.

An example of a hanami ko is given on GTL review 1558 cut and fight ko.

--MortenPahle


'Flower-viewing ko' is a reference to the Japanese tradition of having a picnic under the cherry trees in spring when they first come into blossom. This is called the 'flower-viewing festival' (can someone supply the Japanese?). So when you can start a hanami-ko that is in your favour, you are happy, you have no worries, the sun is shining. That sort of thing.

--TimHunt

DaveSigaty: hana (flower) + mi (from miru, to see); the term hanami is literally the act of sitting under the trees with friends, drinking, chatting, singing, and (occasionally) admiring the cherry blossoms.

Jasonred : I was fine with this up til a while ago, when I suddenly remembered that Go is a zero sum game! How can there be such a thing as a picnic ko? There's no such thing as nothing to lose, since forcing your opponent to lose 10 points is the same as winning those 10 points yourself!


Bill: Jason, you are right. Hanamikos arise when a player ignores a play that threatens to make the ko. Looking only at the current local position, you can rarely call a ko a hanamiko. You have to know the history.


See also sente ko.



Path: SecondCourseOnKo   · Prev: TakingSenteInAKo   · Next: SenteKo
This is a copy of the living page "Hanami Ko" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.