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Aliases (info)
Life
LiveGroups

Paths
LifeAndDeath
EyesCollection

Referenced by
TwoEyes
Dead
Status
LibertyTacticalSense
TwistedFour
SmallestGroupWith...
PassAlive
CornersThenSidesT...
UnconditionalLife
Corner
StrategyOfGoIntro...
ChineseGoTerms
BasicStrategiesList
JosekiRelatedLife...
EquivalentGameToGo
DougSGoBlogMay2003
UnconditionalLife...
OneEyedGo
EyeDefinitionDisc...
EyeShapeEyeSpaceD...

 

Alive
Path: EyesCollection   · Prev: WhenFalseEyesAreEyes   · Next: Dead
  Difficulty: Introductory   Keywords: Life & Death, Go term

A group is alive when it can't be captured.[1]

There are several ways in which a group can 'live'. The most common are:

  • the group is secure enough to survive an invasion[2].
  • the group has two eyes
  • the group lives in seki.

[1] That is, the group as a whole isn't one the opponent can forcibly capture. Stones within it may be captured.

[2] A group that does not obviously have two eyes, or is not clearly in seki, is still alive if it is guaranteed to be able to get two eyes or make seki, regardless of who plays first. By this extended definition, groups that seem to be alive, or are alive can die if a player is negligent. See pass-alive, also ambiguously called unconditional life.


Being alive is one possible status of a group, as is being dead; in between groups are called unsettled, or in more open positions weak groups.


Tactics for making live groups can combine threats: to make an eye, or to connect.

[Diagram]
Two white groups are alive

In this example the right-hand white group is alive, with two completely explicit eyes. The left-hand white group is also alive.


[Diagram]
Black cuts, White makes a second eye

White can answer B1 with W2 for two eyes.


[Diagram]
Black makes the eye false, White connects

B1 here makes a false eye shape, but once White plays W2 all White's stones form one safe, live group.



See also the Eyes Collection.



Path: EyesCollection   · Prev: WhenFalseEyesAreEyes   · Next: Dead
This is a copy of the living page "Alive" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.