[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]

StartingPoints
ReferenceSection
About


Referenced by
Sabaki
AStaticTreatiseOn...
Variants
TeachingPaths
ForbiddenMoveGame
KGSWishlist
KGSWishlistOld
MontyPythonParrot...

 

Shape game
   

[Diagram]
The shape game

White to move and make a living group. Black to prevent that. Black has to mind only about destroying white's shape, since his stones are connected by the marked stones at the sides anyway. Likewise, White has to care only about good shape: connect and make eyes.

ChessWhiz: By the way, does anyone know the answer to this exercise? Can White live, or can Black kill unconditionally? Or maybe it's a ko? :-)

evpsych: Why one-point jumps all around? If I were White, I would try more than just good shape. I would place two stones in dual-purpose moves on the second line such that the stones could form an eye on the inside, then ladder black around the edge of the board if Black fails to protect the edge. If Black protects, I would use the two stones on the inside.

Tderz: I don't know the answer, but think it is a good exercise for beginners or weaker players. Hence, I will give this problem as an exercise in our Go-club (to beginners after the 8th lesson, having heard of the concepts of shape and being rudimentarily aware of life and death. Between equally ranked players in the weaker ranges (including me) everything might be possible. With a 9-rank difference, I guess the white player usually would win.

The method given by evpsych sounds like a desideratum (wish, e.g. free beer). I am equally interested in the fail- & fool-proof method to earn money on the stock market or in business. To play a multi-purpose move with one move is always desirable. I think the question still remains, how Black will/could/should answer. After all, Black is still connected to the right and left if tenuki-ing on the peep. If Black were to answer all the peeps, he would not die because of four connected "false" eyes securing a special life (double-headed dragon). Most probably your idea was that Black has answered all the peeps and the game starts anew with a (very weak) white row of ikken tobis, and White's sente. However, as mentioned above, it is only a question of time when Black whishes to refrain from connecting, perhaps even tenukiing the first two moves. One eye does not give life. Enough words , let's proof/test it.

I have seen a comparable (?) setup before with a fully connected black wall (all stones on the first row). I do not remember anything special about the outcome anymore. It must have been a training exercise.

The problem given here, should make it easier for White to live, that is correct.



Shape game examples at DGS: [ext] 22387, [ext] 24010



This is a copy of the living page "Shape game" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.