Squeeze tesuji

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  Difficulty: Beginner   Keywords: Tesuji, Shape

Shibori (シ ポ リ, to squeeze liquid out) is a play by which you squeeze the opponent's stones into an inefficient dumpling shape. Often a successful squeeze includes sacrificing one or more stones to make the opponent's shape bad first.

The squeeze wrings out the liberties of a group of your opponent's stones by a combination of atari moves and/or atari threats.

Squeeze plays are very rewarding and normally quite easy to spot. With a bit more practice, you can also see how to set up a squeeze by forcing your opponent into a bad shape before, and conversely, how to avoid being squeezed yourself.

[Diagram]

Squeeze tesuji

In this example, after White plays W1, Black invites the cut with B2, sacrifices B4 ...

[Diagram]

Squeeze tesuji

... in order to force with with B6 and squeezes with B8 and B10 - ending up with good shape and leaving White in a dango shape.

[Diagram]

Continuing pressure

Black continues to squeeze White, making territory in the process.

[Diagram]

Final position

White's group is still weak.


[Diagram]

Lethal squeeze (White 4 connects)

In some cases, the squeeze can be so efficient that the opponent is captured. In this example, Black sacrifices the marked stone to squeeze with B1 and B3 and subsequently kills with B5.

-- Morten Pahle (10k)



The top two examples on this page are shamelessly copied (with permission) from goproblems.com - which has many other tesuji problems as well.

[Diagram]

Black can't resist

Before connecting, White pushed a little bit into the center with W1. Black could not resist B2. Instead of trying to save the marked stone, White plays W3.

[Diagram]

White solves a larger problem

Followed by W5, which seals the black group in.

[Diagram]

Black is dead

Black must play B6, leaving him with a very bad shape, and White plays out to W7, guarding against a cut at a, and sealing off Black's escape route through b.


Another example:

[Diagram]

Does Black need to defend the cut at a?

Consider this position and focus on the cut at a. Your first reaction may be that Black doesn't need to protect the cut if the ladder works for him, and that he needs to protect if the ladder works for White. However this analysis is incorrect.

[Diagram]

White cuts!

Black has a clever defense if White cuts. He starts with an atari at B2 and then plays a net at B4. If White now plays at a or b, she will be caught in an inescapable atari, so there is only one possibility left.

[Diagram]

White tries to break free

She plays atari at W1, and again at W3 when Black connects. Her plan is to run out at b if Black pulls out the stone at a.

[Diagram]

Black squeezes

However Black now plays a tesuji at B1, which sets up the squeeze. Since White is in atari, she has no choice but to capture at W2.

[Diagram]

Black squeezes

After the capture, Black again plays atari at B1, and again White has no choice but to defend. After B3, it is clear that the white cut didn't work.


[Diagram]

Reference position

For reference, the starting position is the result of this rather common san-san invasion under the black hoshi stone.

[Diagram]

Continuation

This completes the position. Verify for yourself that against the cut neither the net above nor the one to come works if White has a stone on one of the marked spots. In go terms this means that the position has some bad aji for Black. He needs to remember this in the continuation of the game, because in some other sequence later in the game White may play on one of these spots for another reason and in doing so enable the cut.


[Diagram]

White cuts...

In position "White cuts!" there is another way to capture the cutting stone, which doesn't employ squeeze though.

[Diagram]

White plays tricky moves...

One may verify that W1 cannot escape. The strongest reply...

(W5, of course, threatens snap-back at a. B6 at a wouldn't be as good since Black would depend on more context, for instance, having a liberty at b.)


See also


Authors:


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