Squeezing Out the Toothpaste

Path: Mistake   · Prev: SpeculativeInvasion   · Next: WeakGroup
  Difficulty: Beginner   Keywords: Go term

'Squeezing out the toothpaste' is a term sometimes used when a group is seemingly squeezed, but in reality is forced into a direction where it should have been stopped, in particular into the territory of the player doing the 'squeezing'.

[Diagram]

Finger variation a

Often contact plays will not stop the finger.

Charles B4, B6 and B8 are bad. In particular B8 is a classic squeezing out the toothpaste[1] mistake.



dnerra: Charles, I think this is a little more general than your text suggests. (I haven't had a GTL review yet where I didn't have to explain this.)

Charles Yes, very general - in Teach Yourself Go I also introduced the idea of failing ladder, which is the same but with corners in the toothpaste ...

Forcing your opponent out with a move as W9 is always bad, regardless whether there is black territory in that direction. It makes the black plays on both sides inefficient.

Here is an example from an amateur game:

[Diagram]

More white toothpaste

Black plays B1 to strengthen his group, then B3 to prevent the cut. Now he has weakened his center group more than he helped it. One can argue whether B3 is necessary. But if Black wants to play it, he should play there directly, without the B1/W2 exchange. (Leading to B1 at B3, W2 at B1, B3 at a).[2]

I always try to explain this with the following diagrams:

[Diagram]

Ok for White.

[Diagram]

Bad for white

[Diagram]

Horrible for white

The concept seems very simple. But one can see this basic mistake in many one-dan games.


[1] I'm quoting myself here, a bad habit I know. Charles

[2] One can also make the point that B1 would be better at b here.


See also:


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This is a copy of the living page "Squeezing Out the Toothpaste" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2005 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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