Ko Threat
Definition
A ko threat is a move with a "big" follow-up, which you play after your opponent has captured a ko; if your opponent answers it you may recapture the ko. (You cannot recapture the ko immediately, due to the basic rule of ko.) If your opponent does not answer your ko threat, but instead proceeds to resolve the ko, you can follow through on your threat and thus gain compensation for losing the ko.
Example
Here is an example: takes the ko in a ko fight that decides a capturing race in the upper left corner.
is a ko threat.
decides to resolve the ko.
then executes the ko threat, taking the compensation.
Note that Black could also answer by playing
at
. Then
would recapture the ko and the ko fight goes on.
See Ko fight example from a pro game - 1 for the full discussion of this ko fight.
More terminology
- It is important to distinguish between local ko threats and non-local ko threats.
- The term ko threat can be used to refer to a potential threat as well as one actually played. Example: "White has more ko threats than Black."
- The term ko material? is an alternative to ko threat, which can also refer to the aggregate of all potential ko threats one player has, as in "Felix has more ko material than Oscar." The Japanese terms kouzai and koudate, do not distinguish between singular and plural, and thus may be used to refer either to ko material in the aggregate or an individual ko threat.
- The size of a ko threat? is, informally, the potential gain from making the threatened follow-up (when your opponent ignores the threat and instead resolves the ko).
More on the /Discussion page.
See also
- Ko as a starting page to all ko related material.
- Ko threat exercises
Basic
Proverbs
- Remove double threats before you first capture the ko
- capture once to use up a threat
- There are No Ko Threats in the Opening
Advanced
- Ko Threat - Rule of Thumb
- ko threat playing order
- ko threat functions
- an example of removing a local threat
- long threat
- ko threat amplification
- Card Game Model of Ko
- ko threat in seki example
- unremovable ko threat
- virtual ko threat
- Dame Ko Threats