Don't take away your own liberties

  Difficulty: Introductory   Keywords: Tactics

A common mistake in Go, is taking away your own liberties.

Example 1

[Diagram]

White has taken territory and Black some influence. It is tempting to reduce White's territory by pushing at a.

[Diagram]

However, after W2, Black's liberties are reduced from six to five.
As his formation is still open to invasion, reduction or attack, losing a liberty is too high a cost compared to White's cost of 1 point at this stage.

Furthermore, this move loses a ko-threat, but that was not the issue here.


Example 2

[Diagram]

Before

White's stone has four liberties.

[Diagram]

After

A vain attempt to cut the bamboo joint: White's stones now have three liberties.
This will always be bad (exception if played as a ko threat)


Almost as bad as losing a liberty, is playing but not gaining any liberties.[1]

[Diagram]

White disregards liberties

The exchange W1 - B2 leaves White with three liberties: the same number as she had before. This is one of the ideas behind hane at the head.

[Diagram]

White gains liberties

After W1 here, whatever Black does, she (White) will end up with at least four liberties for her group.


Example 3[2]

[Diagram]

A bad push

Black pushes at B1 to create weaknesses, but...

[Diagram]

if black doesn't defend, then white can kill

...because of shortage of liberties, he can no longer play a to make a second eye


A more complex situation where removing one's own liberties gives a bad result: Removing one's own liberties Example 1

This proverb or heuristic also is at the base of the proverb telling you to fill outside liberties first in a capturing race.



Comments on unambiguous correctness & teaching value

[1]

tderz: the two examples above are very good as a first instinct reaction ('gain liberties', 'stay ahead', 'play/avoid hane at the head of two'),

but do not necessarily show bad play:

[Diagram]

White disregards liberties but cuts

tderz: if White's intention is to cut at either W3 or a, then this might be the (only) way.

[Diagram]

if the surroundings allow

tderz: The exchange W1 - B2 leaves White with three liberties: the same number as she had before. This is one of the ideas behind hane at the head. -> if the surroundings allow and the situation fits, Black may be cut & in a bad/worse situation, as both only have 2 liberties.

[Diagram]

White gains liberties

tderz: this is espec. good & important if the direction square, triangle is the route for escape/attack.


tderz: this is not a perfect example in my view.

[Diagram]

sente & a perfect wall

tderz: W1 is sente once game is about 11 points/move (23/2) and Black needs to defend with B2.

[Diagram]

reverse sente (1)

tderz: Black's push at B1 can thus also be considered as a good reverse sente,
as it creates a weaknesses (of course, Black has to come back and defend).
Continuations could be a-b-c-d-e or c-(f, h or i) etc.

[Diagram]

reverse sente (2)

tderz: perhaps the white+circle goup is heavy now and on the left there are imponderabilities as a + b + c.
I certainly prefer defects in opponent's wall + split groups in gote over
being forced to accept a perfect wall in gote.


This is a copy of the living page "Don't take away your own liberties" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2014 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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