Tsumego From Games 4

    Keywords: Life & Death, Problem

This comes from a three-stone game with me (1k EGF) playing White.

[Diagram]

Black to kill the upper right corner

The attention is drawn to the upper right corner. The White group is trying to live thus cutting the top center group from the upper right corner. Had I calculated it a bit earlier, I'd have left this as aji. Black can kill this group.

[Diagram]

Flying saucer shape

This is a standard shape, the flying saucer shape, and the hane at 1 kills.

[Diagram]

Mistake

My opponent played 1 and 3. If I continued with a, Black b would still have killed me. If White b, then Black c kills. But, there was a tesuji to save the white group.

[Diagram]

Tesuji

White 1 threatens the cut at a and at the same time prevents b in the previous diagram.

[Diagram]

The threat

If Black blocks, he loses some stones at a or b.

[Diagram]

Caution

If Black connects his marked stone, White first connects, then captures the stones at a or b.

[Diagram]

More Caution

If Black connects, White lives with 5. White 5 at a would be a big mistake, for Black b will make miai of 5 and c to kill.

[Diagram]

Continuation

So Black protected at 2 and White went on to live in the corner with 3. Next, if Black a, White b.


[Diagram]

Continuation

This seems to be a ko -- if white connects with 4 at 1, black at a makes a double damezumari. Thus, white 4 must be at a and black starts the ko.

[Diagram]

Continuation

unkx80: Unfortunately your argument doesn't hold water. W6 lives.

[Diagram]

Continuation

inoru: However, W6 allows B7, which renders white dead in this corner. For white to live, you must remember the rule of ko.

JoelR: This comment does not make sense. B7 is self-atari, White captures (more than) three with W8 to make an eye. After White fills W4, there is no ko in this area.

[Diagram]

Continuation

(inoru?:) Doing so forms this shape, and white is successfully alive.

JoelR: On the other hand, if White plays W1 here, then Black can recapture the ko at B3, and White is not assured life.


This is a copy of the living page "Tsumego From Games 4" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2014 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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