Beginner Exercise 129 / Attempts

Black first to kill.  

demetria: There is death in the hane. White responds to the incursion and Black takes the vital point. At that point a and b are miai for death (I think). Also, if White for some reason responds to at a, then there's still a bulky-five shape.

Why the above fails  

Common mistake: assuming your opponent will play passively to every move you make.

demetria: Why should Black play at , and not a?

Why the above fails  

unkx80: I allow Black to add another stone at . And this is seki.

Black first to kill  

demetria: Would Black be able to ruin White's eye space so there's only one eye?

Also, if white played in the first try, then wouldn't Black effectively steal White's eye by playing at a?

Black first to kill  

The in the previous diagram is the stone in this diagram. After capturing two black stones, does at a make any sense now?

Not so easy  

After White takes the vital point of the bulky five, there are to options for life at a and b (b being better, but Black can take it first.) Even if White loses a ko at a, White captures and to make a two-point eye.

unkx80: Hey, aren't the two stones and under atari? Then Black at c will capture them.

Symmetry  

After going through all this it's staring to look like playing on the point of symetry is the only way to give White a false eye. No matter where White places a stone in answer, Black threatens to create a ko and the eye is either dead or false.

Symmetry  

unkx80: here is wrong.

demetria: It's pretty bad that I still don't know an atari when I see one. It's a long road ahead ;)

unkx80: Spot the Atari! =)