Beginner Exercise 298 / Solution

B lives  

is the only way to live.

Hardest attempt  

White's hardest attempt leads to seki in sente.

Variation  

here is met by securing an eye. makes a second eye.

Failure 1  

Immediate fails, because white can capture the stones on the left or connect to the outside.

Failure 1 variation  

Other continuations are also dead.

Failure 2  

This doesn't work either.

If at either a or b then white takes the other point, reducing the eyespace to a bulky five.

If at c then at a kills, while at d will be answered by at b.

Failure 3  

here might look promising, but it's also a mistake which is punished by the clever sequence up to .

If black plays at a then at b sets up a snapback.

at b is for example answered by at a capturing the stones on the left.