Beginners Endgame Exercise 8 / Solution

White sente  

@ 3.

Result: +1 (seki)

 

Anonymous: What about this?

Ko  

Bill: If Black is komaster he can make this ko.

Nakade  

Bill: Note that does not succeed. White connects with .

Nakade (cont.)  

Bill: Then the nakade at kills. If , makes atari and prevents a second eye.

6 points  

Bill: But when Black wins the ko he gets only 6 points in one net play. (To get the count we consider that White plays with sente.)

7 points  

Bill: If Black plays first he gets 7 points in one net play.

Bill: That means that this is a 6 point sente for White (7 - 1). And that mean that if White makes the play at the normal time, Black should not make the ko, even if he is komaster, because then he just gives up 1 point. However, if the ambient temperature is less than 5, so that White's compensation for losing the ko is less than 5 points per move, and Black is komaster, he should make the ko.

Seki  

Bill: Black can make seki this way, but that is 1 point worse for him than the solution diagram.