Loose ladder

In a loose ladder the stones to be captured have at most three liberties, and are constantly reduced back to two liberties. (instead of "at most two, being constantly reduced back to one", as in a normal ladder). Naturally, the surrounding groups need at least three liberties each in the process.

For an extreme example, see Hayashi Gembi's Loose Ladder.

Examples

Black to play.  

Can Black capture ?

Loose ladder  

Black to play  

White has just cut with , what can black do?

Loose ladder 2  

Loose ladder 2, cont'd  

is the key move. Note that Black liberty at a is crucial.