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End Game Test One Solution 2
  Difficulty: Dan level   Keywords: Problem, EndGame

Some alternative variations to the solution of "The Practical Endgame Test One".

Solution is White wins by 4 points - find it at EndGameTestOneSolution.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Starting position

White has just played the marked stone. In the solution black answers at 'a' next. What happens if black does not answer at 'a'?



[Diagram]
Diag.: Alternative for black

Instead black plays 1 here - W captures at 2 and B3 here is forced. W can play at 'a' or 'b' next.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Blocking in gote

If W blocks immediatly with 1 and 3 she will win by 4 points again. B cannot hope to win the ko so he just connects at 4. 5 to 7 are necessary defensive moves.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Getting greedy

The other route is W capturing at 1. B must not block at 3, because then white will close the right side just as before, but she will be better off by two points. So black plays 2. White plays 3 and threatens to capture the two marked stones.

If black connects at 5 now saving the two stones, white will play at 4 and she will win by 6 points. As B has no eye on the left side he has to protect the cut at 'a' eventually.

Thus black plays 4. If W gets greedy now and captures the two marked stones with 5 she will win by only 3 points! One point worse than the correct solution.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Again winning by 4 points

Instead white has to play at 5 here. Now if B connects at 6 (which is the biggest move) white will win by 4 points.



[Diagram]
Diag.: White's winning move

The above should have proven that white 1 is indeed the winning move and that even if black answers at 2 the result is again a 4 point win by white.

--ArnoHollosi



This is a copy of the living page "End Game Test One Solution 2" at Sensei's Library.
(C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.