[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]

StartingPoints
ReferenceSection
About


Paths
ForcingAndInitiative

Referenced by
Atari
MutualDamage
ThankYouMoveDiscu...
Corner12Connectio...

 

Costly Atari
Path: ForcingAndInitiative   · Prev: MutualForcingMoves   · Next: VirtualKoThreat
   

Sometimes you need to play your kikashi while you can. But sometimes it is aji keshi or entails a direct loss. One common mistake is to atari a first-line hane when you are going to tenuki.

Here is an example from Rob van Zeijst's column in the [ext] Daily Yomiuri Online.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage (ii)

Giving 2 points komi, Black loses by 1 point.



But Black's atari at 5 in the first diagram is a mistake. Black can salvage jigo if he does not play atari.

[Diagram]
Diag.: No atari

The difference is that Black has not sacrificed a stone in the top right corner. The extra point gives Black a tie.



What about White's earlier atari? Was it a mistake, too?

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage (B)

After Black 9 White has a dilemma. Maybe the best thing is to protect the corner.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Mutual Damage (B2)

But after Black 2 White is plainly lost.



If White continues to mirror with White 1:

[Diagram]
Diag.: Mirror

White 3 protects the corner. White 7 is tesuji. If Black 8 captures at a, White plays at b.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Seki

Black 2 makes seki. Now White suffers a big loss.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Seki (ii)

White can try White 1, but Black 8 is tesuji to kill White's corner stones.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Ko

White 1 is tesuji. Black 2 is a mistake. If Black prevents the seki, White makes a ko and wins.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Seki (iii)


So White's early atari seems necessary to prepare for the atari with sente when Black cuts. Two similar ataris, one right, one wrong. Go is not a very easy game. :-)

-- BillSpight



Path: ForcingAndInitiative   · Prev: MutualForcingMoves   · Next: VirtualKoThreat
This is a copy of the living page "Costly Atari" at Sensei's Library.
(C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.