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Aliases (info)
Shibori
Squeeze
Squeezing

Paths
Tesuji
AspectsOfSacrifice
GoodPlay

Referenced by
AjiKeshi
ThrowIn
Dango
ConnectingWithKeima
NamelessTesuji
RaceToCaptureInTh...
ApproachingALifeA...
KosumitsukeJoseki
TFG9WhiteDescent
GoTerms
RelyingOnTrickPlays
34PointHighApproa...
EnglishGoTerms
TFG9BlackUpperLeft
ANoviceTriesToWri...
BQM70
ChineseGoTerms
BigQuestionMarkPr...
BQM47
DraughtsExperience

 

Squeeze tesuji
Path: AspectsOfSacrifice   · Prev:   · Next: ThrowIn
Path: GoodPlay   · Prev: Shinogi   · Next: Tedomari
Path: Tesuji   · Prev: Net   · Next: ThrowIn

  Difficulty: Beginner   Keywords: Tesuji, Shape

A squeeze tesuji is a play where you squeeze the opponent's stone into an inefficient shape. Often a successful squeeze includes sacrificing one or more stones to make the opponent's shape bad first.

The squeeze wrings out the liberties of a group of your opponent's stones by a combination of atari moves and/or atari threats.

Squeeze plays are very rewarding and normally quite easy to spot. With a bit more practice, you can also see how to set up a squeeze by forcing your opponent into a bad shape before, and conversely, how to avoid being squeezed yourself.

[Diagram]
Squeeze tesuji

In this example, after White plays W1, Black invites the cut with B2, sacrifices B4 ...


[Diagram]
Squeeze tesuji (White 11 at 4)

... in order to force with with B6 and squeezes with B8 and B10 - ending up with good shape and leaving White in a dango shape.


[Diagram]
Final position


[Diagram]
Lethal squeeze (White 4 connects)

In some cases, the squeeze can be so efficient that the opponent is captured. In this example, Black sacrifices the marked stone to squeeze with B1 and B3 and subsequently kills with B5.

--MortenPahle(10k)


The top two examples on this page are shamelessly copied (with permission) from [ext] goproblems.com - which has many other tesuji problems as well.

[Diagram]
Black can't resist

Before connecting White pushed a little bit into the center with W1. Black could not resist B2. Instead of trying to save the marked stone, White plays W3.


[Diagram]
White solves a larger problem

Followed by W5, which seals the black group in.


[Diagram]
Black is dead

Black must play B6, leaving him with a very bad shape, and White plays out to W7, guarding against a cut at a, and sealing off Black's escape route through b.



Another example:

[Diagram]
Does Black need to defend the cut at a?

Consider this position and focus on the cut at a. Your first reaction may be that Black doesn't need to protect the cut if the ladder works for him, and that he needs to protect if the ladder works for White. However this analysis is incorrect.


[Diagram]
White cuts!

Black has a clever defense if White cuts. He starts with an atari at B2 and then plays a net at B4. If White now plays at a or b, she will be caught in an inescapable atari, so there is only one possibility left.


[Diagram]
White tries to break free

She plays atari at W1, and again at W3 when Black connects. Her plan is to run out at b if Black pulls out the stone at a.


[Diagram]
Black squeezes

However Black now plays a tesuji at B1, which sets up the squeeze. Since White is in atari, she has no choice but to capture at W2.


[Diagram]
Black squeezes

After the capture, Black again plays atari at B1, and again White has no choice but to defend. After B3, it is clear that the white cut didn't work.



[Diagram]
Reference position

For reference the starting position is the result of this rather common san-san invasion under the black hoshi stone.


[Diagram]
Continuation

This completes the position. Verify for yourself that the defense against the cut doesn't work if White has a stone on one of the marked spots. In go terms this means that the position has some bad aji for Black. He needs to remember this in the continuation of the game, because in some other sequence later in the game White may play on one of these spots for another reason and in doing so change this local position.



See also


--MortenPahle
--StefanVerstraeten



Path: AspectsOfSacrifice   · Prev:   · Next: ThrowIn
Path: GoodPlay   · Prev: Shinogi   · Next: Tedomari
Path: Tesuji   · Prev: Net   · Next: ThrowIn

This is a copy of the living page "Squeeze tesuji" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.