Capture three to make an eye

  Difficulty: Beginner   Keywords: Life & Death

Capturing three stones suffices to make an eye.

An example at the edge of the board.

[Diagram]

When White captures at W1 ...

[Diagram]

...even when Black throws in with B2, White can make a second eye with W3.

HugoDePayens? : Isn't the second eye a false one?

mgoetze: a is the first eye and b the second. They are both quite real I assure you. :)



This works away from the edge, too.


[Diagram]

Caution

unkx80: What is implied in the capture three to make an eye rule is that if the BC stone exists, then the WC stone must also exist before the rule is valid. Otherwise, White captures three stones and still ends up with a false eye...


RichardHunter: Readers of the British Go Journal will know that there are exceptions to "capturing three stones makes an eye".


[Diagram]

Counter-example

Hans: If Black captures the three stones with B1, then...

[Diagram]

Continuation

... W2 recaptures. Because of W2 and WC the eye around a is a false eye.


A related page is capture two recapture one.

See also the pages in the Eyes Collection.


See also:


This is a copy of the living page "Capture three to make an eye" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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