Spot the Empty Triangle
Here are some positions to help you practice not making empty triangles.
Example 1: connection
threatens to capture the marked cutting stones. How can Black best save them (which is often an urgent thing to do).
Example 2: higher level efficiency
axd: Why still too close?
Bill: Because of
. Black already has a base, and is relatively secure.
extends from that base without doing much to make it secure. As a rule, then, it is too close. It doesn't accomplish much.
Counterexample
The only time you should make an empty triangle is if it is backed up by solid reading. Here's the only common example I know of.
In the presence of , a move like
is often the only way to save the two stones, even though it makes an empty triangle. But always read it out, and remember it may be best to do something else instead of saving them!