Capturing race
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A capturing race is a mutual capturing contest: The first player to put the opponent into atari and then capture their stones wins the race. Usually the winner of the race (the player who makes the capture) makes life for their group. Both groups in the race are enclosed, have at most one eye and are reducing each other's liberties.
A Simplified Capturing Race
In this simple race, white is cut (See the marked stones?) and black is also cut.
Each group has five liberties.
Types
There are several standard types of capturing races and it is useful to know them.
- A no eye versus no eye capturing race
- An eye versus no eye capturing race
- An eye versus eye capturing race
In all cases there are inside liberties and outside liberties. When attacking your opponent's group, you should play the inside liberties last. Otherwise, you take away one of your own liberties as well as the opponent's, and give them sente.
To count the outside liberties, include approach moves: sometimes it is necessary to play more than just on the actual liberties to capture the group.
The range of possible outcomes in a capturing race is extensive: besides victory for one or other side, you can get seki, a direct ko and most types of indirect ko.
See also
- Capturing race examples
- Capturing race exercises
- Give me liberties path.
- CGT values in semeai
- Capturing race formula
- Gokyo Shumyo Tsumego Series, section 4
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