Dango

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    Keywords: Joseki, Shape, Tactics

Dango
Dango ([ext] source, [ext] license)

Chinese: 愚形 (yú xíng)
Japanese: 団子 (dango)
Korean: 응형

Dango, a Japanese go term, means "dumpling shape", and refers to a solid mass of stones without eyes and few liberties - a very inefficient shape.

[Diagram]

Dango

This clump of four black stones is a smallest dango. Adding more black stones to it only creates a larger dango.

As can be seen from this example, a black four-stone dango may be formed by adding a black stone at the empty intersection of an empty triangle. As an empty triangle is already inefficient, this makes a dango even more inefficient.

[Diagram]

Dango

Here is another example from squeeze tesuji. The white+square chain is a six-stone dango.


Some examples of professional dangos can be found in this compendium.


Phlegmatic: Here's an example of an incredible dango that my opponent created:

[Diagram]

Humble beginnings...

[Diagram]

The dango swells...

In this sequence it became clear to me why the proverb says Beginners Play Atari, although my responses were atari plays too, so who am I to talk?

[Diagram]

Revealed in all its glory....

I think it's true to say that here are 13 black stones that have only 5 liberties, and have captured no firm territory yet (and only 3 white stones). I guess heavy and inefficient are the polite terms for this scenario...

This made me think of the dango as a kind of cancerous tumour growing in the heart of one's play, drawing in the host's strength and storing up trouble for the future. Characterising them in that way will definitely help me focus my mind on dango-avoidance in future.

-- Phlegmatic (19kyu KGS)

[Diagram]

Double atari.

unkx80: Certainly Black can play double atari here?

Phlegmatic: Black was showing a stubborn refusal to sacrifice stones that, to my shame, was making me get careless. If Black had played B2 here, it would be no less than I deserved.


Jan: Black 4 in the 'the dango swells' diagram seems at first glance very silly to me. Surely Black can play 4 at White 5?

Dieter: Given the peculiar form of the dango I am sure he was under some kind of influence.

BadShape: Yeah, that's pretty extreme for normal Go. However, this is not a big dango at all by the standards of the Go variant called [ext] Dango, where captured stones are moved, not removed, so you can use them to fill in an opponent's eyes. I still recall when a friend and I achieved the ultimate dango feat - an entire board seki, consisting of just two groups. Boy, how we laughed about how silly that looked. Maybe we were under some sort of influence too.


Quacki: Just yesterday, I read my Ranma 1/2 Manga Book (german, Band (volume) 30, I think), which give a translation for dango. It said dango means "balls of fishmeat on a spit" ("Fischbaellchen am Spiess"). Does this have anything to do with our dango?

kokiri: Dango are usually desserts, pounded rice balls filled with azuki beans or the like. I've never heard of fish dango, and frankly I'd be a bit suspicious of the translation, but yes the original dango is a foodstuff.

Lacrymology: Filled in the japanese kanji. Dango is any ball (food). Niku dango are meatballs, goma dango are mochi (rice cake) balls covered in sesamee seeds (goma). I dont know what is the fish dango that they talk about in Ranma, but dango are almost always on a stick, if eaten by themselves (as in oposition to say in some kind of sauce, or whatont), or maybe on a plate with some miso leaves or something wrapping them. In the go, being black and white stones I can see where at some point a big ugly dango like the one up there appeared and someone thought of a dango which by itself USUALLY refers to mochi dango (ricecake-ball) filled with azuki.. black filling, white sorrounding.. nice image.

marnen?: I think you mean [ext] shiso leaves, not "[ext] miso leaves" (which don't exist...). :)

{John F.] I don't think the Japanese refers to "a" dango, but to many: stones being squeezed up together like a lot of dangos. The imagery is rather like a handful of marbles. A load of balls, in other words :)


Large Dango from extreme handicap play

16 stones in actual play ...

[Diagram]

dia. (0): large Dango


Problem diagram [0]: How could this happen? (cf. dia. [99] or [5])
Let's have a look at some logical sequences.
(Logic has little to do with real truth or reality)

[Diagram]

dia. (1): large Dango from extreme handicap play


dia. [1]: Tderz: This Dango could appear if Black plays too submissive and small-point-focussed several times.
At the same time,
White is playing trying to achieve the Dango in actual play.

W10 is overdoing things? If B11 at a, Wb can connect or capture in a ladder.
If B11 at c, White can live.

[Diagram]

dia. (2): large Dango


dia. [2]

[Diagram]

dia. (3): large Dango


dia. [3]: B1 and B3 want to prevent the white connection underneath,
which is ok in itself.
Black could vary with B5, but W6 is a nice tesuji.

[Diagram]

dia. (3a): variation


dia. [3a]: B3 is a nice tesuji too,
preventing momentarily the connection underneath
(cf. with dia. [10]).

[Diagram]

dia. (3b): variation


dia. [3b]: W5 -> a, B6 -> b

[Diagram]

dia. (3c): variant


dia. [3c]: Black cannot deviate much ...

[Diagram]

dia. (3d): variant


dia. [3d]: white+square are able to live now - Wa with weak ko b for Black
- who must avoid white c by black d (allows Wf or Be (allows Wd).
OK, the latter is not so interesting,
but if Black was able to play all this, s/he wouldn't need handicap ....


[Diagram]

dia. (4): large Dango


dia. [4]: continuation from dia. [3]: B3 is small-scale thinking again.

[Diagram]

dia. (4a): variation


dia. [4a]:

[Diagram]

dia. (4b): variation


dia. [4b]: B4 -> W1? or W5 at a is not urgent for either


[Diagram]

dia. (5): large Dango


dia. [5]: continuation from dia. [4]: B4 -> W1

[Diagram]

dia. (6): large Dango


dia. [6]: next white+circle is aiming to capture all ^^...


Just found by chance in "Breakthrough to Shodan", page 9, dia. 4 another variation how to produce this Dango:

[Diagram]

dia. (7): variant in "Breakthrough to Shodan"


dia. [7]: Exchanging B4 for B5 strengthens White more than Black, a (question: or b?) are better.

[Diagram]

dia. (8):


dia. [8]: B18 commits a mistake to complete the trap.
B8 should be at a (follow dia. [10]).

[Diagram]

dia. (9):


dia. [9]: The black+circle are not well positioned.

[Diagram]

dia. (99): follow-up


dia. [99]: W5 at B8.

[Diagram]

dia. (10):


dia. [10]: B1 is tesuji (cf. with dia. [3a])
B6 connects. After W10, another important move follows:

[Diagram]

dia. (11):


dia. [11]: B1 is tesuji (cf. W6 in dia. [3]) and avoids the ko of Wa-e.

Tderz Who could/would add variations starting from diagrams [2], [3] and [4]?


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This is a copy of the living page "Dango" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2011 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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