Column Go

   

Chinese: 東棋 (zhùqí)
Japanese: 東碁 (chūgo)
Korean: 기등 바둑 (gidung baduk = kidung paduk)

Follow the Rules of Go, except place prisoners under the stone(s) used to capture them. Only prisoners adjacent to given stone(s) can be in such a column.

Example 1: capture of one stone

[Diagram]

Before the move

The white stone is almost surrounded. It is adjacent to only one unoccupied point, marked square. Thus, the stone has only one liberty.

Remember: only adjacent points can be liberties. So the points marked cross are not liberties.

[Diagram]

Black captures

Black's move B1 occupies the last liberty of the white stone, surrounding it completely. It is thus captured and will be placed under B1. .

[Diagram]

After the move

The captured stone is under black+circle.


Example 2: capture of three stones in a corner

[Diagram]

Before the move

The three white stones white+circle are adjacent to one another and share liberties. As a string, the stones stand or fall together.

[Diagram]

Black captures three stones

Black's move B1 occupies their last liberty and captures them, placing the white+circle adjacent to B1 under it and that adjacent to the others under either of them.

[Diagram]

After the move

W from a is under black+circle, W from b is under black+square.


Example 3: capture of two strings

A move can also surround different stones at the same time even if not all of them are connected as a string.

[Diagram]

Before the move

Here, a is the only liberty of two separate strings: the four white stones at the top and the single white stone in the middle.

[Diagram]

Black captures 5 stones

Black's move B1 captures the surrounded five white stones. For this Black occupies their last liberty. They now have no liberties, so they are captured and thus placed under Black’s stones. Three of them thus go under B1.

[Diagram]

After the move

W from a, b and c are under black+circle, W from d is under black+square.


Example 4: capture by a stone with no liberties

This example illustrates the rule that a capturing stone doesn’t need to have a liberty until the captured stones are removed.

[Diagram]

Before the move

[Diagram]

White captures

The White move W1 occupies the last liberty of the two black stones, capturing them. Note that W1 is a legal move although it has no liberties when it is played.

[Diagram]

After the move

Now white+square has a liberty again with B from a underneath, leaving a legal position. W from b is under the other W on the same row of the board. If Black plays B2 at a, there will not be a ko.



This is a copy of the living page "Column Go" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2023 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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