Move one space further with snapback

Paths: <= Endgame tesuji   ·   <= Tesuji =>
  Difficulty: Intermediate   Keywords: Tactics

The motto ‘move one space further with snapback’ means one can use the threat of a snapback to make a larger encroachment along the edge upon enemy territory than a more vulgar move achieves. This can be useful in life and death and in the endgame.

[Diagram]

The essential position


Table of contents Table of diagrams
The essential position
Black to play and kill
The killing snapback
Failure: white lives
The position in the endgame
The snapback in the endgame
No snapback: inferior yose

Killing

[Diagram]

Black to play and kill

White has just played white+circle

Black to play and kill

[Diagram]

The killing snapback

Solution

If White a, black will capture three stones with snapback.

B1 uses snapback to move one space further into White’s group, ruining his second eye.

[Diagram]

Failure: white lives

Failure

Because he did not threaten a snapback, Black could not get far enough in to hurt White’s eyespace.



In the endgame

In the endgame, the same technique increases one’s profit and helps retain sente.

[Diagram]

The position in the endgame

Black to play.

[Diagram]

The snapback in the endgame

This is the solution. Note the snapback of B3.

[Diagram]

No snapback: inferior yose

B3 here loses two points. Also, since it threatens less damage than B5 in the previous diagram, White is more likely to be able to make a sente yose play of his own before playing W4.



Problems

  1. [ext] https://www.goproblems.com/problems/6350

Paths: <= Endgame tesuji   ·   <= Tesuji =>
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