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April 2000's Go Answer of the Month


Dia 1 - Black to kill.

Dia 1

This is from another Korean magazine. I can't read the text, but the diagrams look like they have 3 success variations and 3 failure variations.

Anyway, how does black kill? Any answer needs to cope with several possible white move 2s.


Dia 2, 3 & 4 - Success.

Dia 2   Dia 3   Dia 4

Black 1 is the vital point. In Dia 2, after white 2, black 3 makes effective miai of A & B to kill white. If White plays A, Black plays B and can link to the left at either the 3-3 or 3-1 point to leave white with one big eye which has black 3 at its centre. If White plays B, Black can descend to the first line leaving the situation as Dia 3.

In Dia 3, after Black 5, A & B are miai to kill white. If White plays A, Black links out at B. If White plays B, Black can keep white down to a 'gun' nakade with A and then eoither linking 5 to A or capturing the two white stones.

In Dia 4, this white 2 is handled by descending to the edge, narrowing white's eyespace with 5 and 9, making a small-eye nakade shape with 7 (three in a row) and then preventing a seki with 11.


Dia 5, 6 & 7 - Failure.

Dia 5   Dia 6   Dia 7

Dia 5 shows an incorrect black 3' from Dia 4. Here White gets one eye by capturing 1 and a second with A or B.

Dia 6 shows an incorrect black 3' from Dia 3. At first glance this looks like a ko, but variations I have tried all allow white a clean life, either by capturing 1 whilst retaining the 2,4,6 eye or by black failing to complete a nakade shape due to shortage of liberties (he gets surrounded and cannot link his stones at 4). Do you know better?

Dia 7 is just an incorrect first move. After 4, there is one eye to the right of 2 and a second made by one of A or B.


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