improve fast in go

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Improve Fast In Go

Milton N. Bradley 2008, 2010

Table Of Contents

• Introduction

• Chapter 1 The !ole Of "i#htin# In $o

• Chapter 2 I%portant &tones

• Chapter ' &tron#()ea* &tones

• Chapter + eeps -nd Cuts

• Chapter &ector /ines, nclosure Connectiity• Chapter 3 &.).O.T. -nalysis

• Chapter 4 - &a%plin# Of Ma5or "i#htin# &cenarios

• pilo#ue

• $lossary Of 6apanese $o Ter%s

Introduction About This Book �s On-Line Publication

The on line publication of this book provides two quite extraordinary assets:- t�s !"##$- t�s perfectable%

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A printed book is fixed in for& and content' and re&ains essentially i&&utable fro& the&o&ent of its publication$ (o except for the inclusion of a separate list of errata or the

subsequent issue of a second edition' any errors of o&ission or co&&ission it contains re&ainunchan)ed forever$ n sharp contrast' whatever flaws this on line publication possesses can be

readily corrected' if only you' the reader' are kind enou)h to co&&unicate your perceptions to&e$ f anythin) substantive has been o&itted' it can be added$ f anythin) is unworthy of

inclusion' it can be excised$ f )ot anythin) wron)' includin) typos and dia)ra&&atic and*or

co&&entary errors' it can be corrected$ f &ore or better exa&ples are needed' they can be provided$ And if anythin) is insufficiently clear' it can be clarified$ All that�s necessary toachieve a� perfect� presentation is for the reader to provide &e with the appropriate positivefeedback$ +ust click the link below or at the end of any chapter' and send &e an e&ail detailin)

the proble&s you perceive' and - this is &ost i&portant - specifics of exactly what you su))estas their correction$ This is not quite like ,ikipedia' where the reader can directly &odify the

presentation' but it�s close$ n order for this process to be successful' when you provide yourfeedback it�s essential that you include your ratin) A.A or other/' so that can properlyevaluate the perspective fro& which your caveat has ori)inated$ Obviously' if a hi)h 0an tells

&e that �ve )ot so&ethin) wron) it will carry &ore wei)ht than if a double di)it 1yu player&akes the sa&e clai&' but all positive co&&ents will be treated with the respect they deserve$!inally' if you like the book' and especially if you�re in its tar)et audience and a)ree that it hassi)nificantly i&proved your understandin) and ratin)%/' �d &uch appreciate yourco&&unicatin) that to &e$ t�s really the only thin) that will &ake the vast a&ount of ti&e andeffort that went into its creation worthwhile$

ntroduction

This book is not a .o pri&er nor even a second book' so it presu&es that the reader intendin) to

profit fro& it already has a fir& )rasp if perhaps not yet co&plete &astery/ of the basic rules of.o' as well as the funda&entals of life and death' +oseki' and !useki$

,hen decidin) whether or not it will be worth the ti&e and effort necessary to profit fro& a .o

tutorial such as this' the &ost relevant criterion e&ployed will al&ost necessarily be the a&ountand rapidity of i&prove&ent in your ratin) that you can expect in return$ Althou)h it�s&anifestly i&possible to correctly assess this without an in-depth appraisal of your individualintellect and countless other factors' so&e hi)hly relevant insi)ht into this &atter can

nevertheless be )ained fro& considerin) the author �s own experience$ As ori)inally conceived'

this book �s ob2ective was to provide players fro& double di)it to perhaps 3 1yu with crucialinsi)hts into the key issues of decidin) what' where' and why to play next$ But as a result of &yown experience' �ve 2ust co&e to reali4e that the ran)e of players who can find in it theinsi)hts that can and will lead to si)nificant i&prove&ent in their .o skill and ratin)/ extendsat least to 50 A.A% 6ow and why �ve co&e to that startlin) conclusion is related next$

,ith the possible rare exception of a few )eniuses at the very top of the .o professional ratin)s'

every .o player throu)hout its extensive history has eventually reached a skill and ratin) plateauwhich they never thereafter exceed$ !or &any players' inter&ediate plateaus also often hold

sway for a nu&ber of &onths or even years' but ulti&ately a final' hi)hest level is reached and

then continues until a)e induced decline takes over' if the player is fortunate enou)h to live thatlon)$ As �ve observed durin) the 78 years of &y own .o playin) experience' dependin) onthe player these final plateaus ran)e all the way fro& hi)h double di)it 1yu for the least apt&ost of who& drop out in frustration/' to hi)h ranked 9P$ But the one see&in)ly invariant


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factor characteri4in) the& all is that once a certain a&ount of ti&e has elapsed typically 58years or &ore/' or a)e has been reached typically 78-73/' the player �s then operative plateau isfinal' and is never thereafter transcended%

But what has 2ust happened in &y own .o playin) life violates both of those see&in)lyi&penetrable ti&e barriers% �& now ;' sufferin) fro& the incurable' invariably fatal AcuteA&yloid Leuke&ia' and have been at a 50 A.A plateau for over


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reader to see the sort of co&plications that &ay result fro& the i&ple&entation of the ideas bein) studied$ But even in those cases' our e&phasis is on identifyin) plausible &oves which

fulfill the position�s overall strate)ic ob2ectives' rather than on findin) those that are absolutely best$

!inally' it &ust be understood that althou)h this book provides a valuable road &ap for .o

fi)htin) in the for& of a set of si&ple but i&portant strate)ic ideas which are )enerally but

certainly not always/ applicable' those protocols &ust be viewed as neither absolute prescriptions that &ust be slavishly followed' nor unerrin) )uides to the absolutely best &oves%0espite that i&portant caveat' the book �s pre&ise is that &ere exposure to these key ideas will

provide the )reatest increase in any be)inner*inter&ediate�s playin) stren)th for the least effortexpended% But' as desirable as that is' it�s only a )ood first step$ o&pletin) thetransfor&ation into a stron) player will also take &uch study and practice of the detailedtechniques of .o' as well as lots of over-the-board playin) experience - all thin)s well beyond

our present purposes' and which are therefore left for your independent effort$

The Cse Of "atin)s n This Book

#xcept as otherwise noted' all of the illustrations in this book were taken fro& actual 0an level)a&es played on leadin) on-line .o servers' and that &eans that the stated ranks are all really

equivalent to 5- ; stones stron)er on the A.A scale% (o althou)h 30 &ay not see& all thati&pressive' when you reali4e that it�s really equivalent to fro& 70-0 A.A and thereforea&on) its hi)hest rated players' that player �s 2ud)&ent about where to play beco&es &ucheasier to accept as valid$

Acknowled)e&ent

hereby pay &y respects and acknowled)e &y debt to all of the &any wonderful .o teachersand authors who have preceded &e$ Thanks are hereby offered to the vetters of this book �sori)inal incarnation' "ay 1ukol =0' Lisa Daloney' Dichael Euintero' 0ale Blann' Dasaaki6a&a)uchi' and &y son "andy' who were kind enou)h to review the &anuscript' find errors'

and offer so&e insi)hts into places in which it needed clarification and*or &odification$ Thanksare also offered to +oanne Phipps ;0 and Louis Abronson 30' who vetted the revised

&anuscript' found so&e si)nificant errors' and &ade key su))estions that helped &e reedit it yeta)ain$ But in the end' because �& a Beethoven and not a Do4art' once &ore rethou)ht and

co&pletely recast everythin)' so that althou)h &uch of the book �s content is essentially thesa&e as in the earlier versions' the presentation is now co&pletely different$ As a consequence'responsibility for what appears here' includin) any errors' re&ains uniquely &ine $ !inally'

special thanks are offered to +akob Deulen)racht for his invaluable assistance in preparin) the6TDL codin) of the &anuscript that allowed its on line publication$

Dilt Bradley' +uly


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the return on that invest&ent$ t�s well established that a prudent financial strate)y invariably requires a 2udicious balance between lon) and short ter& invest&ents$ t�s &uch the sa&e in a .o )a&e' where the balance that &ust be struck is between profit short ter&/ and such relative intan)ibles as thickness and

attack lon) ter&/$ n this balancin) process' it�s often feasible to cede even a lar)e te&porary lead in solid profit to the opponent' in the expectation of later recoupin)$ But whatever the chosen strategic mix in any

given game, at game� s end the sole determinant of victory or defeat is the amount of empty board spacecontrolled by each side.

apturin) &ore stones than the opponent' or even capturin) any opposin) stones at all' is essentially

irrelevant except as it contributes toward that )oal$

.iven that fact' it &i)ht see& that victory should be achievable throu)h the si&ple wallin) off of areas by

both sides$ But that�s not true% #ven if that pri&itive strate)y pe2oratively ter&ed �)round )ainin).o�/ could be successfully followed initially' the finite si4e of the .o board coupled with the fact that bothsides are seekin) to )ain control of the sa&e li&ited a&ount of space &eans that conflict is ulti&ately

inevitable$ And that�s especially true when one side or the other reali4es it has fallen behind in acquirin)territory and can only recoup by�stealin)� a portion of what the opponent has clai&ed$ (o in well played.o )a&es the confrontations usually be)in early' and then are al&ost invariably crucial in deter&inin) the

final outco&e$

As a result' perhaps the &a2or key to &akin) appropriate strate)ic decisions lies in understandin) that:

.o s A !i)htin) .a&e

This should distinctly not be interpreted as i&plyin) that fi)htin) is all there is to .o' because nothin) could

be further fro& the truth$ "ather' fi)htin) is perhaps best understood as the essence around which all of the&any subtleties and co&plexities of .o tactics and strate)y coalesce to produce the wonderful )a&e which

has intri)ued hu&anity for &illennia$

The Basic rinciples Of "i#htin#

The Life Or 0eath Of .roups

s The entral ssue n !i)htin)

Althou)h &ost hi)h level .o )a&es are decided as a result of fi)hts' those fi)hts are anythin) but rando&'

&indless conflict for its own sake% Euite the contrary$ !i)hts between co&petent opponents occur only

because both sides are unavoidably co&petin) for control of the li&ited assets of space' shape and

connectivity available on the ;75 intersection .o board$

Only !i)hts nvolvin) &portant .roups

Are Likely To Be Productive

6ow to identify i&portant )roups is the sub2ect of hapter


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Only !i)hts A)ainst ,eak .roups

Are Likely To Be (uccessful

6ow to identify weak )roups and deter&ine when and why they are vulnerable is the sub2ect of hapters ;

and =$

,hen attackin) vulnerable )roups is &ost likely to be successful is the sub2ect of hapters 3 - @$

"ather

.ratuitous !i)hts !or Their Own (ake

Are Al&ost Always A Distake

!i)ht Only n Pursuit Of

(trate)ically &portant Ob2ectives

And Only ,hen And To The #xtent

Absolutely ecessary

7ia#ra% 1 n this )a&e between a 30

and a @0' the atari of B5 on the

&arked ,hite stone has forced the

connection of ,


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7ia#ra% 2 The exchan)e of the atari

of B5 for ,< on the left has created

useful A2i for Black to exploit at the

proper &o&ent' but continuin) there

i&&ediately to support*utili4e the <

Black stones would only pre&aturely

start a fi)ht that would al&ost

certainly be to Black �s detri&ent%

As thin)s stand' Black �s absolutelyessential play is B;%

This be)ins to sketch out a Black

corner in the lower ri)ht while

partially neutrali4in) the ,hite

thickness' and also prevents the

excellent extension*kakari of ,�a�'and leaves the decision re)ardin) what

to do with the < Black stones on theleft for later$ n the actual )a&e' the

proper &o&ent to support those stones

never arrived%/

7ia#ra% ' n this )a&e between

two @ 0�s' ,hite has retained(ente' so it�s his choice as to howto proceed fro& this point forward$

nvadin) the wide extension

between B5 and B


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7ia#ra% + This is the sort of

position in which it�ste&ptin) to start a fi)ht by

invadin) with ,


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This is )enerally true because &ost &oves &ade by the opponent to secure his own eyes won�t also expandhis space or attack your positions%

Because it�s easy for a be)inner or inter&ediate in a handicap )a&e to be inti&idated by ,hite�ssuperior skill' it�s also i&portant to re&e&ber that

The ,hite (tones 6ave o (pecial Powers'

And (hare The (a&e eed

!or #yeshape' (pace' and onnectivity

As Black �s

(o Black &ust carefully appraise and then seek to exploit any weaknesses in ,hite�s positions' rather thanreflexively playin) purely defensively as thou)h the ,hite stones were so&ehow invulnerable%

The followin) principles provide excellent )uidance in &ost situations$ ,hy they�

re )enerally valid will beco&e clearer when we discuss stron) and weak stones in hapter ;$

To Attack' Play Away$

1eep a discreet distance' inhibitin) the opponent�s

ability to expand and*or for& eyes$/

The Nature Of -ttac*

An attack uses threats a)ainst weak stones to create )ains' either locally or elsewhere' which typically take

the for& of territory profit/' the creation of power*influence' or an attack on another )roup$

Attackin) plays will usually elicit a response' but won�t necessarily result in an i&&ediate fi)ht$

Attackin) scenarios are of al&ost transcendent i&portance in playin) .o and a&on) the &ost satisfyin) to

i&ple&ent' so it will be worth our while to briefly exa&ine their structure and i&plications here' deferrin)

fuller discussion for later$

n a


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within the confines of the player �s current knowled)e*skill base except in desperate circu&stances isclearly appropriate$ But in playin)�casual� .o' especially when expandin) your experience base is thedo&inant &otivation' a far &ore adventurous and a))ressive strate)y will usually be &ore appropriate%

.iven that such�casual� )a&es will al&ost necessarily constitute by far the &a2ority of your early playin) experience' rather than holdin) back unless you�re reasonably certain of success as 1erwinsu))ests' in those )a&es your preferred strate)y should be to assess as best you can' and then' if in your best

2ud)&ent it see&s at all feasible' attack% Then' especially if you later review what happened or use a service

like The .o Teachin) Ladder to have a &uch stron)er player point out your errors/' by learnin) fro& your

&istakes you can &axi&i4e your rate of pro)ress$

To 0efend' Play lose

Dake contact as a &ethod for creatin) eyeshape

and*or sealin) off eyespace$/

ontact plays will al&ost invariably result in an i&&ediate fi)ht$

n any event

Before Gou Play 0efensively'

Always (eek An Offensive Dove

That Also (atisfies Gour Ob2ectives

!.6T. OTC#( CTL BOT6 (0#(

A"# at least te&porarily/ (TABL#

This &ay &ean that both sides are safe' that one side�s stones are either unequivocally dead or te&porarilyabandoned' or that both are still inco&pletely settled$ n the latter cases' the fi)ht will often resu&e later'when the appearance of other stones nearby &akes it profitable for one side or the other$

To see how these principles work in practice' let�s exa&ine a situation that frequently arises in both evenand handicap )a&es$


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7ia#ra% The�1ni)ht�s Dove� approach of ,5 or the sy&&etrical pointon the upper side/ is the &ost co&&on way for ,hite to be)in operations a)ainst

the Black =-= point stone$

Because it�s an attack' it doesn�t &ake contact with the ob2ect of that attack' but instead stays a discreet distance away%

,hen Black is in a position to respond a))ressively' the one point squee4e play

of B< is the stron)est counterattack' also playin) at a discreet distance fro& its

tar)et' and inhibitin) ,5Hs ability to expand down the side to &ake a base there$

!easible but &ilder squee4e plays instead of B< which &ay be )lobally

preferable in so&e situations are�a� thru�d�' while�e� is so&eti&eschosen when Black feels the top and*or center are &ore i&portant than the left

side$

After B


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7ia#ra% 4 �Abandonin)� ,5 as in 0ia 7 isn�t always )lobally desirable'and in that case the one point center skip of ,; here is often a )ood

alternative to enterin) the corner$

After that' the cal&est sequence is as shown' with ,hite )ettin) stron) center

influence in return for Black �s sketchin) out corner territory$ The contact play of B7 helps defend the corner territory in (ente by threatenin) to connect

underneath to B< by continuin) at @' thereby inducin) ,@ to prevent that$/

After this' with the ;-; point �a�/ in the corner and� b�'�c�' and�d� all still available for ,hite if and when circu&stances &ake the&appropriate' and with the skirt at�e� also still open' the bi) corner territoryis as yet far fro& securely Black �s%

7ia#ra% 8 t�s also feasible for ,hite to switch ,3 in 0ia @ to the �shoulder hit� on B< shown here' with this co&&on result$

B5= prevents a ,hite enclosure' and at least tentatively assures life for the B


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7ia#ra% 10 "elevant to this discussion is the� ban) a)ainst� attach&ent of B< here' which' as earlier noted and despite its

appearance' is pri&arily an attack and not a defensive &ove%

(ince this is so&ethin) that see&s inconsistent and therefore &ay

be confusin)' understandin) its rationale is i&portant$

The attach&ent of B< is &ost appropriate when the trian)led

Black stone or one at�a�/ is already in place on the upperside' and is even &ore effective when as here/ the &arked left

side star-point stone is also present as is true in hi)h handicap

)a&es/$

The ai& of B< is to &ake infeasible an i&&ediate ,hite switch

to the ;-; point in the corner at� b�' as in 0ia $ t does this because if ,; at� b�to�steal� the corner territory' B= at ;would )ive Black excellent eyeshape while severely da&a)in)

,5$ (o &ost often ,; is considered necessary$

Then B= works perfectly' in con2unction with the trian)led upper side star point stone' toward buildin) a

lar)e Black territory in the upper left corner and ad2acent upper side$ Althou)h as noted in 0ia @' that

territory is still far fro& co&pletely secure' especially with ,� b� still available$/

After B= ,hite needs eyespace for his < stones' but the &arked Black left side star point stone stands in the

way of an ideal extension' leavin) only the very short one point skip to ,3 as really feasible$

ext' B7 prevents a ,hite slide to either�c� or�d� to expand his eyespace' after which ,@ isnecessary to create the be)innin)s of so&e eyespace and shape while fleein) toward the center$ B is then

often best' buildin) Black �s stren)th and lookin) toward the lower side$

,hat�s really i&portant here is to reco)ni4e the funda&ental difference between the al&ost entirelydefensive attach&ent of B< in 0ia 9 and that of 0ia 58' which is pri&arily but not entirely/ offensive$

Once that critical difference is clearly understood' it should then be far easier for you to &ake the proper

decisions and appropriate followup in si&ilar situations that arise in your own )a&es$

,hatever the situation

0on�t Act On

The !irst Plausible Dove

That (olves Gour Da2or Proble&$

Always Look !urther !or A Better Dove'#specially One ,hich Also Acco&plishes

Other 0esirable .oals$


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7ia#ra% 11 This is a fairly co&&on type of position' in which the central

area to the left of the Black stones is still quite open$

n &ost cases' when the &arked ,hite stone probes his one point skip Black

will want to &aintain his connection' and the first step in findin) the best

way to do this is to identify the feasible alternatives$

Please decide on your own candidates before lookin) at the followin)

dia)ra&s$

7ia#ra% 12 Black �s available connection options are &arked fro&�a�

to�d�$ But which is bestF

There is no one universally correct answer because the preferred option will

depend upon other stones already in place not shown here/ or dee&ed likely

to appear in subsequent play$

7ia#ra% 1' The si&plistic choice is the hard connection of B5$

Althou)h this is the only absolutely secure' unbreakable connection' it�salso the one that creates no shape at all while offerin) the fewest followup

alternatives$

0espite these detri&ents there are situations in which it�s the &ost

desirable option' so it can�t si&ply be dis&issed out of hand$ But absentspecial circu&stances that &ake the other options infeasible and*or

Black �s ultra-solid thickness here particularly useful' this is usually theworst choice$ (o an alert Black will look further$


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nclosure

n the bi) fi)hts that decide the &a2ority of well played )a&es it�s i&portant that each side retain as &anyoptions as possible' and key a&on) those options is findin) support for both attack and defense fro& nearby

friendly stones$

.roups which are enclosed not only can�t si&ply run away fro& an attack' but are also unable to connectwith other friendly stones which &i)ht offer help' either to win the fi)ht outri)ht or to at least survive it$

t�s also true that if one side is enclosed it�s al&ost necessarily disconnected fro& other friendly )roups'and in &any but not all/ cases that also &eans that the opponent is connected$

The result is that when lookin) at the final position of )a&es which are close enou)h to count' it will &uch

&ore often than not be true that the side which has the fewest nu&ber of )roups ? is best connected%/ is the

winner%

Perhaps &ost i&portant of all is the fact that

Only #nclosed .roups

an Be 1illed

Therefore

To The #xtent !easible

Avoid Beco&in) #nclosed

Beco&in) enclosed al&ost necessarily i&poses a burden that is not infrequently sufficient to swin) the

balance of the entire )a&e in the opponent�s favor$ The converse perspective is equally valid' so under&ost circu&stances enclosin) the opponent is an excellent strate)y$ !or that reason' understandin) the

principles )overnin) enclosure constitute a &a2or factor in beco&in) a stron) player$

To ounter An #nclosure Threat

Jf n 0oubt' "un OutJ

The rationale is si&ple$ #nclosed stones:

- 6ave no interface with or influence on subsequent play elsewhere on the board$

- Dust be able to &ake < eyes' or die$

aution% As the board fills up throu)hout the )a&e' every )roup will ulti&ately beco&e enclosed% (o the

)uidelines we discuss here apply pri&arily durin) the !useki and early &iddle )a&e$

t�s also true that all such�rules� of behavior represent si&plifications of often quite co&plex


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situations' but they are nevertheless quite valuable because in surprisin)ly &any cases they also provide the

clues that can allow even be)innin) players to find excellent &oves they &i)ht otherwise &iss$

7ia 14 #specially in hi)h handicap

)a&es' this is a fairly co&&on

position' in which ,hite has &ade a

double kakari a)ainst a star point

stone$

n the absence of special

circu&stances Black should without

fail play to prevent ,hite�senclosure% !or this purpose' B5 as

shown is usually best' but so&eti&es

the attach&ent at either�a� or� b� is preferable$

7ia 18 f Black doesn�t respond to

the double attack and allows ,hite to play the &arked enclosin) &ove on

his key point before answerin)' he can

still 2ust barely/ achieve life in )ote

as shown' but with even a sli)ht

inaccuracy he will al&ost surely die%

And even if he does live' ,hite�sadvanta)e is considerable$ (o' on

balance' Black would be well advised

not to allow hi&self to be forced into

this kind of situation%

The principle of searchin) beyond the obvious for the best &ove stated earlier )enerally applies' but it�sespecially relevant in the enclosure context' where the sense of relief that al&ost necessarily acco&panies a

successful escape &ay readily blind you to the fact that a superior )lobal result &i)ht have been obtained if

only you�d looked further for a better &ove$

6ere�s a fairly�typical� situation which beautifully illustrates this scenario$


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7ia#ra% 21 Be)innin) with the atari on the other side is

clearly better' because now Black has only been stren)thened

on the left' but it�s still inferior%

Althou)h &any players &i)ht be satisfied with this' the 30

who played ,hite in this )a&e looked further' and found

so&ethin) better%

0o you see itF Try to find it for yourself before lookin) at the

next dia)ra&$

7ia#ra% 22 ,ith the stylish�do)�s neck � extension of,5 here' ,hite not only )ets out as s&oothly as before' but

now is one step ahead in his race into the open center - a &a2or

difference in enablin) a later connection to friendly stones or

for&in) eyes$ ,5 works because�a� and� b� are &iaifor it to re&ain connected to his )roup below%/

Perhaps equally i&portant' playin) this way doesn�t induceBlack to stren)then hi&self on either side%

,hite escapes in each case' but the see&in)ly s&all difference between 0ia


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But ,hite neatly avoided that by extendin) with the si&ple but effective ,=' assurin) the capture of B5 and

creatin) one eye' with )ood prospects for another and*or easy escape into the center$

(o the result of this pre&ature invasion by B5 was not only a tactical failure but also an i&portant strate)ic

&istake' because it &ade the ,hite )roup al&ost invulnerable%

7ia#ra% 2 nstead of the

invasion of B5 in 0ia


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6ere�s a�typical� exa&ple$

7ia#ra% 23 n this )a&e between a

@0 and 70' Black has secured the

upper ri)ht corner and a s&all life

on the lower ri)ht side$ n return'

,hite has secured the lower ri)htcorner' as well as eyespace on the

upper ri)ht ed)e for his lar)e

inco&pletely settled but not yet

enclosed )roup there$

But it�s Black �s turn' andalthou)h there�s little chance thathe can kill this ,hite )roup' if

possible he�d like to keep the

pressure on and )ain profitelsewhere by attackin) it$ But how

to do thatF

7ia 24 The

1ni)ht�s Dove ofB5 is the stron)est

way to proceed%

Althou)h ,hite can

then readily live on

the ed)e if he acts

i&&ediately'

allowin) hi&self to

beco&e enclosed is

bad strate)y% (oinstead ,hite tried

to escape$

7ia 28 ,ith this

sequence' Black

deliberately didn�t)o all out to try to

prevent ,hite�sescape% nstead' he

cleverly parlayed

enclosure threats to build center stren)th

note the al&ost

captured ,7 and /'


23/132


24/132

roble% 8 This position arose

in a )a&e between two 30�s$6ere' we see that ,hite has

conceded both the upper and

lower ri)ht corners to Black in

return for a potential attack on

the ; Blacks on the ri)ht side$

These stones have nice shape'

but also have al&ost no roo&

to expand either above or

below' so that only &ove&ent

toward the center is really

feasible for the&$ The questionto be answered is how ,hite

can properly exploit this

situation$


25/132

Chapter 2 I%portant &tones

At each turn' the player �s pri&ary task is to find the )lobally best &ove in the current position%

n doin) this' appropriate tradeoffs &ust be &ade between &any diverse yet co&ple&entaryfactors e$)$ territory vs$ influence' attack vs$ defense' etc$/ if a )ood result is to be achieved$

But those essential factors are really useful only after you have successfully identified:

- ,hich stones are )lobally i&portant and which are not' and - ,hether the i&portant stones are stron) or weak

&portant (tones

"equire Attention*Action%

Cni&portant (tones

Day Often Be safely )nored$

But what &akes stones i&portantF

(afe stones which enclose territory are valuable' of course' but in the sense relevant to our focuson fi)htin):

(tones Are &portant

Only To The #xtent That

They (i)nificantly nfluence !urther Play

There are seven @/ ways in which this i&portance is &anifested$

&tones are i%portant if they si#nificantly affect

1. Contestin# (controllin# a *ey board area.


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7ia#ra% 1 n this early &iddle

)a&e between two 30 players'

the only areas now fully

controlled are A Black/ and B

,hite/$ They are so&ewhat

different because althou)h the

Black�A� )roup is alive andtakes about points of territory'

it�s al&ost co&pletelycontained and is therefore

uni&portant to the future course

of play% The ,hite�B� stones are so&ewhat i&portant

because they i&pact the

ad2acent still unsettled &arked

Black stones$

Althou)h Black al&ost has

control of the and 0 areas' both are still open to a ,hite

invasion so these stones are at

least &oderately i&portant$

The )a&e�s &ain focus fro&this point on will center on the

fact that each side has a lar)e

&arked/' still unsettled )roup

in the lower center$ Black �s)roup has &uch better

eyeshape' but ,hite has &oreopen space available' so

there�s no real advanta)e onthat score at the &o&ent to

either side$


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7ia#ra% 2 n this early &iddle

)a&e between two 50 players' the

&arked weak ,hite and Black one

point skips in the lower center and

the two not yet settled Black and

,hite )roups to their left are not

only i&portant' but will for& the

focus of future action until their

respective fates are resolved$

2. 7ecidin# ;hich side ;ins or loses an i%portant fi#ht.

7ia#ra% ' n this )a&e between a 90and @0' ,8 co&pleted the enclosure

of the hu)e Black center )roup' thereby

&akin) it vulnerable to attack$ ,ith

(ente' Black can easily secure his

)roup' but unfortunately he &issed the

potential of the &arked ,hite stone and

&istakenly believed that he was safe$ (o

$$$$


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7ia#ra% + ,hen B5 &ade the

territorially lar)e &ove on the

ri)ht side' ,< - 9< shocked hi&

by developin) the &arked ,hite

stone to cut the bi) Black center

)roup apart' leavin) it with

portions already dead and the

re&ainder with only one sure eye$

(o Black resi)ned$

nstead of B5' if Black had

reco)ni4ed that he was so

vulnerable to bein) cut apart' the

si&ple play at ; would have

trapped the &arked ,hite stone'

not only creatin) a sure eye for

Black but also essentially

unifyin) all his local forces$ After

that' )iven his solid positions inall = corners' the )a&e would

have favored hi&$

'. -ssure your o;n shape and(or preent the opponent�s.

7ia#ra% n this early !useki

position between two 30 players' B3

instead of the &ore custo&ary B@ was

a sli)htly atypical conclusion to the

popular +oseki in the upper left corner$

brI After this' if ,7 at�a� toapproach the upper ri)ht corner stone'

B� b� would happily squee4e whilecreatin) an ideal Black for&ation in

the upper left$ (o if ,hite wants to

prevent Black fro& )ettin) too &uch

territory locally that way' he has little

choice but to invade with ,7 as

shown$

Althou)h this is a reasonable strate)y for ,hite' the price he &ust pay for it is allowin) the blockin) attach&ent of B@$ This threatens to continue at to &ake perfect shape for Black while

seriously da&a)in) ,7' so it induces , to prevent that$

But that )ives Black the opportunity of &akin) a lar)e kni)ht�s extension fro& the upper ri)htcorner stone with B9' which does double duty by also preventin) ,hite fro& creatin) his own

base via the ideal ; point skip third line extension to�a� fro& the


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The result as shown is a newly created ,7- )roup that &ust flee baseless into the open center'

and this is a lar)e part of the reason that the so&ewhat �unconventional� B3 was such astron) &ove%

Althou)h ,58 was the &ove actually chosen next to flee into the center' any of , �c�'�d�'�e� or�f � &i)ht in so&e circu&stances be preferable alternatives' the choice

between the& dependin) on the location of other nearby stones of both colors' and ,hite�sstrate)y$

6ere�s another excellent exa&ple$

7ia 4 ,hen B5 sealed off so&e eyespace and territory in the corner' a Black followup at <

would have created a powerful pon nuki eye shape' inducin) ,< to prevent that$

n turn' ,< threatened to follow with at ; to seal in the Black corner' so Black so&ehow had to prevent that$

B�a� next would )et Black safely out' but wouldn�t apply &uch stress to either the ,hite position on the ri)ht or the left' nor would it also look forward to playin) at 3$ (o' on balance'B; here was best$

ext' ,hite would dearly have liked to play at 3 to &ake )ood shape while blockin) Black �s pro)ress' but the weakness of the lone ,hite stone to the left &ade ,= necessary to provide the

be)innin)s of a base there$

That in turn allowed B3 to occupy ,hite�s key shape point' &akin) ,7 necessary to providethe ,hite stones on the ri)ht with their own base$

+.


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7ia 8 n this position' a few &oves after that of 0ia @' whoever plays first locally has an

enor&ous advanta)e%

7ia 9 f it was ,hite�s turn' ,5 would provide eyespace' stabili4e his stones' and also )reatlydi&inish both the territorial and eye&akin) potential of the = Black stones to its left$

But it was actually Black �s turn' so $$$

7ia#ra% 10 B5 is an ideal &ulti-

purpose &ove because it:

- Provides eyespace for the Black

stones to its left

- Prevents the excellent ,�a� as

2ust discussed/$

- Threatens to follow with B�c�'to seriously undercut and attack/ the

still unsettled ,hite


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7ia#ra% 11 Both sides share the sa&e key point

here' althou)h its i&plications are quite different for

each$

t would provide both shape and connectivity for

Black if he can sei4e it' and &ake Black �s shapei&possible if ,hite can play there instead$

7ia#ra% 12 f it�s Black �s turn' B5 would provide both ideal shape and connectivity' &akin)

Black very stron) locally$

But it was ,hite�s turn' so $$$

7ia#ra% 1' After ,5 on the key point destroys

Black �s shape' it�s necessary for hi& to defend inorder to assure the connection between the two

&arked stones and his &ain force' to prevent ,hite

fro& capturin) the& to &ake a bi) lower side territory$

,hite�s threat is to cut via ,�a�' B� b�',�c�' or ,�a�' B�c�' ,� b�' so let�s see

how Black should best play now to ensure hisconnection and prevent ,hite�s bi) local )ain$


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7ia#ra% 1+ The first idea that &i)ht occur is to play B5'

which will undoubtedly induce ,< to )ive ,hite shape

and so&e territory' while also ensurin) that Black stays

confined$

Then B; &akes a� ba&boo 2oint�' assurin) a virtualconnection' but in .ote$

The proble& with this for Black is that' if later B�a�'dependin) on what�s )oin) on elsewhere on the board,hite &ay not feel constrained to answer at � b� inorder to ensure Black �s confine&ent%

(o instead $$$

7ia#ra% 1 Best for Black is to be)in with the

1ni)ht�s Dove of B5 here' because now ,< is forced'else B< connects out$

Then after ,= and B3' this position is identical with

0ia 5= except for the addition of B5 and ,


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4. The #roup contains too %any stones or occupies too ital a position to afford to #ieup. The basic principle to be followed is:

Cr)ent Doves

Before

Bi) Doves

This means that you should always play to secure the eyespace/eyeshape and/or connectivity of

your own important weak groups or attack the opponent � s! before even considering makingmoves with � mere� territorial implications, almost no matter how large"

This is a principle that stron) players invariably follow al&ost instinctively' but which weakerones often have yet to learn$

7ia#ra% 14 n this )a&e between

two &id-sin)le di)it 1yu players'

when B5 was played ,hite should

have answered with ,�a� to

secure so&e eyespace as well as hiscenter connection for his = stones at

the top$ nstead' he foolishly i)nored

the safety of this weak )roup to play

the territorially bi) ,< on the ri)ht

side$

7ia#ra% 18 After the &istaken ,


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!inally' before we leave this i&portant topic' it�s essential to be aware that

The "elative (tren)th And &portance

Of (tones onstantly han)es'

And Therefore Dust Be "eappraised

Before #very Dove%

To better understand the &eanin) and i&ple&entation of this i&portant concept' let�s look atan exa&ple fro& an early &iddle )a&e position contested between two 30 players$

7ia#ra% 19 As thin)s stand now' the

&arked ; stone ,hite wall see&s not

only stron) it has 7 liberties and a lar)e

ad2acent open area/' but it�s alsounquestionably considered very

i&portant by both players because it

sketches out the be)innin)s of a hu)e

,hite &oyo on the lower side' in

con2unction with the two ,hites on the

ri)ht$

But watch how that appraisal chan)es in

what follows' as both sides evaluated the

evolvin) dyna&ics as they continued

fro& this position$

7ia#ra% 20 Black concluded that'

despite appearances' the ; &arked ,hite

stones were vulnerable' so he attackedvery a))ressively with B5 to prevent

the& fro& readily &akin) a base and too

&uch secure territory on the lower ed)e$

,< counter-squee4ed B5' because at the

&o&ent that lone Black stone is weaker

than the ; stone ,hite )roup% 6is

ob2ective was to prevent Black �s easily&akin) a base for that lone stone' while

be)innin) to sketch out a substantial

,hite territory between ,< and the lower

ri)ht corner stones$


35/132

Then' after the brief sequence of B; thru B@ that followed' ,hite apparently reali4ed that theinfluence the ; stone wall had for&erly been providin) had essentially ceased to exist' with the

result that his evaluation of those ; stones had suddenly chan)ed' not 2ust fro& an i&portantvaluable asset to one that was relatively uni&portant' but to an actual potential detri&ent%

(o ,hite concluded that runnin) out to save those ; stones in the current )lobal position would be counterproductive$ nstead' it would be better to chan)e strate)y' and rather than tryin) tosave those ; stones to use the& as sacrifices in order to help consolidate as &uch of his lower

ri)ht territory as possible% (o $$$

7ia#ra% 21 The result: The

for&erly i&portant ; ,hite stones

have beco&e Black prisoners' but in

return ,hite has consolidated about

;8 points of territory in the lower

ri)ht corner%

The key idea to )rasp is that

White didn� t view his #$stone wall as a fixed asset, but rather as %ust another potentialbargaining chip, which he was prepared to trade in at any time if sufficient compensation was

available to make that transaction profitable for him.

f you proceed with that kind of flexible attitude' as your skills advance with experience youwon�t be confronted with the need to chan)e your &ental perspective in order to reali4e theratin) i&prove&ent that should ri)htly be your due%

ow let�s try a few proble&s to see how well you not only understand these concepts' but canreco)ni4e the& as they occur in real )a&e situations$

Chapter 2 roble%s

In each of roble%s 1 2, please identify each separate #roup and then characteri>e its

i%portance.


36/132


37/132

roble% + n this )a&e between 70 and 30' after ,5 invaded on the key

;-; point in the corner to probe Black �s response' B< was forced$

Then when ,; slid to try to create ,hite�s own eyespace' B= was the best response$

6ow should ,hite continue nowF

hapter ; - (tron)*,eak (tones

(tron) (tones

Are An Advanta)e


38/132

(tron) stones require little or no defense' so they allow you to attack or play a))ressively$

,eak (tones

Are A 0isadvanta)e

,eak stones require defense' so they also require &ore cautious play$

n &any real )a&e situations' be)innin) or inter&ediate players &ay find it quite difficult to

correctly deter&ine' in advance of its bein) played throu)h to a conclusion' whether a fully or

only partially enclosed )roup is )oin) to end up alive ? very stron)/ or dead ? &axi&allyweak/%

That in turn &eans that the assess&ent of such a )roup�s viability upon which the player willhave to base his strate)y will often be &ore of a�)uessti&ate� than a fully reasoned andreliable 2ud)&ent$

The only lon) ter& solution to this proble& is to develop your assess&ent ability via the study

of Tesu2i and +oseki' solvin) &any' &any life-and-death proble&s' and watchin) and*or playin)a lot a)ainst the stron)est players you can find$ (ince' as earlier noted' all of that is part of the

�standard� protocol for pro)ressin) in .o' it will not be further discussed in this book$nstead' our focus will be on identifyin) the factors that deter&ine the stren)th or weakness ofstones$

&tren#th of stones co%es in t;o disparate incarnations

Intrinsic &tren#th tends to re&ain lar)ely invariant as the position chan)es$

!elatie &tren#th is always influenced by and is frequently extre&ely sensitive to evens&all chan)es in the proxi&ity and confi)uration of nearby stones' so it &ust be continuouslyand carefully reevaluated &ove-by-&ove$

-. Characteristics of Intrinsically &tron# &tones

1. -lready ?ae 2 yes, or can %a*e the% despite any opponent attac*. @Aery &tron#


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7ia#ra% 1Althou)h the ,hite corner stones are al&ost co&pletely

enclosed' they�re safe and stron) because there is no way that Blackcan directly prevent the& fro& &akin) two eyes%

The proble& with ,hite�s stren)th here is that' except for the territoryenclosed it�s essentially wasted' because these stones are al&ostco&pletely cut off fro& any interaction with the re&ainder of the board$

(o in the sense of the last chapter' these stones are uni&portant%/

2. ?ae $ood yeshape. @&tron#

7ia#ra% 2,hen ,< is distantly squee4ed by B;' &akin)

contact via ,= on the ;-; point be)ins several popular

+oseki variants$

n this variant' after the ,' B9 exchan)e ,hite�s shape is)ood and he &ay safely play elsewhere' because either

,�a� or� b� will assure his two eyes%

'. nclose &ufficient &pace "or ye "or%ation, en :nder -ttac*. @&tron#

7ia#ra% 'The ,hite corner is lar)e enou)h and confi)ured well enou)h

that it�s virtually as stron) as if it already had eyeshape$

As thin)s stand' with even &ini&ally correct play ,hite is assured of

bein) able to &ake < eyes despite any Black attack$


40/132

7ia#ra% + The upper left corner of

this !useki' contested in the


41/132

7ia#ra% 3 The &arked ,hite

stones have the be)innin)s of both

shape and &odest territorial

enclosure' plus free center access$

(o they are safe for the &o&ent$

But until the local situation is

definitively resolved' ,hite &ust

be wary of their bein) later

undercut' separated' and*or

enclosed$

'. -ny &i#nificant Nearby Opposin# &tones -re )ea*er. @Moderately &tron#

7ia#ra% 4 The Black stones both above and below the ; ,hites

are relatively stron) because they have reasonable eye&akin)

potential at the ed)e$ The ,hites are so&ewhat weaker because

it�s so&ewhat harder to &ake eyes in the center$

But the ,hite stones are far fro& bein) co&pletely without

resources' because they aren�t anywhere near bein) enclosed$They have lots of roo& to run to�a�/' or to &ake eyespaceand shape if necessary' be)innin) with either� b�'�c�'�d�'�e�' or�f �as appropriate to the overall )lobal

position$

Because these stones are currently far fro& bein) settled' ,hite

&ust continue to &onitor this situation very carefully' especially

if B�a� is played$

C. Characteristics of )ea* &tones

&tones are ;ea* because they e


42/132

aution% Daintainin) (ente is always advanta)eous' but is especially so when involved in ase&eai with opposin) stones because it not infrequently develops that winnin) that fi)ht is &ore

a function of who can strike first or &ost effectively at the opponent�s weaknesses' than ofwho can best defend his own$

7ia 8 The Black )roup lacks both eyespace and shape' so $$$

7ia 9 f ,hite can play at 5' it would effectively rob Black of his base' leavin) this key )roup

floatin) and vulnerable%

Because that would be disastrous for Black $$$

7ia 10 ,ith (ente' the si&plest and &ost solid way for Black to play is with B5 on that sa&ekey point' as shown here$

This not only provides Black with excellent shape' but does so without inducin) ,hite to

stren)then the < stones below' which &ay now be potentially vulnerable$

2. Connectiity 7eficiency

7ia 11 55 The two

point skip between

the ,< and ,= is

weak because it can

easily be cut if Black

&oves first% But it�sstill 2oseki because

doin) so will not

necessarily be

profitable$

7ia 12 B5 is the


43/132

correct way to be)in'

and after the stron)

hane of ,< the

drawbacks of B; and

,= naturally follow$

After that' the cut of

B3 separates ,hite$

But after B9 and ,58

the overall result is

considered even' and

that�s why the < point skip in 0ia 55 is

+oseki%

'. &horta#e Of /iberties

�The "ie /iberty Criterion�

There is one si&ple but al&ost transcendentally i&portant idea that )overns fi)hts betweenopposin) )roups:

,6# OPPO(. (TO#( A"# OTAT'

A C#LO(#0 CT ( (TABL#'

A0 A PLAG #L(#,6#"# ( !#A(BL#'

! T6# CT 6A( 3 O" DO"# LB#"T#($

This is )enerally an excellent )uideline$ But as with all other such criteria it has exceptions' so

every position &ust be 2ud)ed on its individual &erits$

Cnderstandin) this one si&ple idea can co&pletely transfor& your ability to properly conduct

&any of the fi)hts which arise$

The beauty and power of this ele)ant criterion is that in &any cases it &akes it possible to find

the ri)ht &ove or at least avoid a seriously wron) &ove/ without the necessity for &akin) a precise and detailed analysis of &any co&plex alternative &ove sequences%

(i&ply knowin) that a )iven proposed defensive &ove will leave a key )roup with less than 3liberties is usually an indication but not an absolute proof/ that those stones will sooner or later

be in trouble and &ay die' and that such a proposed &ove is therefore not likely to be best$

onversely' knowin) that a proposed defensive &ove will yield at least 3 liberties for athreatened )roup is an indication but also not a proof/ that it isn�t likely to die i&&ediately or

easily$

!ailure to obey this si&ple precept is a pri&e cause of &any of the tactical debacles which


44/132

surprise and pla)ue be)innin) and inter&ediate players' as the followin) exa&ples de&onstrate$

7ia 1' This is the

be)innin) of a�the &ainline� of a popular +oseki

which frequently arises in both handicap and even

)a&es$

,hen B< squee4es ,5'

divin) into the corner with

,; is one feasible and

co&&on/ way to proceed$

After B= and ,3 the

relevant question to our

present interest is whatBlack should play next'

and the 3-Liberty riterion

provides the answer%

7ia 1+ The extension of B7 is necessary' and when it�s correctly played as shown the ; stoneunit that it co&pletes then has 3 liberties' and so is�contact stable� - i$e$ able to fi)ht

successfully$

After ,55' ,hite has secured the corner territory plus e)ress alon) the ri)ht side$ n return ,5

is te&porarily abandoned' while Black has 7 liberties' thickness' plus so&e territorial potentialalon) the botto&$

ow let�s see what bad thin)s can happen if B7 is played differently$

7ia#ra% 1 6ere B7 is played as a�6ane at the head of twostones�' a well known Tesu2i which is often the best &ove' butwhich is a disastrous error in this position%

The reason it�s wron) here is that it leaves the two stone B=unit with only = liberties' and therefore�contact unstable� -i$e$ lackin) enou)h liberties to sustain a fi)ht$

An alert ,hite will i&&ediately take advanta)e of this via the

6ane underneath of ,@' followed by B and the two forced

connections of ,9 and B58$ Then when ,55 cuts' not only is

B7 isolated' but &ore i&portant/ the B= -58 =-stone unit has

only ; liberties' and is in serious trouble%

(o&e feasible continuations are shown next' to )ive you so&e idea of 2ust how badly Black can


45/132

fare after this error$

7ia 13 n this

variation ,hite )ets

an enor&ous corner

by capturin) the 3

B5=-


46/132


47/132

roble% ' This variant of a popular ;-= point even )a&e +oseki arose in a )a&e

between two 30 players$

,hen Black tenukied after ,5; to &ake what he considered to be a )lobally

bi))er &ove elsewhere' the key question to be answered is: As thin)s stand' is

Black thickF and therefore stron)$/ f so' whyF f not' why notF

roble% + n this )a&e between a @0 and 30' ,hite has to &ake

shape for his lower )roup$

But how best to do thisF

roble% n this )a&e between a =0 and 30' ,hite can play to try to

prevent Black fro& &akin) )ood shape and thus beco&in) stron) locally/'

but should heF

f so' howF f not' why notF

roble% 3 n this )a&e between two 30�s' the ; &arkedBlacks are crucial cuttin) stones' so retainin) the& is necessary$

6ow best to do this' considerin) that they have only ; libertiesF


48/132

Chapter + eeps and Cuts

Peeps and cuts are a&on) the &ost co&&on &echanis&s by which weak stones arise$

The pri%ary differences bet;een a peep and a cut are

- peep�s alue is often al%ost fully reali>ed at the %o%ent it succeeds in forcin# theopponent�s connection' so that in &any cases it &ay then profitably be at least te&porarily/�abandoned�' to thereafter serve pri&arily as A2i$

Most cuts result in the for%ation of a ne; @often ;ea* #roup, ;hich thereafter %ust be;atched and defended.

Althou)h there is no sin)le si&plistic�rule of thu&b� that can provide unerrin) )uidance indecidin) whether it�s best to cut or peep in any )iven position' in )eneral' and consideringonly the local situation:

0O�T P##P

! A CT (C##0(

The proble& confrontin) the double di)it 1yu player is that s/he�s typically uncertain ofwhether or not any )iven cut should succeed % And considerin) that their own play is probably

)oin) to be less than perfect' in )a&es in which the &ain ob2ective is learnin) and i&prove&entrather than 2ust victory' the best strate)y is to cut' and then learn fro& experience both how to

correctly appraise that decision in advance and how to conduct the resultin) fi)ht once you�ree&broiled in it$

eeps

7ia 1 n this

variation of a

popular ;-= point

+oseki' Black

plays for

thickness while

concedin) the

corner territory to,hite$

7ia 2 After the

atari of B58' ,55


49/132

connects' and

then B5< &akes a

double

�Ti)er �sDouth� virtualconnection$

7ia ' ext' the peep of ,5; is a 1ikashi which is answered by the connection of B5=' and this

is followed by the si&ilar ,53 peep' B57 connection exchan)e$

After this' the ,hite corner has the &iai of�a� and� b� for its life so it�s safe% And' inthe absence of other nearby friendly stones to help' there is no reasonable attack that ,hite cancurrently expect to successfully &ount a)ainst Black �s solid enclosin) wall$

(o local action often ends for the &o&ent' leavin) this situation as is until later events &ake it

clear what each side needs to do next locally$

DPO"TAT% +ust because a peep has been played and answered/' it distinctly does not i&ply

that direct use &ust be &ade of that peep stone either i&&ediately or ever% That &ay in factoccur' but at least as often a peep stone will be used indirectly to attain so&e other desirable )oal

&ost often as a ladder breaker/' or &ay even si&ply be te&porarily �abandoned�as A2i' for possible later use$

,ith that in &ind' let�s now look a)ain at the situation of 0ia ; and appraise the i&plications)enerated by the two peeps of ,5; and 53 and their forced responses$

The first thin) that we notice is that ,5; is a co&pletely isolated lone stone pressed a)ainst a

solid Black position' and ,53 is only a bit stron)er because of its assist fro& ,;$ (o both ofthese peep stones are' by definition' &ore or less weak%

n response to these peeps' we see that Black has not only been forced to add two stones of his

own' but also has been forced into a position which' althou)h thick' not only has absolutely noshape' but is also already partially enclosed and inhibited fro& expandin) readily$

The overall assess&ent of the position in 0ia ; is therefore:

- On balance' Black is clearly the stron)er on the outside$

- f ,hite correctly views ,5; and 53 as expendable potential sacrifices rather than as

essential assets which &ust be &aintained even at cost' for the &o&ent ,hite stands at leastequal overall because of their presence$

,hether this +oseki inte)rates better into the )lobal strate)y of one side or the other depends on

the position on the re&ainder of the board and is an issue beyond our present focus' so it will not be discussed here$


50/132

"i#ure 1 n this early &iddle )a&e

between two =0 players' the key

issue at the &o&ent is the fi)ht in

the upper ri)ht that has 2ust be)un

between the enclosed and still

unsettled B=@-33 )roup and the

enclosin) ,58-3= stones' which

are still lackin) shape and which

therefore &ust be stren)thened

before he can safely attack Black$

The solution to this dile&&a that

,hite con2ured up was ,37'

peepin) into the cuttin) point at

�a� in Black �s lower ri)ht)roup$ Because the B5- =; stones

would be forced into a dan)erous

and quite possibly disastrous/

fi)ht if cut off' that )ave Blackessentially no choice but to

connect at�a�$

6avin) thus helped stabili4e his

own weak stones in (ente' ,hite

was then able to turn his attention

back to the desired attack on the

weak Black )roup in the upper

ri)ht corner$ (o in this position the

peep was the perfect &ove%

Cuts

The Typical ntention Of A ut

s To Per&anently (eparate

A .roup Of Opposin) (tones

and that al&ost invariably &eans that the cuttin) stones/ will subsequently have to be

reinforced*supported as required$

A cut therefore typically initiates an important long term commitment.


51/132

7ia#ra% + n this position fro& a )a&e between a 90 and a

@0' the hane of B5 is a typical continuation of the +oseki in the

corner$

After the exchan)e of ,


52/132

7ia#ra% 4 uttin) with ,5 is the

way to be)in$% That &akes ,;' 3' @'

9 and 55 all forcin) &oves'

sacrificin) < stones ,5 and 3/' and

then &ovin) s&oothly out with

,5;$' and leavin) behind the

potential for an al&ost certain eye at

the top$ Be)innin) instead with

either ,; or ,@ would allow either

the connection of B5 or the

extension of B58' and then ,hitewill have to flee eyeless%

The outco&e of a cut will frequently

not only be decisive as in these

exa&ples/' but so&eti&es

unpredictable' at least a&on)

players at less than a very hi)h level'

with the result that:

Dakin) A +udicious ut

s Often The Dost Powerful ,ay To Play'

And (o&eti&es

The Only Possible "oute To Kictory


53/132

But

uttin) an Be

!rau)ht ,ith 0an)er

7ia#ra% 8 This is a not unco&&on position' especially in

hi)h handicap )a&es$

At first )lance' it appears that a ,hite cut at�a� will be bi)' so that it�s necessary for Black to protect a)ainst it$ Butthat�s only an illusion%

On deeper analysis' it beco&es apparent that a ,hite cut at

�a�is actually infeasible%

7ia 9 f ,5 cuts'expectin) or

hopin) for/ this

sub&issive B= in

response to ,;' he

&ay be in for a bi)

surprise because $$$

7ia 10 After this

B= instead' if

,hite foolishly

continues as

shown here' Black

has this forcin)

sequence a

�squee4e�/ withwhich to ruin

,hite�s shape$Then $$$


54/132

7ia#ra% 11 After the atari of B58 forces the

connection of ,55 with si&ply awful shape/' the

exchan)e of ,5; for B5= is necessary to allow ,53

to be an atari' which then forces B57 and )ives

,hite ti&e for ,5@ to &ove out$

This dia)ra& shows one continuation after the

plausible dia)onal &ove of ,5@$ Cnfortunately for

,hite' it fails$ But there are lots of chances for

Black to )o wron) in the resultin) fi)ht' so ,hite

&ay well live instead if Black plays weakly$

,hite�s proble& is that even if he escapes after ,53' the outside stren)th that Black will buildup while attackin) his ever )rowin) weak )roup should doo& his overall )a&e prospects% Onthe other hand' if Black isn�t a particularly stron) fi)hter' or if this sequence is used by ,hiteas ko A2i' it &i)ht still be very dan)erous for Black$

(o on balance' unless ,hite is a particularly stron) fi)hter or believes that Black is an especially

weak one' ,5 at� b� in 0ia 9 instead of the cut is ob2ectively the better way for ,hite to play$ The proble& is that in &ost )lobal situations that &ove won�t be (ente' so it &ust beti&ed correctly%

Cuts -nd /adders

uts frequently )ive rise to a ladder$ n those cases' wherever feasible the �rule� is

apture Any uttin) (tones/

As (oon As Possible


55/132

7ia#ra% 12 ,hen B5 ataris the &arked

,hite cuttin) stone' it sets up a ladder

which favors Black because it runs into

the Black stones in the lower ri)ht

corner$

Then ,< is a ladder breaker% But instead

of playin) the natural appearin) B�a�'which would reinstate the ladder'

Black �s best response is toi&&ediately capture the ,hite stone

with B;' re&ovin) its dan)erous A2i'

perfectin) his thickness' and thereby

stren)thenin) his now nearly co&plete

&oyo on the upper side$

That this allows the excellent ,= is

re)rettable' but unavoidable$

Chapter + roble%s

roble% 1 n this position the key question is: (hould ,hite peep at

�a�' cut at� b�' or neitherF

roble% 2 onsiderin) only the local situation' how should Black best exploit the

cuttin) point at�a� in the ,hite for&ationF


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roble% ' ,hat should Black do about the cuttin) point at�a� in the ,hitefor&ationF

roble% + n this position fro& a ; stone handicap )a&e

between a 70 and a ;0' ,5 has 2ust been played to secure his

botto& territory$

,hat�s Black �s necessary responseF

roble% ,hat�s ,hite�s bi) play hereF

roble% 3 6ow can Black best exploit the cuttin) points in ,hite�s positionF


57/132

Chapter &ector /ines, nclosure Connectiiity

n the previous chapters we discussed the principles upon which fi)htin) &ust be based if it�sto be productive' and then spelled out how to identify the weak' i&portant stones which should

be the ob2ects of any attack$ n this chapter we be)in the discussion of the criteria for decidin)

whether and when to initiate or avoid such attacks$

A&on) the key operative the&es in attack*defense are the closely related factors of enclosureand connectivity$ These often beco&e si)nificant al&ost fro& the very earliest &oves in the

)a&e as both sides &aneuver for advanta)e' especially but not exclusively in the co&plex local

usually' but not exclusively corner/ confrontations called +oseki$

Another i&portant issue' closely related to enclosure' is how to act a)ainst an opponent�s&oyo$ Doyo situations are typically quite co&plex' so without so&e si&plifyin) concept to

provide )uidance the avera)e player would find it virtually i&possible to accurately assess their

often subtle interactions' and then &ake the correct decisions$

The in)enious concept known as a (ector Line efficiently satisfies the critical need for )uidancein both the attack*defense and &oyo situations$

Althou)h the (ector Line concept has been applied i&plicitly for centuries in the Orient' the first

explicit description of it of which �& aware was in a &id 59@8Hs article by Bruce ,ilcox inthe A&erican .o +ournal$


58/132

But 2ust what is a (ector LineF

A (ector Line s An &a)inary (trai)ht Line

#xtendin) Across An Open Board Area

+oinin) Two (tones Of The (a&e olor'

Or #xtendin) !ro& A (in)le (tone

To The Board #d)e$

The (ector Line�s conceptual rationale is that a solid wall of stones of that color couldtheoretically be constructed alon) that line$ The fact that such a wall will al&ost never be

reali4ed in practice does not affect the (ector Line�

s value as a )uide to &akin) the appropriatestrate)ic and tactical decisions$

7ia#ra% 1 ,hen B< approaches ,5' the squee4e play of ,;

is particularly effective because $$$

7ia#ra% 2 ow the lone Black stone is enclosed within the

indicated ,hite (ector Lines' as both players would visuali4e

the&$

)hen To :se &ector /ines

&ector /ines are pri%arily @but not e


59/132

&ector /ines proide only #enerally appropriate action #uidelines' and do not specificallyidentify:

- the preferred strate)y to be followed - the best &ove itself' or even an explicit identification of the set of feasible alternatives

fro& which the best &ove should be selected$

aution% Althou)h the (ector Line concept is both si&ple and extre&ely valuable' it�s notalways deter&inative%

- &ector /ine is not alid if it

Intersects an opposin# stone.

7ia#ra% ' ,hen B5 is played' it breaks the outer (ector Line and ne)ates it' so that

Black is no lon)er enclosed%

- &ector /ine is not alid if it

Intersects an opposin# &ector /ine.

7ia#ra% + 6ere we see that ,@< is

within Black (ector Lines' but Black �s79-@@ )roup is si&ilarly enclosed by

,hite (ector Lines which intersect

Black �s$

The two B=9' 39 stones are within ,hite

(ector Lines' but are also an anchor

point of the Black (ector Lines which

enclose ,@


60/132

7espite these ery real li%itations, the infor%ation &ector /ines proide is inaluable

-. To The -ttac*er, &ector /ines indicate ;hether or not to try to either

1. &teal the opponent�s eyespace' and therefore drive his weak )roup out into the center$Or

2. Cut off fli#ht into the center' and so force the weak )roup to atte&pt to live' either by

&akin) eyes in place or by capturin) so&e of the attackin) stones$

B. To The 7efender, &ector /ines indicate ;hether it�s best to either 1. !un into the center to escape.

2. Try to connect to nearby friendly stones.

'. Ma*e eyes.

+. -bandon the threatened stones @at least te%porarily.

. Counterattac*.

aution%

n any )iven position not all of these alternatives &ay be feasible' and choosin) a&on) thosethat are is a &atter of the player �s 2ud)&ent - a sub2ect on which the (ector Lines the&selvesoffer no direct help% ow let�s exa&ine each of these (ector Line characteristics in detail$

-. The -ttac*er�s :ses Of &ector /ines

1. &teal the opponent�s eyespace

The sequence shown in the followin) dia)ra&s occurred in a cha&pionship )a&e between two 9

0an professionals' who were then a&on) the top 58 players in the world$ Get the si&ple (ectorLine concept explains and helps predict their &oves to a re&arkable de)ree%

7ia#ra% The position in the lower ri)ht corner be)ins with the sa&e

popular ;-= point +oseki we saw earlier in 0ia 5' in which ,hite has 2ust

squee4ed the lone Black stone fro& above' enclosin) it within the

indicated (ector Lines$

These (ector Lines are close enou)h to constitute a fairly serious threat'

so under nor&al circu&stances Black would respond i&&ediately$ But

because this 9P Black calculated that he can still readily live locally evenif ,hite is first to play a)ain here' he instead chose to take (ente

elsewhere$

Althou)h this was a rational )lobal strate)ic decision' it )ave ,hite the

opportunity to &axi&i4e his local advanta)e' as we see in the followin)

dia)ra&s$


61/132

7ia#ra% 3 )1 takes advanta)e of Black �s failure to defend by blockin) hi& fro& the corner' &akin) territory for ,hite while &akin) it

harder for Black to secure eyespace locally$

f ,hite were to be allowed to continue at < next ' that would not only

&ake perfect shape for his own stones but would also &ake it extre&elyhard for the Black stone to &ake life locally$

(o with little choice' B2 occupies the key shape point hi&self' while

cuttin) the ,hite (ector Line% A stron) clue that this is a desirable

&ove%/

A sli)htly lesser/ proble& with B< is that it also &akes his unit

�heavy�$ )' ,ith this stylish 1ni)ht�s &ove extension' ,hiteincreases the scope of his control of the corner by extendin) to the left' at

the sa&e ti&e creatin) a new (ector line which once a)ain encloses

Black$thereby &aintainin) (ente%/

7ia#ra% 4 n order to escape that enclosure it�s necessary to break,hite�s new (ector Line' and in this position the stylish dia)onal

extension of B= is the best way to achieve this end$

An alert reader will have noticed that B= not only broke the ,hite

(ector Line but also established Black �s own (ector Line enclosin) thelone ,hite stone on the ri)ht side$

But because the Black star point stone anchorin) the upper end of that

(ector Line is so far away' the lone ,hite stone is only &ildly affected

by this$ (o for the &o&ent ,hite can afford to i)nore that Black (ector

Line' to continue his own attack$

,hite�s natural response to B= is to extend once a)ain on the botto&with the one point skip of )' increasin) his local territory while also

initiatin) the new (ector Line shown' to once a)ain enclose the ; Black

stones$


62/132


63/132

7ia#ra% 10 Dost often' ,hite�s stron)est continuation is with ,5 here' tosolidly enclose Black within his (ector Lines$

Black can then cut these (ector Lines' but can�t forcibly break out throu)hthe&$

ow let�s exa&ine why allowin) ,5 is usually bad for Black$

7ia#ra% 11 Black can still live in the corner' if he either knows this

sequence by heart or can find his way throu)h its tactical co&plications

unaided$

But it�s dan)erous because even a sli)ht error in the sequence can easilyresult in the entire corner �s death% And even if Black lives' as here',hite�s thickness usually )ives hi& the better position )lobally$

(o playin) this way is usually only advisable in special circu&stances$

B. 7efender�s :ses Of &ector /ines

1. !un into the center to escape.

7ia#ra% 12 Black will usually be best advised to break out of the ,hite

(ector Line' &ost often by occupyin) the key point hi&self via B5 as shown'

but so&eti&es by attachin) at�a� or� b�instead$

After B5' ,< to sei4e the corner is by far the &ost frequent continuation' and

then Black will usually sooner or later/ block at either �c� or�d�' thechoice dependin) on the )lobal board position$

2. Try to connect to nearby friendly stones.


64/132

7ia#ra% 1' n this )a&e between an 0 and 70' the &arked

Black stone is co&pletely enclosed by ,hite (ector Lines' so

it appears that all of this lar)e territory is about to beco&e

,hite�s$

Livin) in place is difficult' but Black saw an opportunity to

save this stone and neutrali4e &uch of ,hite�s potentialterritory in the surroundin) area if he could so&ehow &ana)e

to connect to the Black stones below$ The next dia)ra& shows

how he went about doin) it$

7ia#ra% 1+ ,ith this clever sequence' Black &ana)ed

to connect underneath in the lower left and achieve life'thus neutrali4in) &ost of this for&erly lar)e ,hite area$

n return' ,hite captured a part of Black �s for&er lower ed)e )roup' to sharply increase his own territory there$

(o Black �s )ain was not without cost' and that�s afairly co&&on result of such confrontations$ But on

balance Black has profited a bit &ore' at least in part

because he has e&er)ed fro& this fi)ht with (ente$

'. Ma*e eyes.

7ia 1 n this )a&e between two @0

players' when the &arked Black stone

was played it not only prevented

,hite�s da&a)in) push throu)h-and-

cut' but also co&pleted the enclosure ofthe ,hite @-stone )roup on the ri)ht

ed)e$

n the absence of special circu&stances

Black should without fail play to enclose

,hite as shown%

7ia 13 f ,hite now desires' his @ stones

on the ri)ht ed)e can live easily via ,5'

because then if B�a�' ,� b�

co&pletes his two eyes$

And if Black doesn�t play at�a�'it�s possible that at an appropriate laterti&e ,hite will be able to follow with


65/132

the profitable end)a&e sequence of

,�a�' B�c�' ,� b�' B�d�$

The proble& with &akin) life by playin) ,5 is that Black will then happily continue with B< toconnect his corner stones out while seriously weakenin) the i&portant and presently both

shapeless and eyeless/ 3-stone�L� shaped ,hite center unit i&&ediately below%

Because that was a prospect that was unacceptable to ,hite' what he played instead of this ,5is shown next$

+. -bandon the threatened stones @at least te%porarily.

7ia#ra% 14 Because the result of 0ia 57 was unpalatable' ,hite chose

instead to play ,5 here' to stren)then the crucial weak 3-stone center

,hite strin)%

This not only undercut the Black corner while preventin) Black �s

connection underneath' but also isolated the lone Black stone on the upper ed)e$

But the severe price that ,hite had to pay for this was B


66/132

7ia#ra% 19 n this )a&e between a

=0 and a ;0' when ,5 was played

it see&ed that ,hite had visuali4ed

the indicated (ector Lines and the

hu)e potential &oyo that they

enclose$ But' althou)h appearin)

lo)ical' this reasonin) is actually

doubly flawed%

ot only are there are two Black

(ector Lines runnin) fro& the upper

ri)ht to the lower left that intersect

and therefore neutrali4e/ several of

,hite�s' but' far &ore si)nificant'Black can counter-attack by

establishin) his own far &ore

threatenin) (ector Lines%

7ia#ra% 20 A stron) Black response

would have been as shown' not only

enclosin) the = weak ,hite stones

within the indicated close and

therefore very threatenin)/ (ector

Lines of his own' but also

si&ultaneously assurin) that Black

can &ove into the ,hite &oyo before

it can be consolidated$ ote that the

&arked ,hites at the top are ti)htly

enclosed with only ; liberties' and are

therefore effectively captured%/

Althou)h the outco&e of the fi)ht

that would have followed isn�tentirely clear' it would have offered

Black his best chance to win$ ,hen

he failed to &ake this key play' ,hite

&oved s&oothly on to an easy

victory%


67/132

&ector /ines -s Moyo Inasion(!eduction Indicators

layin# any;here inside the opponent�s &ector /ines ;ill constitute an inasion. - play on or 5ust outside an opponent�s &ector /ine ;ill initiate a reduction.

The *ey clues to decidin# ;hether a reduction or inasion of an opposin# %oyo is the %ore

li*ely to produce a satisfactory result are ;hether or not one or %ore of the follo;in# is

true

There is at least one lon# &ector /ine operatie.

One or %ore of the enclosin# &ector /ines hae si#nificant #aps for possible in#ress or

e#ress by opposin# stones, especially if

There are friendly stones fairly close outside those &ector /ines.

f any of these conditions exist' an invasion will often be feasible because there will be

opportunities to either connect out or to live within the &oyo by placin) key eye&akin) stones

which also threaten to connect out$

To the extent that these enablin) conditions don�t exist' only a reduction will usually befeasible$

But it�s i&portant to re&e&ber that there are no absolutes% Althou)h the use of (ector Lineswill )o a lon) way toward enablin) you to &ake the ri)ht decision' your ulti&ate success orfailure in the fi)htin) that ensues will still depend upon your ability to find and correctly ti&e

the ri)ht threats' and on your opponent�s ability to &eet the&$

The followin) exa&ple shows the kind of dan)erous tactical co&plications that frequently resultfro& invasions' and why application of the indications provided by (ector Lines &ust always be

&ade with )reat caution and forethou)ht$

7ia#ra% 21 This is a not unco&&on situation in which Black has

&ade a 3 point skip fro& a =-stone wall based on the third line to

for& a s&all &oyo' a)ainst which ,hite will often feel co&pelled to

act$

But howF And whereF


68/132

7ia#ra% 22 The best try to &ake a live )roup within the Black

space is to be)in with this one point third line skip of ,5 fro& the

extension stone$

n response' the dia)onal extension of B< is the stron)est way to

prevent ,hite�s escape to the outside' forcin) hi& to try to live in place$

This dia)ra& shows one possible continuation' in which the

invasion dies' and the next dia)ra& shows another with the sa&e

result$

7ia#ra% 2' The proble& in this position with an invasion like this

,5$ is that there really isn�t roo& enou)h for the invaders to live ifBlack defends correctly% And if ,hite does die' as here' that allows

Black to consolidate a territory of over ;8 points$

7ia#ra% 2+ This dia)ra& shows that if Black errs' then ,hite can

escape' with a disastrous reduction to what for&erly see&ed a lar)e potential Black territory$ But in at least partial co&pensation Black now

is stron) on both sides while the still eyeless ,hites re&ain weak and

vulnerable%

7ia#ra% 2 !ro& the fore)oin)' it�s likely that a prudent ,hitewon�t choose to invade but will instead opt for a reduction$

!or that purpose' ,5 as shown here 2ust breakin) the Black (ector Line/

or�a� are usually the best &oves' the choice between the& dependin)upon the location of other nearby ,hite and Black stones and the tactical

considerations they en)ender$


69/132

ow let�s see how (ector Line principles were applied in a co&plex Doyo situation$

7ia#ra% 23 n this position fro&

a )a&e between two 30 players'

,hite has created a lar)e &oyo in

the upper center which Black&ust do so&ethin) to reduce

before it can be consolidated into

a winnin) territory%

As usual in such situations' the

question to be answered is

whether Black should invade the

&oyo and atte&pt to live within

its confines' or try to reduce it by

nibblin) away at it fro&

so&ewhere on its outer peri&eter$

This is the kind of situation in

which (ector Lines can often

provide the best clue as to which

of these courses of action is l

improve fast in go

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