The Magic of Go
In go, it is easier to create new groups than to give them away. This is probably due, in part, to the mental attachment players form with their groups. In defending his Meijin title in the fifth game of a best-of-seven match with Cho Chikun, however, Yoda (White) keeps giving away stones and groups. In Diagram 3, he gives away as many as 10 stones without hesitation.

Diagram 1: White has just played the marked stone. This is actually quite a dangerous move (see Solution 2). However, Black wastes his chance and makes territory with 1 and 3. Black 5 through 13 are a good combination, strengthening Black's superiority in the center. However, White quietly makes territory with 12 through 20. Even though Black missed a decisive chance, most top pros analyzing the game still thought Black was leading.

Solution 1: The question last week was how Black should continue after White ignored black 1 by playing at 2. Black should have exchanged 3 and 5 for 4 and 6, then played at 7 to cut off White's marked stones. As Black can exchange A for white B, the marked stones may die, but even if they don't, the thickness Black has built with the marked stones will come in handy during the battle to come.

Diagram 2: In response to black 1, White cleverly plays 2 through 6 to gain sente and occupy the focal point for center territory at 8. With 9, Black initiates a long sequence which finally ends in a two-step ko when Black plays 21 and 23. This is a so-called "flower-viewing" ko, in which Black has little at stake and White a lot. White is the underdog in this ko fight, but even if he loses it...

Diagram 3: The drama is not over. Black captures the ko, but then White plays 2, supposedly a ko threat reserved for Black. Unwilling to leave it at that, without a challenge, Black captures at 3. White then goes on to sacrifice his stones at the upper edge, but white 8 through 14 are a clever way to limit Black's corner territory in sente while expanding White's center. Surrounding a large center territory, white 16 and 18 finalize the furikawari (exchange of territories/groups) initialized by Black in the ko fight. However, even at this point, Black is not completely lost. His last chance is to play at 37 after white 26. Instead, he tries to trick White with 27. This stone becomes mochikomi (loss without compensation) when White answers with 28.

After white 40, Black can live in the lower right corner, but the score on the board is about even, which means White will win the game by a slim margin equaling the komi (compensation Black has to give for playing the first move). On seeing white 40, Cho resigns, giving Yoda his third Meijin title in a row.

Handicap go

Diagram 4: After the handicap stones are on the board, White plays the kakari (approach) at 2, which is a standard move. The main responses are A through F and tenuki. In the past weeks, we have dealt with A and B and the possible corner invasions White could launch. This week we will look at C as a response.

Diagram 5: Often the Black player believes black 3 and 5 will protect a white invasion at A. And in fact it does hamper such an invasion, but the result is not necessarily better for Black. The reason for playing at 3 is to entice white 4. The exchange 3 for 4 is the only difference to answering 2 at 5 right away. Black's reason for this exchange should be to take away White's base in order to attack using the marked stone. A possible attack is shown here. However, there are many cases in which the exchange 3 for 4 hurts the marked stone. So be careful--don't play 3 automatically just because the marked stone is in place.

Diagram 6: After the exchange 3 for 4 in Diagram 5, White can still invade at the three-three point with 1. Now Black can choose between two basic scenarios. If we imagine that the marked stones have found a safe harbor and are no longer vulnerable, the combination of black 2 through 8 captures the most territory. However, keep in mind that after this exchange, White is much stronger.

Note that White cannot play 7 at 8 because Black would next connect at 7, threatening to either capture at A or at B. Either way, White gets a bad result.

Problem 1: Instead of black 4 in Diagram 6, Black can also play at 4 as shown here. How should White respond?

Problem 2: In the second basic scenario, the marked white stones are weak. In that case, Black should usually descend to 2 to keep White's stones separated. In general, the moves 3 through 5 can be expected next. How should Black respond?

By Richard Bozulich

By Rob van Zeijst

  1. Example of a pro game
  2. Insight to the pro game
  3. The basics of territory
  4. Be proactive
  5. Take the Initiative
  6. The endgame
  7. The Last Points
  8. Last week's problem
  9. The endgame
  10. Endgame Tesuji
  11. As expected,
  12. Kisei Title
  13. Balancing attack,
  14. Balancing attack and defense
  15. Tobi, kosumi, keima
  16. Tobi, kosumi, keima
  17. The end of the game
  18. O Rissei keeps Kisei title
  19. Solutions to last week's problems
  20. Over the next few weeks
  21. Efficiency calls for good shape
  22. Get an eye for shape
  23. Middle of three stones
  24. Kosumi: pros and cons
  25. Defects of kosumi
  26. Kosumi
  27. Hazama
  28. Attacking
  29. Where there is a keima, there is a cut
  30. Cutting keima the right way
  31. Visualization is a must
  32. Function over form
  33. Rationality
  34. Intuition
  35. Realistic approach
  36. Connecting stones
  37. The so-called cosmic style
  38. Ponnuki
  39. Ponnuki
  40. Ponnuki
  41. Sabotage
  42. Ponnuki and Ko
  43. Fighting ko effectively
  44. Handicap go
  45. Handicap go
  46. The nine-stone handicap
  47. Basics of handicap go
  48. 5 more basic principles of handicap go
  49. Yoda defends Meijin Titlego
  50. Original ideas
  51. The third part of the game
  52. In go, it is easier to...
  53. A good way to improve a game
  54. A big gap between genders
  55. World Championship for Women
  56. Hane defends the Tengen Title
  57. 7-stone handicap
  58. Let's start the New Year...
  59. 9x9 pro game
  60. 9x9 pro game
  61. The following is...
  62. The Go player's...
  63. Of the three most prestigious titles, ...
  64. This is the third installment in a series...
  65. Achallenger has to overcome many obstacles....
  66. In the battle for the 42 million yen.....
  67. Only one week after losing his Kisei.....
  68. After recently losing his Kisei title.....
  69. It is a well-established fact that.....
  70. Go--The first step
  71. Some basics about the pro world
  72. How deep can a pro read?.....
  73. Who are the best go players.....
  74. Can computers play go?.....
  75. Last week, we established.....
  76. Computers have led to a flourishing.....
  77. Though I recommend that you join a go club.....
  78. Last week, we finally got to the point where we discovered that.....
  79. Some people like to offer quotations aimed at showing .....
  80. One of the best and most authoritative Web sites for.....
  81. At the beginner levels, go is an easy game to play.....
  82. We often do things in life without thinking.....
  83. We are often told to do the right thing.....
  84. Following a pattern set by others is easy.....
  85. This week's Go Weekly, a Japanese weekly go newspaper.....
  86. How fast can you do a job and do it right.....
  87. When I am asked by go students how they can.....
  88. Books have been written on the subject.....
  89. Go players are always quick to point out that go is a superior.....
  90. The last few weeks were devoted to tactical issues.....
  91. The fifth and final game in the best-of-five Gosei title match .....
  92. The dividing of land, property, and things of .....
  93. Fireworks are expected between current Meijin .....
  94. Dividing land, property or living space in one's own favor is .....
  95. The dream match between the current Kisei .....
  96. Three games have now been completed in the best-of-seven series.....
  97. We have talked strategy over the past few weeks.....
  98. In study, in all branches of sport.....
  99. The most important things a go beginner.....
  100. In many games and sports,.....
  101. How do you do confront your fears?.....
  102. In go, you cannot expect to deal with.....
  103. When your opponent is much stronger than you.....
  104. Using the power of your opponent for.....
  105. The combination of aggressiveness, .....
  106. Last week, there was some good news for.....
  107. On Dec. 18, in the fifth game of.....
  108. Go Weekly, which hits the nation's newsstands every Monday.....
  109. In go, the beginner must try to master the basics of life and.....
  110. Last week, we started a new series on life and.....
  111. This is the third article in a series on life-and.....
  112. In this article, the fourth in a series, we will take.....
  113. This is the fifth installment of tsume go.....
  114. Practice, practice, practice. This is the way to improve.....
  115. The Kisei title match, worth more than $400,000.....
  116. The Kisei title match, worth more than $400,000.....
  117. For a champion, 25-year-old Keigo Yamashita has.....
  118. In two-day best-of-seven matches.....
  119. Naoki Hane has iron nerves.....
  120. The game of go can be as easy or as difficult.....
  121. On April 18 and 25, the TV Tokyo network will.....
  122. Give and take is widely used in daily life to strike.....
  123. Although go has a history of almost 4,000 years.....
  124. The adage "Chess was invented but go was discovered".....
  125. Unlike chess, in which a board position.....
  126. Over the past few weeks we have concentrated.....
  127. Go is sometimes perceived as a more difficult game than chess
  128. Last week, I stressed that the objective of go was to.....
  129. Anyone can learn the basics of go.
  130. Go can be considered a zero-sum game as .....
  131. If you play a strategic game like go, taking or keeping .....