Many players think the game is over at the end ...

By Rob Van Zeijst

Many players think the game is over at the end if all groups are alive. On the other hand, some players, especially when they are behind, try to squeeze out the final few points, sometimes turning a bad position into a win. You should try to improve your endgame and cash in on those points. Counting is most important.

Last week, we learned the monkey jump, an important endgame technique. However, other moves often reap better results. Just check the points and see the difference.

Diagram 1: Black's territory is open on the right side. How can White cause maximum damage? Which move is best? A, B, C or D?

Diagram 2: We have seen what happens when we play the monkey jump at 1. We also know we can stop this with 2 and 4. The sequence through 8 is natural. Even if White had played in reverse 3 first then at 1 (a small monkey jump instead of a large one), Black would have still played at 2 and 4, ending with the same result.

Diagram 3: What about the nozoki (peeking at a cut) at 1? Black has no choice but to connect at 2. White then can save 1 by the sequence 3 through 7, but he loses sente (initiative). Later, he may play A, followed by black B, white C and black D, resulting in a ko. Depending on who wins the ko, the result changes slightly. However, White ends up in gote (losing the initiative) in this variation, so the whole exercise is a waste of time.

Diagram 4: Now, let's look at the last possibility, the clamp at 1. This way, White keeps sente as in Diagram 2, but gains two full points. White makes one extra point in territory while reducing Black's by one. This variation, therefore, gives the best result.

Solutions to last week's problems

These solutions involve different kinds of monkey jumps and how to stop them.

Solution 1A: In response to 1, black 2 is best. After White pulls back with 3, exchanging black 4 for white 5, before defending with 6 takes away a possible point for White at A (otherwise he may play at 4 at some stage).

Solution 1B: Be careful when White plays at 3. This is a clever move, aimed at enticing Black to play atari at D before defending at 4. Don't do it! Play at 4 right away. After this move, Black can play at A, prompting White to defend at B (otherwise, black B, followed by white C and black D leads to the capture of two white stones). This removes in sente a possible White point at E.

Solution 2: White 1 is a good nozoki move. Black must connect. White 3 through 7 are a good combination to reduce Black's territory to a mere two points. Although worth 6! points, White doesn't have to defend at 9 if there are better moves on the board.

Solution 3: After reading this article, white 1 is obvious. This move is worth two points.

Solution 4: White slips up by playing 1, as he will lose the initiative if he wants to save this stone. However, white 3 keeps sente as Black will likely answer with 4 to prevent 2 from being lost. If White now plays tenuki (elsewhere), Black can capture with A, followed by white tenuki, black B and white C. In this variation, Black took two gote moves at 4 and at A (to make an additional three points).

Reference 1: What if White draws back with 3? He can defend at B, followed by black C, white A, but that leads to gote. On the other hand, if he plays elsewhere, Black will play at A, followed by white B and black C. Defending with white D would lead to gote. But if White ignores this situation, Black can play at D, followed by white E, a black connection at 3 and white F. This gives Black just as many points as in Solution 4, but White gets two fewer points (at E and F). In other words, White should follow Solution 4.

Solution 5A: After the marked stone, Black can force the sequence 1 through 4 in sente.

Solution 5B: In contrast, if White plays first, he can force 1 through 4 in sente. Later on, Black can exchange A for B, but the difference with Solution 5A is five points (three points for Black's territory and two for White's). This is a sente action for White, so points count double. Therefore, playing the marked stone in Solution 5A is worth the same as an ordinary 10-point move in gote.

Want to find out more? Come to Ben's Cafe in Takadanobaba, Tokyo (03-3202-2445) where the English speaking go community congregates every Sunday. You can enjoy free lessons, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Ben's Cafe can be accessed at www.benscafe.com.

Van Zeijst is a four-time European go champion and European representative at the Fujitsu World Championship.