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Usually, one begins a game of go by staking out territory on a large scale,
tightening up the connections as the opponent approaches. The important
thing is to find the right balance between size and solidity. Building up a
very large framework may invite the opponent to set up shop inside, whereas
playing too solidly will give away too much.
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Anyone who played
a couiple of games will notice that even large groups of stones
do get captured. So how can one tell whether a group can be captured,
and when it becomes uncapturable (i.e. "alive")?
The trick is to look for "eyes". In the diagram, the spots marked
X are eyes. White would need to play in both places at once to capture
the group, which isn't possible since one playes only one stone
at a time. The suicide rules prevents white from placing a stone
on just one of the marked spots.
Groups with two eyes, or groups that can form two eyes are strong.
Strong groups are a Good Thing! |
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Watch out for false eyes. All parts of the group forming the eye must be
connected somehow. In the little diagram below, white can play X, capturing
three stones and reducing the black group to one eye.
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In the diagram,
neither white nor black will want to play on the marked spots (Why?).
This stallmate is called "seki", and is left as is on the board
until the end of the game. No points are awarded for the marked
spots, since they don't belong to anyone. |
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White just captured a black stone at X on the diagram and threatens to
connect by playing there himself, thereby capturing the three black stones
above. What must black do?
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Black must play a "ko threat", for example on the lower right edge.
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If white responds, then black can retake the ko, and white must find a ko
threat.
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If white connects the ko, black can execute the threat and gain some
compensation for the loss.
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Once all groups
are settled, there remain only a couple of gaps in the borders
between territories. This is the endgame ("yose"), and it is important
to locate moves which require an answer ("sente" moves), since
this will allow you to play into some other gap after that.
In the diagram left, there are two moves left. Which one should
white play?
White should play the one to the right. This move threatens to
penetrate further into black's territory, so black must answer
or suffer a large loss. White then gets to play the other move.
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Don't go on a hunt when your house is burning!
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