I've decided, I'm going to write an article about some thing that's been on my mind ever since I learned to play go, 4 years and some change ago now.

Many people, even at my current level, have trouble with a very basic concept...

How to Stay Connected.

having 1 group is, about 80-90% of the time, a better thing than being split in two, so, through the course of play, you will often wish to play a move that allows you to move quickly, and 'stay connected'.

Early on, in the opening, you'll often play moves that are barely connected, or not connected at all, in the hopes that you can solidify them later when you have more time. These moves are described as 'fast but loose' a lot of times, but when is something loose, when is something solid, and when do you want solid or loose or whatever?

Entire books have been written on the topic, but I'm going to attempt to make some brief sense of the question.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . b a b . . .
$$. . . a X a . . .
$$. . . b a b . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

All the points directly connected to a stone are 'solid' so all the points at A are very solid plays, if you must maintain a firm connection to the starting stone. Plays at B also cannot be easily cut, so they are 'solid'. Some examples of when you need solid play is when your stone is in trouble..

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . 2 . . . .
$$. . . O 1 3 . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

Black doesn't want ataried so he extends with a solid connection, before white gets the chance.

Or,

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . 2 . 3 . . .
$$. . O . 1 . O . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

Black slips out of white's grasp.

These sorts of moves can also be used for pressuring opponent's stones, when you are close to them, and don't want to leave weakneses. Solid moves are slow, but steady, and everyone plays them..

But often, people play them too much, and that's when you'll see someone complain 'I think this move is too slow for you here.'

Looser moves can be connected too.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

These stones are connected.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

These stones are 'loosely connected'

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . a . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

These stones are 'connected with a weakness'. When two stones are 3 or more spaces away, there's a point that can be attacked in the center. This attacking stone is hard to kill, but it's also hard for the attacking stone to completely split up the two stones. Often, people play loose stones like this in the opening, when playing more solidly gives up the chance to stake out space on the board.

Long jumps, like the 3 point extension just shown, leave weaknesses behind, so when you're running from an attack, you want to avoid them. When there are no enemy stones around, you can play them safely.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . X . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

This is called the Knight's Move, and it's connected, if nothing else is around. It, and it's cousin, the large knight's move,

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . X . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

both leave cutting points which you have to watch later, so they are good for pressure and expanding, but not so good for defending.

Walls, solid groups of 2 or more stones, make longer connections safer, though not solid.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . X X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

These stones are pretty solidly connected, but still can be threatened.

The larger the wall, the longer you can jump. There are even rules of thumb that you can extend a number of spaces equal to the stones in the wall. However, this doesn't mean that if you extend 8 spaces from an 8 stone wall, that your opponent can't leap in. Just that the wall will help you in the fight when they do.



When Connected.. Isn't, and when loose is solid.

The old addage 'corners, sides, then center' is often applied to the opening. But, it's true in connection as well, things are most solidly connected in the corner, fairly solid in the side, and looser in the center. Let's take an example

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X 9 a . .
$$. . . . 8 6 7 . .
$$. . . 4 2 3 b . .
$$. . . . 1 5 . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

Black is fairly split up. In fact, if black doesn't have any other stones in the area, they really can't prevent white from playing A or B if this is in the center of the board. But what if it's in a corner, or even a side? on the third line, this two point jump becomes much, much harder to cut up because simply extending at 4 runs towards the edge of the board.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . 4 2 3 . . .
$$| . 5 1 . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

White can't play this sort of disrupting move. In a corner, there are two edges of the board to push cutting stones towards, and it is even harder to cut up loose connections.

So, while it may be OK to play the following on the side, or near a corner..

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X . . . .
$$| . . X . . . .
$$| . . . O . . .
$$| . . 1 . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

The same formation is generally not connected in the center of the board.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . X . . . .
$$. . . . . O . . .
$$. . . . 1 . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

Getting Out Fast

When you've been cut up, and you're being attacked, or when you've got stones you want to keep two groups apart with, you'll often need to flee from intense pressure, as fast as possible..

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X 1 . . .
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . O . . . .[/go]

This is a not uncommon situation to find some important cutting stones in. The question of 'How do I save them' is one that you should ask yourself very early on, and there are two answers, depending a lot on the rest of the board.

1 is bad shape, and slow. It should only be played in utter desperation, at which point, you probably are trying anything to win anyway.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X 1 3 5 .
$$| . . X O 2 4 6
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

2 will get you out of the trap. BUT, black can keep pressing, pushing up with 3, 4, and 5, and white MUST keep running. This is painful, and allows black to build solid, unbreakable walls that are painful to white!

Getting out needs to be as fast as possible, and keep black from having forcing moves that white must respond to. Getting those two stones out, in fact, should be weighed carefully... but keeping black split up is important until both of his groups are alive, so don't throw away cutting stones too early, but you will strengthen one of black's groups by keeping them alive.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X 1 . . .
$$| . . X O 3 2 .
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

2 fails, as black captures the cutting stones, and makes white's 2 into a weak stone that is attached to strength.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X 1 . . .
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . X O . 2 .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

2 here is a ladder breaker, played to allow white to slip out.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . 7 0 .
$$| . . X 1 6 8 .
$$| . . X O 4 5 9
$$| . . X O 3 2 .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

Notice, unless white has some place to run to, those stones are still very weak, and things get complicated fast.

If white does have some place to run to, black will often decline this complicated fight,

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X 1 3 . .
$$| . . X O . 4 .
$$| . . X O . 2 .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .[/go]

3 threatens to kill the two stones without the ladder, and white plays the solid Bamboo Joint connection to save them. Black's 2 stones are lonely, and building strength against themselves.

Stones are often threatened, and loose connections can be cut, but you always want to play the fastest connection that allows you to move out of danger.

These sorts of moves are important to allow you to win fights and keep stones alive. Judgement of when to run, and when to sacrifice stones is a much higher level concept, that, for now, I'll leave alone..

I hope some of this has been useful to someone.

If this is well recieved, I may write another some time soon.

I'm not sure what sort of feedback you want, so I'll only make a couple of comments for now

A) Great work. It's a really good start.
B) Have you looked at Sensei's on this info? I don't know whether you would or wouldn't want to replicate info or not, but either it may be useful for contributing to your article, or it may be useful for you to shape your article to cover things SL doesn't. I'm sure you have, and that this is a useless observation, but just in case...
C) I think you over-state the connected-ness of shapes. A two point jump is not connected, a three point jump is definitely not connected, a knight's jump is connected only if a ladder works, and a long-knight's jump is not connected. Of course, that's not always a problem for a number of reasons, as I'm sure you're aware, but I found the use of the word connected a bit confusing.

Perhaps you and I mean different things by connected. A 1 point jump, in the absence of other stones on the board, is pretty much a group. Is there a better term for 'a group that is pretty much together, but can be cut up if it's in the center, or if your opponent is suicidal and willing to take huge losses in order to do something that probably shouldn't be tried, or if your opponent has extra stones around to help in the fight which will ensue when someone plays a cutting move'?

I mean, yes, you're correct, they're not solidly connected with other stones around, or out in the center, which I tried to convey. But they are, generally connected enough for them to be thought of as a group.


I really don't visit sensei's very often, because I can't find.. well... Anything on there. I've spent hours poking around looking for a joseki variation only to forget what it was I was looking for in the first place.

But, thank you for the feedback. If there's some way to effeciently express the idea that I'm trying to convey, and not use the word connected, please, do let me know.

I agree I think, that "stone A connects to stone B so you can consider them part of the same group" is synonymous with connected. Certainly, edge play (particularly on the 3rd line, and to a lesser degree the 4th) has a big impact on the connected-ness of jumps, where the edge of the board affects specific lines of reading. However, only the one point jump is connected almost always without other stones around. All the others have significant weaknesses, hence why only a one point jump is normally recommended for runnning with if you really have to run (or the kosumi, although that is often slow).



I think this is true on the 3rd line and 4th line, but often you want to be thinking about appropriate shape elsewhere - it's actually comparatively rare that you'd use one point jumps and knight jumps along the edge, compared to the longer jumps, and the situation is reversed towards the center. All of this I suspect is the interplay between stability, speed, and aji, sufficiently so that shape rules (including connectedness) along the edge I consider to be very different to shape rules running towards the middle and enclosing central areas. I suspect haengma has a lot to say on this topic.



I've found the same thing. I was tempted to organise some of the active librarians / editors in a hope to build a project to re-vamp the content - at least from the point of structure, navigation, ease of use etc. However, I really don't have time. As a secondary interest, there's always the Go wikibook which I intend on working on at some point. It would be nice if there were a few other enthusiastic people to have a good crack at it.



You're welcome, sorry it's not more helpful! I think "amount of aji" is the most efficient word for the situation, but not the most clear. It's a balancing act between accuracy and clarity that is always hard

Maybe something like "cannot be cut"/"cannot be cut apart"/"cannot be split"/"cannot be separated."
(But, as you briefly noted, this heavily depends on the surrounding stones.)

In your 11th diagram (rotated to save space):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . 3 . . .
$$ . . X . 2 1 . .
$$ . . . . 4 5 . .
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$----------------[/go]

Actually there are many variations to explore (especially for beginners):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . e b a . .
$$ . . X f 2 1 . .
$$ . . . g d c . .
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$----------------[/go]

For alone, there are at least 7 local replies already.
Even though some are clearly bad -- like (e) and (g) -- some beginners may not know why.

In addition to topazg's 'accuracy' and 'clarity', there are also 'brevity,' 'good style', and 'completeness.'
Very tricky.

Maybe I was not clear in my intentions. These particular diagrams, particularly at the edge, are not meant to supply an exhaustive study for these positions. I could, for instance, show how an approach 1 space away from 1 allows 2 to have much more effect, and spend hours writing on the subject of possible responses for 3. However, it was my intent to show that a tactic which could work in the center, attaching at 2 and splitting up the stones, could not work as well on the side.

Heaven help me if I ever claim exhaustive or complete explanation of any position on a board, for that would require considering it on a 19x19 board, in the living situation of the game.

My little article here is just.. to give ideas, and to help beginners think about connection, and how far they can extend. It is not meant to be definitive, or even, as the title suggests, good.

If it is not helpful, I'll simply stop wasting my time writing such things, and go back to playing on KGS like I normally do with my free time.

I think it has the potential to be extremely helpful, so please don't take my comments as critical or implying that what you are doing is in some way not good enough. My comment was that it felt more like the connected-ness of some of the shapes were being presented as relatively definitive in their connected-ness. Perhaps simply something that compares the difficulty to disconnect between different shapes, with an additional reference to being on the side as opposed to towards the center makes them, in general, more connected

I think it's a really good start on a really important concept, please don't let me put you off. I'll shut up if you'd rather, I only said something because you seemed to be seeking feedback!

Well, perhaps I need to reorganize, and present connectedness as more of a third line concept, and move into the fact that they are looser the farther you get to the edge earlier.

I did include a whole section on how loose things could easily be split in the center, but maybe I'm being confusing by not presenting it earlier?

I don't mean to sound like I don't appreciate feedback, I just don't know that I can, in the interest of presenting a fundamental concept, present in depth analysis of responses to a probe like the one in the diagrams Ed mentioned, without completely destroying the intent of the piece, which is to help beginners.

I do appreciate what you're saying though, and am trying to think of good ways to clarify the article.

As a beginner I find both the article and the discussion very interesting.

I agree, the completeness of the available responses is inappropriate, but that in turn makes it hard to do authoritatively enough to convey the concept well enough. There are some basic shape premises that are useful, such as this being a poor shape way of cutting the two point jump (normally, the hane at or "a" first is better):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$ . . X 4 2 1 . .
$$ . . 6 5 3 a . .
$$ . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . .[/go]

However, the irony is, "the further away the stones are, the less connected they are" is a relatively complete coverage, albeit very loose on detail. Learning how to strike the balance is where the beginner concept turns the heat up all the way to the complexity of professional play, depending on how far down the rabbit hole you are capable of going. Trying to explain to a beginner that of the two shapes below, the White one is typically stronger, is not an easy one for me.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . B . . . B . . . W . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[/go]

Ironically, it becomes easier when the opponent wedges. In the following, I do find it more clear that White has better shape, because at least one supporting stone is more closely placed to the contact play:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . X . W . X . . . O . W . . . .
$$ . . . B . . . . . . . B . O . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[/go]

What can I say, Go is hard. It's much easier to comment on exceptions than it is to write this stuff, so do carry on. I'll try to constructively offer alternatives (wording etc) when I've had the time to think about it more clearly, if that's helpful to you.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Connected
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . .
$$| . . X . 1 . .
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . X O . . .
$$| . . O X X . .
$$| . . O . . . .
$$| . . O . . . .[/go]

PS Please try the board search on SL next time!

Just some shape advice from one of your diagrams: I don't know if I can completely explain why, especially when the shape is on a fake board, but I think you'll probably want to use below more than you'll want to play at 'a' .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . 2 3 a . . .
$$. . O . 1 . O . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

There's weird stuff for white to exploit with 'x' or 'y' below.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .
$$. . . . . x . . .
$$. . . O . X . . .
$$. . O . X . O . .
$$. . . . y . . . .
$$. . . . . . . . .[/go]

_________________
We don't know who we are; we don't know where we are.
Each of us woke up one moment and here we were in the darkness.
We're nameless things with no memory; no knowledge of what went before,
No understanding of what is now, no knowledge of what will be.

Expanding ideas!

If you're wondering where to attack and where to defend, the place which increases liberties most is the best one. Consider the following example. It's black's turn to play and he's wondering what to do with that white two-stone group. The white group has three liberties, or directions of development. Black's shape is weak too, perhaps he should repair it?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . X . O . X . . .
$$ . . . X O X . . . .
$$ . . . . X . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$--------------------[/go]

How to best defend your groups? Given the choice, capturing cutting stones is nearly always better than defending in other ways.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . 1 . . . . .
$$ . . X b O . X . . .
$$ . . . X O X . . . .
$$ . . . 2 X a . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$--------------------[/go]

1 comes right in the direction of development which would offer most liberties for white stone. White might counter-attack with 2 and black is again wondering whether to attack (b) or defend (a).

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . 1 . . . . .
$$ . . X 3 O a X . . .
$$ . . . X O X . . . .
$$ . . . 2 X 4 . . . .
$$ . . . . b . . . . .
$$--------------------[/go]

Reducing liberties of white's group is correct. Next white puts the black stone in atari. Black could extend and cut white apart, or capture some stones. From defensive point of view, capturing is much better.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . X . . . . .
$$ . . X X . X X . . .
$$ . . . X . X . . . .
$$ . . . O X O . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$--------------------[/go]

This is how the board looks like after black captures. White's turn to play. Now he has the least amount of possibilities (aji) to attack black's group, because black stones have so many liberties!

I wonder is this always so?

This diagram is from high-dan game played on KGS. If white were to reduce aji in bottom right corner, which would be the best move? First move that came into my mind was "a", but it seems to be the worst, since it doesn't eliminate stone. C is better than A, but best seems to be B.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . b X O . . |
$$ . O . . . . . X O . . |
$$ . . . . . O a O X O . |
$$ . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------[/go]

Cute example

In this situation, I'd never play "a" out of the principle of it not reducing any black liberties, and because I hate corner aji, I'd play "c" almost without question. However, you're quite right, with further reading, "b" is clearly better as that single stone can still never amount to anything - it would have to extend to be effective, and it can't do that without White playing to the left and leaving Black with nothing he can achieve - so solidly capturing the two stones is clearly better.

I wonder about this position:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . c X O . . |
$$ . O . . . . . X O . . |
$$ . . . . . O . O X O . |
$$ . . . . . . . a X b . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------[/go]

OTOH, perhaps he should tenuki. Black has three more stones locally than White. If that is not enough, she has made a mistake. Do you see a Black mistake here?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Mistake?
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . X . O . X . . .
$$ . . . B O B . . . .
$$ . . . . X . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$--------------------[/go]

Well, it does look like one of the stones was a mistake, doesn't it? But is it so bad that Black needs to add another stone?



No doubt. But those may not be the only options. Often, instead of capturing stones, it is better to play on the border of where it is possible for the opponent to save them. Then the opponent faces the difficult decision of whether to sacrifice them or not.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . 1 . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$ . . X . O . X . . .
$$ . . . X O X . . . .
$$ . . . . X . . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . .
$$--------------------[/go]

If I were forced to go after the White stones, my first thought would be the cap.

Think big.



Isn't this horrible for Black? Think of where White has been able to play with those four extra moves.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . d . . |
$$ . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . b X O . . |
$$ . O . . . . . X O . . |
$$ . . . . . O a O X O . |
$$ . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------[/go]

Gee, my first thought is "d".

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

It's funny, that was exactly my reaction. I've found myself doing that an awful lot - not just assessing how good the result looks for one side, but how many stones were expended by each side to create it. This was a really nice example (even though it was obviously created for a very different purpose).