Some friends and I recently reviewed the interesting game below between Kiwada Kazuomi (1p, white) and Ando Kazushige (3p) from January 2009. There was one exchange in particular I found very interesting, and I'd like to hear from others.

First question: Following the sequence to 8, what is the status of white's lower right group?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Pro Game
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . X X . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . X . O X X . O X X X . . |
$$ | . . X , O 2 O X . O O O . O O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . O X X X . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . X . X O . O X . X . . |
$$ | . . X O X X X O . . O X O X O . X X . |
$$ | . . X O O O O . . O . 8 . X . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . O O X O . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . X 3 7 |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O 4 5 |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . 6 |
$$ | . O O O . X . . X X O O X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . O . O O X O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . X O . O O X X X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

White takes the Ko first with the marked stone, and lets the group go in the following sequence:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Sequence of defeat?
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . X X . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . X . O X X . O X X X . . |
$$ | . . X , O O O X . O O O . O O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . O X X X . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . X . X O . O X . X . . |
$$ | . . X O X X X O 2 . O . O X O . X X . |
$$ | . 6 X O O O O 1 . O . O . X . X O . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . . . . . . O . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . O O X O . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X X X |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O X |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O 3 W |
$$ | . O O O . X . . X X O O X X X X O O X |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . O . O O X O O O O X |
$$ | . . . . O X . X O . O O X X X . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . X |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

at .

So what do you think? Did this end quickly in resignation? Who won? Did W make a huge mistake in not making a bigger ko threat, or letting the group die? Before answering, consider the status of Black's upper middle group.

Result:

_________________
"The more we think we know about
The greater the unknown"
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson