cyclops wrote:Triggered by the thread
Improving Life & Death? I started to reread Davies' L&D to check whether it is that boring. It isn't
Here, though, a statement I do not understand.
$$c Davies: B1 kills
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . a b |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O d |
$$ | . . , X , X O . c |
$$ | . . . . X O O g 1 |
$$ | . . . . . e . f . |
$$ +-------------------+
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$c Davies: B1 kills
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . a b |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O d |
$$ | . . , X , X O . c |
$$ | . . . . X O O g 1 |
$$ | . . . . . e . f . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]
Davies claims that B1 kills unconditionally. ( the board is 19x19 btw )
I don't see an answer to W2.
This is an interesting problem, and seems to highlight a subtlety of the L group that I didn't know.
$$c The proper way to kill.
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . , X , X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ +-------------------+
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$c The proper way to kill.
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . , X , X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]
I believe that this is the proper way to kill the L+1 group. Now white's hanes are of no value.
$$c Davies: B1 kills
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . a b |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O d |
$$ | . . , X , X O . c |
$$ | . . . . X O O g 1 |
$$ | . . . . . e . f . |
$$ +-------------------+
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$c Davies: B1 kills
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . a b |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O d |
$$ | . . , X , X O . c |
$$ | . . . . X O O g 1 |
$$ | . . . . . e . f . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]
As you say, 2 tries to convert this shape into a separate problem in which white lives. This seems to work, if black answers at a or b. Thus: black answers at e? (e is clearly the real vital point of this shape).
$$c White 4 is the only move
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . 5 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 4 . |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . , X , X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X O O . 1 |
$$ | . . . . . 3 . . . |
$$ +-------------------+
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$c White 4 is the only move
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . 5 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 4 . |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . , X , X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X O O . 1 |
$$ | . . . . . 3 . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]
Does white live now? Not if black has any stones nearby. But he does if white has stones on this side (and possibly he escapes anyway if there are no stones along all 19 points). I don't know if I'm missing something or not...
Overall, kill this shape by playing the vital hane, not black 1

EDIT: More thinking:
$$c Black can block?
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 9 . |
$$ | . . , . , . . 7 8 |
$$ | . . . . . . . 6 3 |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . , X , X O . 4 |
$$ | . . . . X O O 5 1 |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$c Black can block?
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 9 . |
$$ | . . , . , . . 7 8 |
$$ | . . . . . . . 6 3 |
$$ | . . , . , X X X 2 |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . |
$$ | . . , X , X O . 4 |
$$ | . . . . X O O 5 1 |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]
Your ko variation is actually better for black than it looks. It seems to me that this is sufficient for black - he can now net white 6 if it pokes out. It's complex and might not work if white has nearby stones, though, so I don't know if Davies actually considered it.
Note that the stone at d3 is important - this wouldn't work nearly so well without it, and it's lacking in the other problem.
My conclusion: In the absence of any other stones, white really is dead in the corner.