Semeai, anyone?

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SoDesuNe
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Semeai, anyone?

Post by SoDesuNe »

Since the problem in the Damezumari thread was finally solved, I thought, why not present another interesting problem, which involves a lack of liberties? =)
This funny one is from Go/Segeo's Tesuji Dictionary vol. 1. It's rated B, so within these books it is of intermediate difficulty.
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc Black to play
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O . . X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O . O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
I spent half the day to just refute my first move.
schawipp
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Re: Semeai, anyone?

Post by schawipp »

Just an initial guess...:
I would start with J2, which forces a white response around K3 (otherwise w loses the G4 stones). White cannot respond at H2 because of J4. If w connects at K3 I would connect at H2. Now, the lower black stones have 5 liberties which seems favorable with respect to the white E3 group. Side variation: If w replies at K2 instead of K3, J4 does not kill G4 (self atari at K3 ;-) ), however b gets H2 in sente and can play F2 afterwards - again 5 liberties - and the keft w stones will die.

Or is black supposed to kill all of the w stones? That would come quite as a surprise for me... :scratch:

Edit: Starting right away with F2 - E2 - E4 may look tempting, but w can stretch to E1. In the following semeai b can only get the single C2 stone but not more. Thus, b needs to gain an additional liberty first.
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Re: Semeai, anyone?

Post by SoDesuNe »

schawipp wrote:Just an initial guess...:
I would start with J2, which forces a white response around K3 (otherwise w loses the G4 stones). White cannot respond at H2 because of J4. If w connects at K3 I would connect at H2. Now, the lower black stones have 5 liberties which seems favorable with respect to the white E3 group. Side variation: If w replies at K2 instead of K3, J4 does not kill G4 (self atari at K3 ;-) ), however b gets H2 in sente and can play F2 afterwards - again 5 liberties - and the keft w stones will die.

Or is black supposed to kill all of the w stones? That would come quite as a surprise for me... :scratch:

Edit: Starting right away with F2 - E2 - E4 may look tempting, but w can stretch to E1. In the following semeai b can only get the single C2 stone but not more. Thus, b needs to gain an additional liberty first.
Very good! J2 is one of the key moves!
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc White to play
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O . . X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O 2 O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . X 3 1 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
Now it's White to play =)

post scriptum:
I actually tried this as the first move and it took me the mentioned half day to find White's counter...
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc Black to play
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O . . X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O 1 O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
The opponent's vital point is your own? =D
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Re: Semeai, anyone?

Post by schawipp »

I tried a bit harder and put my thoughts into an SGF:
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Re: Semeai, anyone?

Post by SoDesuNe »

Very nice work, indeed!

But... =D
Just for reference: Here is the main line from the answer. The :b3: - :w4: -exchange seems to make sure White cannot push through at :b7: after :b5:. Though, I think with capturing six White stones, White's position will surely collapse.
Anyway, I think pushing in at :b1: first is better style since when White does not answer at :w2:, you don't need to kill Ko-threats with :b3: and so on.
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc Black to play
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O 4 3 X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O 6 O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . 2 1 X 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
It's White's turn again and he can still try something wicked : D
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HermanHiddema
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Re: Semeai, anyone?

Post by HermanHiddema »

SoDesuNe wrote:Very nice work, indeed!

But... =D
Just for reference: Here is the main line from the answer. The :b3: - :w4: -exchange seems to make sure White cannot push through at :b7: after :b5:. Though, I think with capturing six White stones, White's position will surely collapse.
Anyway, I think pushing in at :b1: first is better style since when White does not answer at :w2:, you don't need to kill Ko-threats with :b3: and so on.
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc Black to play
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O 4 3 X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O 6 O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . 2 1 X 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
It's White's turn again and he can still try something wicked : D
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc white can try :w1:
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O O X X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O O O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O X X X X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc white is hoping for this
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X 6 X O O X X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . 2 X O O O X O O O O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | 8 X O . O X X X X 7 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 . 3 5 4 . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc black should play the vital point immediately
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O O X X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X O O O O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O X X X X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc black wins the semeai
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . 0 X X 6 X O O X X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . 3 X O O O X O O O O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | 4 X O 9 O X X X X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 7 2 5 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc :b10: @ :bc: creates a stone tower tesuji
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X 8 X O O X X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | 5 3 X O O O X O O O O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | 4 B O 9 O X X X X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | 7 1 . 2 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
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SoDesuNe
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Re: Semeai, anyone?

Post by SoDesuNe »

Not the answer from the book but seems to work nonetheles : ) Great, congratulations schawipp and HermanHiddema!
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc Book answer 1 - :b9: seems more straightforward regarding possible variations but is not very intuitive
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . X O 4 3 X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | . 0 X O O O X O O 6 O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O . 2 1 X 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 8 . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bcm11 Book answer 2
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . X X O O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O O X O O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . 7 X X 5 X O X X X . . X . . X . . . |
$$ | 9 O X O O O X O O O O O X . X . . . . |
$$ | 1 X O 4 O X X X X 8 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O 6 3 2 X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]
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