Gérard TAILLE wrote:Bill Spight wrote:
There is a lot going on in this position. Are the Black stones on the left immortal? If so, Black a prevents the ko and wins the semeai. If not, the problem is ill defined.
Yes OC they are immortal. BTW I propose a change in the position in order that black "a" will not win the semeai.
That way I hope the problem is clearer.
$$W
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$$ | . . . O . a X . . . O |
$$ | X X O . O X . X X O O |
$$ | X . X X X O X X O O . |
$$ | X X O O O O O O O O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ -----------------------
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W
$$ -------------------------
$$ | . . . O . a X . . . O |
$$ | X X O . O X . X X O O |
$$ | X . X X X O X X O O . |
$$ | X X O O O O O O O O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ -----------------------[/go]
My own analysis is the following.
First of all because locally black wins the ko and because black has no interest to lose a move in order to provoke the ko we can assume that white will play first at "a". The problem is to find at which temperature white will play at "a".
If the temperature is too high black will not answer to a white play at "a" and the play will continue by:
$$W
$$ -------------------------
$$ | . . . O . 1 X 5 . . O |
$$ | X X O . O X 3 X X O O |
$$ | X . X X X O X X O O . |
$$ | X X O O O O O O O O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W
$$ -------------------------
$$ | . . . O . 1 X 5 . . O |
$$ | X X O . O X 3 X X O O |
$$ | X . X X X O X X O O . |
$$ | X X O O O O O O O O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ -----------------------[/go]

tenuki

tenuki

tenuki
and a local score -14,5
If now black choose to win the ko then it follows
$$W
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$$ | . . . O 2 1 X . . . O |
$$ | X X O 4 O X . X X O O |
$$ | X . X X X O X X O O . |
$$ | X X O O O O O O O O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W
$$ -------------------------
$$ | . . . O 2 1 X . . . O |
$$ | X X O 4 O X . X X O O |
$$ | X . X X X O X X O O . |
$$ | X X O O O O O O O O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . O O |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------[/go]

tenuki
and a local score +13,5
The deiri value of the area is 28 points for a tally equal to 4. The value of a local move is then equal to 7.
I conclude that if temperature is greater than 7 then neither side will play in this area.
What happens if the temperature is less or equal to 7? Black will never play first in the area and white is then the only player who can choose the right timing.
Because the temperature is not greater than 7 then we know that in any case black will choose to win the ko. In that case white will gain in exchange one tenuki. That means that white have to play in the area at the highest temperature which is 7 points.
The strategy of white is then the following:
if temperature is 7 then white begins the ko.
if temperature is less than 7 (say 5 or 6) then white have to look for increasing the temperature up to 7. If white cannot increase the temperature then white have to provoque the ko as soon as possible.
I have now to wait Bill's corrections!
Merry Christmas.