Life In 19x19

Hey,
I just played a go game where my opponent and me did't knew wether white is dead or alive. It, as we think, doesn't have two eyes but black cant take the stones either. It also doesnt looke like a seki. Can you please teach two beginners what the situation exactly is?

Thx a lot for your help!

White is alive. There is nothing black can do to prevent the capture of the single stone inside the group. That gives white the second eye. He already has one to the left. Under the rules, it is not necessary to actually capture the stone. It is just removed at the end of the game.

The White group is alive, the Black stone is dead.

You can verify this because, even if White never defends the White group, Black cannot capture it. OTOH, even if Black defends the Black stone, White can capture it.

May I suggest that you play by area scoring rules, which counts both stones and territory. With those rules it is easy to resolve questions of life and death by play. The AGA rules are area rules. See http://senseis.xmp.net/?AGARules

What nobody yet mentioned: the white group DOES have two eyes. Look again. The left one has just one point and the right one has been poked in the eye by B, but to no avail, as others have said.

Ok thank you alot
I understand it better now!

Ike, as others explained, White is alive with one eye at (a) and the second eye at the greyed area, including the dead stone:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ O . . . . . O . . X X O X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X . X O . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . . X O . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X X O X X X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X O O O X O . . |
$$ . . . . X X X O X X X O O X X . |
$$ X X . X X O O O X . X O O O X . |
$$ O X X O O O ? O O X X O X X . . |
$$ . . X O a O B ? O X O O O X . . |
$$ . X . X O O ? O O O O . X X . . |
$$ ---------------------------------[/go]

Wow, nice! Thx for all the explations
Can i ask you how to make such graphics?
Edit: Is the code implemented in the forum?

Click the "quote" button on EdLee's post and you will see the code.

And here is a post about how to make diagrams here on the site.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=226



BTW, has anyone mentioned that in your picture, white does in fact have two eyes? (We're so glad to see a question we can answer).

Black failed to take into account the eye at "a". If not for that eye, then yes, Black could kill white (I think).

EdLee wrote:Ike, as others explained, White is alive with one eye at (a) and the second eye at the greyed area, including the dead stone:

$$
$$ O . . . . . O . . X X O X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X . X O . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . . X O . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X X O X X X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X O O O X O . . |
$$ . . . . X X X O X X X O O X X . |
$$ X X . X X O O O X . X O O O X . |
$$ O X X O O O ? O O X X O X X . . |
$$ . . X O a O B ? O X O O O X . . |
$$ . X . X O O ? O O O O . X X . . |
$$ ---------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ O . . . . . O . . X X O X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X . X O . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . . X O . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X X O X X X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X O O O X O . . |
$$ . . . . X X X O X X X O O X X . |
$$ X X . X X O O O X . X O O O X . |
$$ O X X O O O ? O O X X O X X . . |
$$ . . X O a O B ? O X O O O X . . |
$$ . X . X O O ? O O O O . X X . . |
$$ ---------------------------------[/go]

tynan wrote:Black failed to take into account the eye at "a". If not for that eye, then yes, Black could kill white (I think).

Yes, that shape with that black stone in the middle is a dead shape. There's no way to make two eyes from that eye space after black plays in the centre.

Next to some members' names I see the phrases "lives in gote" "lives in sente", "dies in gote", etc. What is the difference between sente and gote?

Sente is a move which takes/holds the initiative, requires the opponent to respond, or however you prefer to put it (or can cause damage to your opponent if they tenuki), while gote is the opposite.

In this context though I think it's just the number of posts you've made

PeterN

So, a move which solidifies an area with 2 eyes while not attacking, is considered "living in gote".

Yup, that'd be one example

PeterN