: ( 648cx)
Black erases his weakness (shortage of liberties) at the left by connecting his two stones at the edge.

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White does not connect the ko in the centre with , but plays her forcing move in the lower left corner first (which loses one tempo in the Main Semeai), and ...

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... prevents Black's kikashi in the hanezeki to be used as a ko threat by occupying that point herself.

Blocking at at the top, instead, would revert to the superordinate variation, achieving the same final scores as here.

Connecting her single stone at the upper edge with , however, would be mistaken, as is shown in a subvariation below ( 648ew).

; :
Black's remaining moves at the upper side are miai.

White is comfortably ahead in ko threats, so Black does not really want to continue with the ko fight by recapturing with .

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Black occupies one of White's approach-move liberties in the left centre.

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Both sides connect one ko each.

Black plays 2/3 reductions.

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Additionally, Black plays his gote kikashi in the hanezeki here, instead of another reducing move in the upper right corner.

Had White played her kikashi , in the hanezeki before, Black would reduce with , for example, instead of connecting at (i.e. 1/3 reductions), achieving the same final scores as here. White's kikashi loses one point in the Capture Variation, but gains one point in the Semeai Variation, so it has the same effect as one of Black's "territory-reducing" (in the Capture Variation) moves.

As usual, Black will have to capture at in the lower left corner (after , ).

Capture Variation:

Compared to the superordinate variation ...

• Black destroyed one point of White's territory at the top.
• White gained one point of territory in the top right corner.

In total, gains and losses compensate for each other.

White + 1 => White + 1

Semeai Variation:

Compared to the superordinate variation ...

• Black destroyed one point of White's territory at the top.
• In the upper right corner, White captured one Black stone less, so Black gained one point here.
• White captured an additional Black stone above the hanezeki, so gaining two points.

In total, gains and losses compensate for each other.

White + 1 => White + 1