:: Igo Hatsuyôron 120 (2021)

Variations of Our Solution (IIIb)

No Early Kikashi

VAR (.3) (.1)

: ( 649af)
White plays the wedge in the left centre.

:
Black gives atari from the outside.

:
We play Dany's atekomi immediately here, without exchanging for beforehand.

: (C 649ah)
Black gives atari at White's just played stone.

Black does not have any chance to win Dany's Ko, so he might consider simplifying the issue by connecting at , instead.
However, not fighting the ko will cost Black one point in the Semeai Variation.

:
The ko fight begins.

:
Now, White can use this atari in the left centre as a ko threat.

:
Black must connect his two stones.

:
White is forced to capture the nakade.


Ko:

:
White's move in the lower left corner is absolute sente, threatening to kill Black's entire group at the left by continuing with .

:
Black has no other choice but to connect.

:
White continues with the usual sequence at the left edge, ...

:
... before connecting her single stone at the upper edge.

:

KataGo does not use the push at the top as a ko threat, ...

:
... but as a reduction of White's territory only, and terminates the ko fight just now. Black will be unable to win it anyway.

Please note that KataGo favoured a move at , instead, but this choice would benefit White by one point in the Semeai Variation, as she would be able to wedge in at in the right centre then.
KataGo simply doesn't care.

:
White must connect the ko - sooner or later.

:
The Main Semeai continues.

Black plays 2/3 reductions.

If he played a third one, the scores of the Main Variations would be interchanged.

Before the end of the game, Black will have to capture at .

Capture Variation:

Compared to the superordinate variation ...

  • Black did not capture White's single stone at the upper edge, so losing one point.
  • White got an additional two points of territory at the upper edge.
  • White did not get any territory in the left centre, so losing two points.
  • Black got an additional point of territory in the right centre.
  • White destroyed one point of Black's territory in the upper left corner.

In total, gains and losses compensate for each other.

White + 2 => White + 2

Semeai Variation:

Compared to the superordinate variation ...

  • Black did not capture White's single stone at the upper edge, so losing one point.
  • White got an additional two points of territory at the upper edge.
  • White did not get any territory in the left centre, so losing two points.
  • White captured an additional Black stone in the right centre, but lost two points of territory there, so the net effect is zero.

In total, White gained one point.

Jigo => White + 1

Copyright © 2021 Thomas Redecker.

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