i am doing the connect and cut pack on go child (entrance > basic 900 > connect and cut) and have realized i am woefully inept at this concept, so much so that i've gotten to a point in the problems (22 and on) where i literally have no idea what i am supposed to be doing to solve it, where the problem is, etc etc. i don't know how else to describe it other than the only way i've been able to get solutions is to click all over the board in a purely random attempt at trial and error because i am so clueless that i don't even know where to begin to think when it comes to these problems. for example in problem 33 i don't see whats wrong with f5. in #34 g6 confuses me, etc. i just feel like, this must be a huge weak spot of mine especially if this is in the entrance > basic pack. i didn't struggle at all with capture and capturing and everything i sampled in the entrance > entrance pack was super easy.

i am wondering what i can do to learn up on whatever im not getting about this type of problem.

I found the connect and cut pack particularly difficult. It was one of those "fundamentals" that I was really lacking.

In problems like #33 the point of the problem is to find the *best* move to protect the cutting point. A possible solution is a move that will enable you to capture a cutting stone with a forced sequence. You need to look at all such moves and then choose.

In #33 you mentioned F5.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ |-----------------|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. . . . . . x . . |
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. X X X X 1 . . . |
$$ |. O O O O X . . . |
$$ |. O , O X X , . . |
$$ |. O . O . . . . . |
$$ |. . O . . . . . . |
$$ |-----------------|[/go]

This works but its disadvantage is that it's not efficient. A stone at F5 stops the cut but does nothing else. In particular it is the least helpful connection in the event that White plays in the upper right corner, at x for example.

We can protect the cut by backing away from the cutting point one space: the tiger's mouth.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ |-----------------|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. . . . . . , . . |
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. X X X X . 1 . . |
$$ |. O O O O X . . . |
$$ |. O , O X X , . . |
$$ |. O . O . . . . . |
$$ |. . O . . . . . . |
$$ |-----------------|[/go]

This also protects the cut, but its weakness is that it allows a peep:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ |-----------------|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. . . . . . . . . |
$$ |. . . . . . , . . |
$$ |. . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ |. X X X X 3 1 . . |
$$ |. O O O O X . . . |
$$ |. O , O X X , . . |
$$ |. O . O . . . . . |
$$ |. . O . . . . . . |
$$ |-----------------|[/go]

The exchange helps white. On this board white will be able to use the stone and make life in the upper right. Generally speaking, the tiger's mouth is the wrong solution when this exchange is bad for black.


The correct solution is:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ |-----------------|
$$ |. . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . 9 . 7 5 , . .|
$$ |. . . 8 6 4 1 . .|
$$ |. X X X X 2 3 . .|
$$ |. O O O O X . . .|
$$ |. O , O X X , . .|
$$ |. O . O . . . . .|
$$ |. . O . . . . . .|
$$ |-----------------|[/go]

With you can always capture a cutting stone with the sequence. is doing double duty because it's also occupying a useful point.