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$$ | . . X X X X X . . .
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This position is being presented as white being alive.

White cannot safely kill the inner black group (after doing so, black would play where marked to prevent white from having 2 eyes). But without killing black, white cannot live through forming 2 eyes.

Similarly, black cannot kill white, as any attempt to do so would give white a bent-4 and so miai to form 2 eyes on his next move. Neither can black live of course.

This sounds like stalemate to me. Neither side can do anything. Why is it being given to white?

Rather confused .

_________________
Regards,

Peter

In seki both sides live.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
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— Winona Adkins

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Everything with love. Stay safe.

I think I get it. White is alive, but in seki.

My book is asking for the status of various groups. 3 puzzles previously, it said the status was "White is alive in seki". Here, it just says "White is alive". I took that to mean that white is alive, black is dead, and white gets the points. I guess "Seki" would have been a better description of the status?

_________________
Regards,

Peter

There is no 'but'. In the context of being alive, white is alive and in seki. Both parts are right, but the latter gives more information than the former.



The standard distinction is between being alive (via two eyes or seki or I suppose some of the wacky things allowed by some rulesets) or being dead. Perhaps the book was simply giving some extra information in the previous problem? Regardless, in a problem like 'white to live', seki is a perfectly good answer unless perhaps there's a better one available.

So no, conventionally seki would not be a 'better' description of the status but simply a more specific one. 'Alive' is fully correct under normal usage.

Of course in the end this is all semantics. Some books/problems tend to always be more specific and specify seki as a goal, whilst others just say alive/dead. On the other hand, 'alive' rarely if ever means that seki is not acceptable - it's a type of life.

OK thanks.

The extent of the question was "Status?", and the answer was "White is alive." No mention of seki, and no mention of black's status. It was enough to confuse me.

_________________
Regards,

Peter

Is that possibly the "Life and Death" book from James Davies? I remember that I had similar confusion at the beginning and also the position looks somewhat familiar...

That's right, yes.

_________________
Regards,

Peter