Mike Novack wrote:
Not exactly. In "varvar" if white plays 3 tenuki, black plays 4 at "R3" (the letters are shifted) and then that group is unconditionally alive. Meaning that there is no hurry to capture the corner because the "O6" dragon has LOTS of liberties.
So play continues elsewhere until just dame left or the dragon's liberties have been reduced to the danger point. So white does not get all those tenukis you described, just the tenuki of 3 and sente. By the time black has to use moves to capture the corner, what you have as 9, 11, and 13 become valueless dame plays (and 5 was just white having sente after black 4)
One of the problems with the problem is that you are right, IF AND ONLY IF Black plays a perfect game.
However, if Black ever loses a move in the main semeai between his large group in the upper right and White's group at the left edge, he will lose the game by a large margin.
Please note that in this very special case of the main semeai getting two eyes with the move at "R3" also loses a move unnecessarily.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Joachim Meinhardt's oki at "R3" (aka O3) -- that destroyed the classical solution to the problem -- has a similar characteristic.
This move is of NO use during several potential semeai between Black's large group in the upper right and White's group at the LOWER edge (then with only one eye) in the first half of the game. It also loses a move during these subvariations, and so should not be played.
But with the correct solution sequence, the situation towards the end of the main semeai will change, and this oki becomes the game winner for White.
Please also note that none of the seemingly "dame" plays is "valueless" then.

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The really most difficult Go problem ever:
https://igohatsuyoron120.de/index.htmIgo Hatsuyōron #120 (really solved by KataGo)