Which special situations have you encountered in your games?

General conversations about Go belong here.
Post Reply

Which of these special situations have you encountered in your own games?

Two Stone Corner Squeeze
21
11%
Two Stone Edge Squeeze
21
11%
Bent Four in the Corner
29
15%
Under the Stones
19
10%
Golden Chicken Standing on One Leg
17
9%
Crane's Nest Tesuji
26
13%
Patting the Raccoon's Belly
7
4%
Two-headed Dragon
5
3%
Double Snapback
9
5%
Double Ladder Breaker
7
4%
Double Ko
24
12%
Triple Ko
7
4%
Eternal life
3
2%
Other Long Cycle
1
1%
Other... (explain in comments)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 197

User avatar
HermanHiddema
Gosei
Posts: 2011
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:08 am
Rank: Dutch 4D
GD Posts: 645
Universal go server handle: herminator
Location: Groningen, NL
Has thanked: 202 times
Been thanked: 1086 times

Which special situations have you encountered in your games?

Post by HermanHiddema »

Here's a list of 14 famous or unusual tesujis and situations. Which of these have you actually encountered in your own games?

In all cases, only choose something if it was relevant. E.g. choose double ko only if it was "double ko death", "double ko life" or "double ko seki". Just having a group with two kos doesn't count. Similarly, choose triple ko only if it was a (potential) infinite cycle, not just three kos.

If you encountered something on the board which is not in the list, please check other ans explain in a post (e.g. T Mark Hall's molasses ko would be a good example)

In all cases, if you don't know what it is, you can find it on Sensei's Library. :)

Game records welcome, of course!
User avatar
HermanHiddema
Gosei
Posts: 2011
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:08 am
Rank: Dutch 4D
GD Posts: 645
Universal go server handle: herminator
Location: Groningen, NL
Has thanked: 202 times
Been thanked: 1086 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by HermanHiddema »

So, to get things going:

Here's a game where a huge group dies in double ko at move 179 (giving an unlimited supply of ko threats):



And here's one which has a fully played out two stone edge squeeze (moves 72-92):

Bill Spight
Honinbo
Posts: 10905
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:24 pm
Has thanked: 3651 times
Been thanked: 3373 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by Bill Spight »

Does avoidance count? :)

I remember a game where I tried to engineer a triple ko, but my opponent successfully avoided it. I have sometimes seen the Crane's Nest, but much more often it is avoided. The same goes for Bent Four.
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.
illluck
Lives in sente
Posts: 1223
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:07 am
Rank: OGS 2d
GD Posts: 0
KGS: illluck
Tygem: Trickprey
OGS: illluck
Has thanked: 736 times
Been thanked: 239 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by illluck »

Other comment: I got full board seki once on a 9 by 9.

http://www.online-go.com/games/board.php?boardID=90309

I ruined it with b3, though :(

Edit: p.s. speaking of avoidance, what about playing yellow oriole catches the butterfly when the normal block of the hane worked (i.e. purposely playing a certain move to get into a special situation when other moves will suffice)?
Uberdude
Judan
Posts: 6727
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:35 am
Rank: UK 4 dan
GD Posts: 0
KGS: Uberdude 4d
OGS: Uberdude 7d
Location: Cambridge, UK
Has thanked: 436 times
Been thanked: 3718 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by Uberdude »

illluck wrote:Edit: p.s. speaking of avoidance, what about playing yellow oriole catches the butterfly when the normal block of the hane worked (i.e. purposely playing a certain move to get into a special situation when other moves will suffice)?


I have done that, with that exact tesuji, twice in tournament games and both times blocking was better :D

Move 48 in the sgf below:

Attachments
2 - SinVoon Chin.sgf
(3.74 KiB) Downloaded 698 times
User avatar
HermanHiddema
Gosei
Posts: 2011
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:08 am
Rank: Dutch 4D
GD Posts: 645
Universal go server handle: herminator
Location: Groningen, NL
Has thanked: 202 times
Been thanked: 1086 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by HermanHiddema »

Bill Spight wrote:Does avoidance count? :)

I remember a game where I tried to engineer a triple ko, but my opponent successfully avoided it. I have sometimes seen the Crane's Nest, but much more often it is avoided. The same goes for Bent Four.


I guess that stronger players will encounter some of these things less often, because they see them coming early and avoid them.

Still, I would prefer to see game records with these positions rather than with positions where the could have happened, had they not been avoided :)
User avatar
HermanHiddema
Gosei
Posts: 2011
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:08 am
Rank: Dutch 4D
GD Posts: 645
Universal go server handle: herminator
Location: Groningen, NL
Has thanked: 202 times
Been thanked: 1086 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by HermanHiddema »

I am rather amazed at the number of people that have encountered under the stones. I encountered it recently as part of a ko threat (so it wasn't even played) and both me and my 4d opponent remarked how rare it is. I cannot recall another instance in 17 years of play.
Falcord
Dies in gote
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:12 am
Rank: KGS 5 kyu
GD Posts: 0
KGS: Neuron
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by Falcord »

I won against someone two stones stronger at my local Go club, thanks to a Golden Chicken. I didn't know it was called that way, now I'm happy I managed to conjure a mythical beast!

It was one hell of a fight. He had killed a big group on the side. Thankfully, I had a small living invasion on the nearby corner which had left some aji, and I managed to force my way through it until I made ends meet. He tried to keep them separate but there was the Chicken to stop him from cutting me... Wish I had the Kifu.

Unfortunately, and even though all of this was deliberate, his conclusion was "I played terribly, how did I screw up so bad" which made me feel a little sad because I thought I was the one who played well, but what can I say =P.
Bill Spight
Honinbo
Posts: 10905
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:24 pm
Has thanked: 3651 times
Been thanked: 3373 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by Bill Spight »

HermanHiddema wrote:I am rather amazed at the number of people that have encountered under the stones. I encountered it recently as part of a ko threat (so it wasn't even played) and both me and my 4d opponent remarked how rare it is. I cannot recall another instance in 17 years of play.


Every nakade is under the stones. :) Even a snapback may be considered under the stones, eh?
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.
User avatar
HermanHiddema
Gosei
Posts: 2011
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:08 am
Rank: Dutch 4D
GD Posts: 645
Universal go server handle: herminator
Location: Groningen, NL
Has thanked: 202 times
Been thanked: 1086 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by HermanHiddema »

Bill Spight wrote:
HermanHiddema wrote:I am rather amazed at the number of people that have encountered under the stones. I encountered it recently as part of a ko threat (so it wasn't even played) and both me and my 4d opponent remarked how rare it is. I cannot recall another instance in 17 years of play.


Every nakade is under the stones. :) Even a snapback may be considered under the stones, eh?


Technically, perhaps, though I meant it in the more narrow sense that is generally used.

Example from a recent game:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$B
$$ +----------------------
$$ . . . . O X . X X O O .
$$ O . O 1 . . O . X X O .
$$ . . O X X X X X O O O .
$$ . . O O O O O O . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . .[/go]


My opponent almost missed that :b1: is a valid ko threat:

If :w2: tenuki:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$B :b7: at :bc:
$$ +----------------------
$$ . . . 3 O X 6 X X O O .
$$ O . O X . 5 O 4 B X O .
$$ . . O X X X X X O O O .
$$ . . O O O O O O . . . .
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . .[/go]


Under the stones.
Uberdude
Judan
Posts: 6727
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:35 am
Rank: UK 4 dan
GD Posts: 0
KGS: Uberdude 4d
OGS: Uberdude 7d
Location: Cambridge, UK
Has thanked: 436 times
Been thanked: 3718 times

Re: Which special situations have you encountered in your ga

Post by Uberdude »

A double snapback won me this close game:

http://www.online-go.com/games/board.php?boardID=271713

My opponent read all the way to the double snapback and resigned so I didn't have the pleasure of playing it out :cry:. If you want help finding it see diagram 8 of viewtopic.php?p=86475#p86475 .

I'm not sure if this one (from http://www.online-go.com/games/board.php?boardID=271718) counts as a golden chicken standing on one leg as the last move wasn't a descent to the 1st line (but then neither is the 3rd example on SL) but the same idea of the double damezumari meant black couldn't live by playing at t11 (in fact it rather hilariously dies in gote!).

Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm68
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | X . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O X . X . O . . . X . O O O O O . |
$$ | . O O O . . . . . , . . X X O X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . X . O . . . . . O X X . X X |
$$ | . . O . O X . . . . . X . O O X O O O |
$$ | . . . . . X . O . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . X . O O X . X |
$$ | . . . O . X . O . . . . . . . . O X 2 |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . X . O . O 1 |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . O . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]


I also once killed a group by double ko (due to opponent's mistake) and then promptly ignored her real ko threat to resolve the ko and kill the already dead group!
Post Reply