Do you like curious positions (which will never happen in real game)? After a lot of effort I managed to build the following very strange one:
Assume area counting.
What is the best move?
Curious position
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Gérard TAILLE
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EricBackus
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Re: Curious position
I must be missing something, but here's my attempt:Gérard TAILLE wrote:Assume area counting.
What is the best move?
If black plays at the 1-1 point in the lower right, the lower right is seki. Result: B+5.
If black plays at the 1-2 point to start the ko, then white immediately captures the ko. Black has no ko threats, so whatever black plays, white resolves the ko, living in the lower right. Result: W+5.
If black passes, and white plays at the 1-1 point to start the ko, black immediately captures the ko. White has no ko threats, so whatever white plays, black resolves the ko, capturing the lower right. Result: B+25.
If black passes, and white passes, the rules might say that this ends the game. Result: B+4.
If black passes, and white passes, and the rules don't say that this ends the game. Then black will still play 1-1 in the lower right, to increase his score by one. Result: B+5.
If you assume white will play optimally in all cases, black's best play is the 1-1 point in the lower right to make seki, resulting in B+5. If you assume that white is fallible and might make a mistake, and if the komi at least 5.5 so that black would lose with that just a seki, then maybe black's best play is to pass and hope that white makes the mistake of starting the ko.
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
Fine analysis EricBackus.EricBackus wrote:...Gérard TAILLE wrote:Assume area counting.
What is the best move?
If black passes, and white passes, the rules might say that this ends the game. Result: B+4.
...
Are you sure of your count when black and whites passes?
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EricBackus
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Re: Curious position
No. I wasn't sure yesterday when I posted, and I'm even less sure now that you asked.Gérard TAILLE wrote: Are you sure of your count when black and whites passes?
Seems like it would depend on the exact rules used?
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
Maybe I am wrong but my count for the initial position is the following:EricBackus wrote:No. I wasn't sure yesterday when I posted, and I'm even less sure now that you asked.Gérard TAILLE wrote: Are you sure of your count when black and whites passes?
Seems like it would depend on the exact rules used?
black : 38 stones + 2 points for territory = 40 points
white : 32 stones + 2 points for territory = 34 points
=>B+6
Do you agree?
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
BTW EricBackus, did you also analyse a first black move in the upperright corner or a first white move in the left corner?
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Knotwilg
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Re: Curious position
I have looked at this position and it has baffled me. Unless there is something very tricky in the rules like White can claim neutral points in the lower right which Black can't, I don't see the point of the problem.
Also the upper left and right seem irrelevant. Black is dead in the upper left and White is dead in the upper right. Either the author of the problem or me are missing something.
From your last post you seem to suggest the upper corners are seki?
Also the upper left and right seem irrelevant. Black is dead in the upper left and White is dead in the upper right. Either the author of the problem or me are missing something.
From your last post you seem to suggest the upper corners are seki?
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EricBackus
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Re: Curious position
No. That is the count if you assume all stones on the board are alive. But the upper left black stones and the upper right white stones are unconditionally dead. At least, that's how they look to me.Gérard TAILLE wrote:Maybe I am wrong but my count for the initial position is the following:
black : 38 stones + 2 points for territory = 40 points
white : 32 stones + 2 points for territory = 34 points
=>B+6
Do you agree?
By my count:
black: 38 in main group including upper right corner, plus 3 in lower right seki = 41 points
white: 28 in main group including upper left corner, plus 9 in lower right seki = 37 points
=>B+4
I have to agree with Knotwilg, the upper left and right seem irrelevant. Maybe you meant to make them seki?
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
You say "Black is dead in the upper left and White is dead in the upper right." That is prefectly true in japanese rule due to the existence of the confirmation phase during which you can prove that.Knotwilg wrote:I have looked at this position and it has baffled me. Unless there is something very tricky in the rules like White can claim neutral points in the lower right which Black can't, I don't see the point of the problem.
Also the upper left and right seem irrelevant. Black is dead in the upper left and White is dead in the upper right. Either the author of the problem or me are missing something.
From your last post you seem to suggest the upper corners are seki?
But when you use area counting this confirmation phase does not exist. That means that, unless there is an agreement between the two players (in practice it is almost always the case), play must continue until the "potential dead" stones become effectively captured stones.
That is the point : if for example white plays in the upper left corner in order to effectively capture the black stones then white gives a ko threat to black and this ko threat can be use for the potential ko fight in the lower right corner.
If my interpretation is correct it is a very strange seki isn't it?
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HermanHiddema
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
yes Herman, on this link you can find a position like the following: White cannot play in the upper left corner without giving a good ko threat for black => sekiHermanHiddema wrote:An application of https://senseis.xmp.net/?UnremovableKo#toc3
What is new in my position? Here neither white nor black can kill the potential dead opponent group (the black group in the upper left corner or the white group in the upper right corner) to reach a better score than the seki. Did somebody already see such situation? For me this point is quite curious and strange.
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kvasir
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Re: Curious position
How is it strange? Neither player can benefit from starting the ko, right?
If black tries then white just passes for
and black gets the last dame with 
(if he remembers to play dame).
Does something different happen?
If black tries then white just passes for
and black gets the last dame with (if he remembers to play dame).Does something different happen?
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
It seems to me that the white pass (move 2) and black 3 are not good moves.kvasir wrote:How is it strange? Neither player can benefit from starting the ko, right?
If black tries then white just passes for
Does something different happen?
Let's take black 3. It seems better to play so that white cannot still kill the upper left corner due to the potential ko in the lower left corner
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kvasir
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Re: Curious position
OK, I think I see what you mean.
Probably the continuation is not like this either, it is too many branches for me, it is also same result (right?) as if black plays the 1-1 point to begin with
Probably the continuation is not like this either, it is too many branches for me, it is also same result (right?) as if black plays the 1-1 point to begin with
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Gérard TAILLE
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Re: Curious position
Correct sequence Kvasir.kvasir wrote:OK, I think I see what you mean.
Probably the continuation is not like this either, it is too many branches for me, it is also same result (right?) as if black plays the 1-1 point to begin with
In addition you can verify that white can also choose the following