Life In 19x19

To "win" this tsumego, a relatively simple tesuji needs to be seen. It would probably be classified as about a 7k problem. However, it is a tesuji that I really battle to see (I doubt I would find it in a game). Does anyone else have any blind spots like this? Any advice for dealing with it?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black to kill
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . X X X . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O O X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . O X . . . |
$$ | X O . . O O X . . . |
$$ | X O . X . O X . . . |
$$ | . . O O O X X . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]

I have the exact same blindspot, but i'm working on it.

Well, if you were weaker than me (which you're not, obviously), I would try to break it down into three things:

(i) Do you see that once you cut the group, it doesn't share liberties any more?
(ii) Do you see the tell-tale signs of shortage of liberties? (the false eye at b1, for example)
(iii) Are you reading past the atari?

Now, clearly you do see and do all these things, but when you say that "this tesuji" troubles you, I assume it must be one of those things that defines the class of tesuji you have trouble spotting.

Personally I have a ton of trouble with tesujis like the cross-cut tesuji, where multiple stones are in atari at the same time. I'm also really bad at spotting killing moves that aren't the eye-stealing tesuji, when there is an eye-stealing move that doesn't work... it's like staring at the sun...

I like this type of tesuji. In fact, this type of shape is really one of my favorites.

Regarding a solution, the solution is to just do more problems. It'll particularly help if the problems you do include this type of a shape.

Blind spots, the bane of my existence.
I have a 9d friend who keeps telling me that the only way to get over this is just to plow through as many life and death problems in as many situations as you can. After all, he says, how can you see it easily if you've never seen it before?

It also explains why he was able to solve a problem in 30 seconds that I spent an hour staring at.

A few other people left some insight at this related post I did a long time ago.
http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3677

Under-the-stone for the longest time. Nowadays, it's usually anything involving dead fragments:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black to live
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . , O O O . O . O .
$$ | O O O X X X X O . O .
$$ | O X X . . . . X X O .
$$ | . O . X . . O . O . .
$$ ---------------------[/go]