Sunday Problem #20
This is a whole-board endgame problem from Ōhashi Hirofumi 6p’s book, 爽快！勝ち筋探し (Sōkai! Kachisuji-sagashi) or Refreshing! Searching for the winning play.
If the title sounds strange in English, it is because sōkai does not translate very well; ‘refreshing’ or ‘invigorating’ are technically correct translations, but Western go players would rarely use them for the feeling of relief one gets when finally solving a tricky problem. And, somehow, it seems like ‘relieving’ would hardly make for a good problem book title in the West.
No komi or captures, Black to play. What is the best outcome for both players?
Solution
Black’s diagonal attachment of 1 is certainly a tempting move, but if Black starts from capturing the white stones here, Black finds she cannot win the game. After white 6 and black 7, the game results in a draw. (With captures included, both players have 22 points.)
Comments (1)
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Recent comments
Solution added.
My wife came up with another interesting translation choice for ‘sōkai’: cathartic (as in catharsis-inducing). ‘Cathartic tsumego’ would not only sound totally out of place, but also allude to something very different (as in cathartic medicine), which almost makes me want to use it as a joke book title.