Sunday Problem #3

Published 21 Jun 2020 by antti (last edited 3 Sep 2020)

tags: sunday-problem

This is a famous tesuji problem.

If you can see the correct move at first glance, you have done your homework well! On the other hand, if you don’t, this can be a difficult nut to crack.

Black to play.

Solution

Initially, a and b look like miai: Black can either save her four stones with a and let White live with b, or else Black can try to go for a capturing race with b but get captured by white a.
The wedge of black 1 is a brilliant tesuji that solves both problems: now White a loses the capturing race and b is not enough to form two eyes.