Showing posts tagged: sunday-problem


Sunday Problem #61

This is a classic corner problem.

Black to play.

Solution
Solution (1)
The diagonal move of black 1 is a tesuji in this shape. If White resists with 2, Black cuts the white shape with 3–6 and finally wins a local capturing race with 7.
Solution (2)
White’s connection of 2 here is an alternate resistance, but it fails to Black’s 3–7. In both solution diagrams, black 1 is a key point for the local capturing race.

Sunday Problem #60

This problem is based on a shape that appeared in a recent ngd league game between Sanderbaduk and irglbriz; July league subscribers can view the game here.

Black to play.

Solution
The start
Black cannot form two eyes locally, so she has to depend on White’s outer shape problems. 1–2 is a useful preparation, after which black 3 attempts …

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Sunday Problem #59

This is a classic life-and-death problem which most readers are probably familiar with. From an endgame point of view, however, the status of the resulting corner shape is quite interesting and worth thinking about.

Black to play.

‘Solution’
Black’s failure
Most people know the attachment of black 1, here, but the follow-up with 3 and 5 is wrong: White lives …

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Sunday Problem #58

This is a classic tesuji problem.

Black to play.

Solution
Solution
Because the black stones to the right only have three liberties, the wedge of 1 is the only possible starting move. After white 2, black 3 quickly starts reducing the white stones’ liberties, and, after 7, White is unable to save all of his stones.
White’s resistance
White has …

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Sunday Problem #57

This is a classic tsumego that sharp-eyed readers may remember from Hikaru no Go.

Black to play.

Solution
Solution
Black 1 is the correct starting move; most other killing attempts fail to White playing at 1. Following, after white 2, 3–5 strictly reduce White to one eye.
If white tries 5 instead of 2, then black 4 kills.

Sunday Problem #56

This is a tricky problem that featured in the recent Go JAM. I cannot quite remember the origin of this problem; I vaguely recall seeing this in one of Go Seigen’s tsumego collections, but could not quickly find it again.

Black to play.

Solution
First idea
The attachment of 1 is probably the first move that comes to mind, but …

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Sunday Problem #55

This is a classic problem whose simplified version can for example be found in the Gokyō Shumyō.

This shape can arise from a relatively common corner jōseki where a player invades the opponent’s star-point keima enclosure.

Black to play.

This is the origin of the shape. The triangle-marked stones have been added to prevent Black from getting outer sente moves …

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Sunday Problem #54

This problem is from the Korean tsumego connection , known in Japan as Tenryūzu. The name might be translated into English as ‘Sky Dragon Diagrams’. Most of the problems in the collection are notoriously difficult, making it good practice material for aspiring professional players.

For this Sunday Problem, I tried to pick a relatively easier problem from the …

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Sunday Problem #53

This is an original problem based on a shape that appeared in the yosai v. nussbrot league game.

Technically, this should be called an endgame problem.

Black to play.

Solution
Failure (1)
If Black simply captures one stone with 1, White forces 2–3 in sente, then lives in the corner with 4–6.
Failure (2)
Sometimes, an attachment such as …

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Sunday Problem #52

Celebrating one year of Sunday Problems!

This problem is from Kōno Rin 9p’s Twitter.

Black to play.

Solution
Solution (1)
If White gets to play at 1, no combination of two black moves can kill his group, and so we can quickly figure out that black 1 is the only possible starting move.
If White challenges Black with 2, …

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