Showing posts tagged: sunday-problem
Sunday Problem #21
Since we got started on the topic of whole-board endgame problems with Sunday Problem #20, here is another one.
This problem is from another Japanese problem book with an untranslatable name: 勝つヨセの絶妙な手順 (Katsu-yose no zetsumyō na tejun) by Mitsunaga Junzō 6p. A rough English translation would be Exquisite game-winning move orders in the endgame – feel free …
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 …
Sunday Problem #19
The carpenter’s square or ichigō-masu (一合升, meaning a small wooden container with a volume of 0.1804 litres) is one of the more dreaded tsumego shapes, especially by kyū players, which makes it an excellent topic for a Sunday Problem.
Should Black go for the carpenter’s square, or is there a better option available?
Black to play.
Solution
Sunday Problem #18
This shape appeared in one of Oscar’s games.
Black’s task, of course, is to live, but there are several ways to do so. The real problem is in finding the best way to live.
Black to play.
Solution
Even when the task is to live, you want to live with as much territory as possible. Therefore, in …
Sunday Problem #17
This problem is also from Xuanxuan Qijing, or ‘The Gateway to All Marvels’. This problem is titled 野狐箭, or the ‘Fox-Catching Arrow’, apparently because the shape ‘looks like the arrow’s head’ – personally, however, I fail to see the resemblance.
While its name may be dubious, the problem itself is one of the most ingenious I have seen.
Black …
Sunday Problem #16
This problem is from Xuanxuan Qijing, a Chinese tsumego collection classic from the 14th century; its English translation is named ‘Gateway to All Marvels’. This collection, along with Gokyō Shumyō, forms a set of tsumego books that all aspiring professional players learn by heart.
All problems in Xuanxuan Qijing have a title; this problem is called 老僧入定 or ‘An Old …
Sunday Problem #15
This problem is from a classic tsumego collection by Hon’inbō Shūsai called 死活妙機 or Shikatsu Myōki. This name is notoriously difficult to translate into English: while shikatsu means life-and-death, myōki is a Buddhist term referring to excellent adhering to Buddhist teachings. Presumably this is meant in the sense that ‘if you manage to solve all these problems, your reading will …
Sunday Problem #14
This problem is from my recent teaching game against Daniel Hu 5d in the bga Strong Player Development Programme. A review of the teaching game can be watched here.
Black to play.
Solution
Black’s hane of combined with the placement of 3 is a strong combination – however, Black has to be wary of White’s resistance …
Sunday Problem #13
This problem is from the Japanese tsumego collection, 秀行創作詰碁傑作集 or ‘Collection of Shūkō’s tsumego masterpieces’ by Fujisawa Hideyuki (whose first name can also be read as ‘Shūkō’).
I have received some feedback that the Sunday problems have been too difficult, so this week I tried to pick a slightly easier problem. Still, in my opinion it is not fun if …
Sunday Problem #12
This problem is from another of my favorite tsumego collections, 傑作詰碁辞典 or ‘Collection of tsumego masterpieces’ by Sekiyama Riichi, Sekiyama Toshio, and Sekiyama Toshimichi.
Sekiyama Riichi is famous for winning the first Hon’inbō tournament in 1941; Sekiyama Toshio is his son; and Sekiyama Toshimichi is Toshio’s son. As a fun trivia, the ‘Ri’ in Riichi is written with the same …
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