tesuji and antisuji of go

Tesuji and Anti-suji ofGo

Playing in Good Form andMaking Correct Shape

By Sakata Eio, Honorary Honinbo

Published byYutopian Enterprises

2255 29th StreetSanta Monica, CA 90405

1-800-YUTOGO-3yutopian netcom.com

http://www.best.com/~webwind/go/gostuff.html

Copyright 1995 in the U.S.A. by Yutopian Enterprises

All rights reserved according to international law. This book orany parts thereof may not be reproduced in any printed form, norstored in any electronic retrieval system, nor recorded in any othermedium without the written permission from the publishers,except for short excerpts as a part of a written review.

Originally published in Japanese by Ikeda Publishing Co.,Ltd. under the title of Go no Tesuji to Zokusuji.Translated by R.J. Terry.

Translator's notes are given within [ ] brackets.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"

1 Corint. 3:19, NIV

First printing December 1995

PREFACE

Tesuji [skillful finesse] are the star features of sectional fight-ing. If one does not understand how to use tesuji, one will be un-able to correctly combat an opponent in localized fighting. In thatsense, tesuji are the basic building blocks that teach us how to prop-erly hone our fighting skills.

In the final analysis, if one is a strong fighter, it is merelyproof that one has a good grasp of tesuji, and when a weaker playersuffers a drubbing at the hands of a better player, it is simply anindication of the gap in understanding of tesuji between the twoplayers.

The present work has virtually eliminated all of the complexand difficult aspects of the subject, clarifying matters that all playersencounter in their games, and touching upon a simplified examina-tion of tesuji.

However simplified it might be, though, the text concen-trates on the essential points in a concrete manner. From this per-spective, the aim has been to analyze the vibrant lifeblood of thestones. Throughout the volume, it should be apparent to the readerthat even in the cases of the most complicated and difficult tesuji, itis merely an extension of the simplified tesuji presented here.

December, 1967

Sakata Eio

Table of Contents

Preface 3Real Suji and Anti-suji of Go 7What is Suji? 9What is Tesuji? 11Tesuji and Anti-suji 17Mastering the Basics is Vital 19Model 1: The Suji of the Two-Step Hane 22Model 2: The Suji of the Connection Underneath 28Various Thoughts on the Suji of Connecting Underneath... 32Model 3: The Suji of the Diagonal Move 36Model 4: The Cutting Suji 44Model 5: The Suji of Striking Through a Knight's Move.... 48Model 6: The One Point Jump Suji 52Model 7: The Suji of Playing Atari for Atari 55Model 8: The Fencing-in Suji 59Model 9: The Connecting Suji 61Model 10: The Suji of Not Connecting 63Model 11: The Direction to Play Atari 65Model 12: The Capturing [Ponnuki] Suji 68Model 13: The Backtracking Suji 72Model 14: The Suji of Tiding Over a Crisis [Shinogi] 76Model 15: The Suji of Capturing the Right Way 80Model 16: The Wind Up and Capture Suji 82Model 17: The Suji of Extending Straight Up 85Model 18: The Squeezing Suji 87Model 19: The Ladder Suji 90Model 20: Attacking Suji 92Model 21: The Two-pronged Attack Suji 95Model 22: The Question of the Inevitability of Moves 98Model 23: The Real Move [Honte] 101Model 24: Tesuji 104Model 25: Cross-cut 109

Model 26: The Suji of Sealing the Oppo-nent In 112

Model 27: The Tower Poking Suji 117Model 28: The Defensive Suji 119Model 29: The Fancy Footwork [Sabaki] Suji 123Model 30: The Throw-in Suji 126Model 31: The Placement Suji 128Model 32: The Attachment Suji 130Model 33: The Single Cut Suji 132Model 34: The Killing Suji 134Model 35: The Belly Attachment Suji 137Model 36: The Race to Capture [Semeai] Suji 139Model 37: An Interesting Suji 144Model 38: The Pincer Attachment Suji 146Model 39: The Vital Point Suji 148Model 40: The 2-1 Point Suji 150Model 41: The Endgame Suji 152Model 42: The Ko Suji 156Model 43: The Suji of Playing Elsewhere 159Model 44: The Suji of Wringing Out Liberties 163Model 45: The Sacrifice Suji 165Model 46: An Exquisite Suji 168Model 47: The Hane and Cut Suji 170Model 48: The Hane Suji 172Model 49: The Empty Triangle Suji 174Model 50: Practical Application of Suji 176Model 51: Gen Gen Go Kyo 178Model 52: The Hollowing Out Suji 182Model 53: The Descending Move Suji 184Model 54: The Special Qualities of the Corner 187Model 55: The Double Threat Suji 191Model 56: The Suji of One Atari after Another 194Model 57: The Stone Monument Wrap-up Suji 196Model 58: Suji to Escape 199Model 59: The Niche Wedge Suji 201Model 60: The Suji to Add Liberties 203

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Model 61: The Suji of Wedging In 206Tesuji in Actual Game Positions (1) White to Play 208Tesuji in Actual Game Positions (2) Black to Play 212Tesuji in Actual Game Positions (3) Black to Play 216

Essays

One Day, All of a Sudden 43Taking Sente is not Always Best 79Tesuji and the Broad Picture 108Doubt 143Raised with Anti-suji 181Go Can Be Cold and Heartless 205

6

Real Suji and Anti-sujiof Go

Playing in Good Form andMaking Correct Shape

Translator's note: The hardest words to translate are not necessarily the mostdifficult ones. Often it is the simplest words with the widest applications thatpose the greatest problems. Suji is an example. The word suji has many mean-ings: a line in one's palm is a suji, as is a muscle or a sinew in one's limb; afiber in a plant is also a suji, as is a vein; one's bloodline is a suji, but a plot ofa play is also one; suji also means "reason" or the "point" of a person's actions.In all, the Kojien encyclopedic dictionary gives 14 different definitions of theword. So how is one to translate it?

Japanese go writers will often say something like: "This move is suji."That means that: "This move follows good form." And that is how the word isoften translated. But in a work that focuses directly on the concept, it has beenthought best here to retain the original terminology and simply devote moreattention to defining it precisely. We try whenever possible to use English equiva-lents for Japanese terms, but sometimes a more comprehensive approach maybe better. We welcome comments from readers.

Tesuji is a special case. Although it is an ordinary word (for, say, theline in the palm) it has a specialized use in Japanese as technical jargon in thegame of go. We usually translate this as "skillful finesse," but how would thatwork in the title of this book? "Skillful Finesse and Anti-finesse of Go" wouldbe awkward, unclear and also incorrect. There is a difference in the use of sujiand tesuji in Japanese go books, and we feel that the reader is best served bybeing informed of these differences.

Real Suji on the previous page is the translation of the word hon-suji.This term is related to the word honte, which is usually translated as "realmove," but the meaning is more like an honest-to-goodness, authentic, correctmove. So hon-suji means something like accurate, solidly correct form.

Finally, the word anti-suji is our translation of the word zoku-suji.This is related to the wordzoku-shu which we usually translate as "crude move."(In the past, others have translated it as "vulgar move," but that is simply amistaken translation. Zoku does not mean "vulgar." For instance, the wordzoku-go ["crude-word"] means "slang," not "profanity.") So zoku-suji refers toa line of play that is crude and antithetical to the demands of the position, oftendestroying the possibility of playing tesuji: in a word, anti-suji. Again, we feelit important to understanding the nuances of the text to retain some Japaneseterminology.

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoWhat is Suji?

The word suji is a technical term that is used quite often inthe game of go.

For example, the words tesuji, "incorrect suji" "unreason-able suji," and " p r e m a t u r e suji," etc., all incorporate the word, andall are often encountered. But of all these terms, only the wordtesuji is an orthodox one. The rest of them are merely "waywardsuji."

There are also situations in which the word suji is used byitself, and again, it is also used in conjunction with verbs, such as" c u t t i n g suji," " c o n n e c t i n g suji" or "squeezing suji." There is prac-tically infinite variety in the use of the word.

However, should one ask what in the world is meant by theterm suji, I would be somewhat stuck for an answer.

This everyday word, that one casually uses without eventhinking about it, suji, does not have a clear definition. Of course,this does not put a crimp in anyone's style, as there is no reason forthe word to be precisely defined.

The important thing is not what the word is or is not, but inwhat way it is used. In short, viewed from the vantage point of theworld of go, the important thing is how one makes life, and notknowing how to put the concept into words will not be an inconve-nience for anyone. In so saying, I recognize that in a book dealingintimately with suji, it would be strange if the term were not de-fined, so I will offer a general definition.

Suji is the line of play that the stones had best follow.In other words, the points that the stones are best played

upon, but this is much too rough or loose a definition, and also, willnot be proper in all cases.

For instance, when speaking about the opening, the wordsuji is practically never used. However, there is a proper line of playat that stage of the game that the stones must of necessity follow.Therefore, I wonder if it is not considered strange to try to invent adefinition for the word. I must certainly say that it seems strange tome.

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Diagram 1

But let's examine the word "fountainpen," or, no, how about the word "cup?" Canthe reader come up with an ideal definition ofthe word "cup?" In that sense, it is difficult todefine everything or every concept in verbalterms.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."Rather than getting caught up in long-

winded circumlocutions, the best way to quickly explain the con-cept of suji is to use a diagram, and I believe that method worksjust fine.

Diagram 1 (A knockout punch) When the black grouphere is hit at the vital point of white 1, it is suddenly dead.

This is a basic formation that should be familiar to every-one, and the long-and-short point of the matter is that white 1 issuji. If one wants to substitute vital point for suji in this situation, I

would have no objection.Diagram 2 (Speaking of shape) Conse-

quently, when black gets to make a move firstas in this diagram, playing at 1 allows the blackgroup to live.

In either case, it is obvious that the point of1 is the vital point, but in the latter situationblack 1 is not called suji, but rather, shape isthe expression that is used.

The point here is that even when the same vital point isoccupied, in situations where the move is a component in an attack,suji is the term used, while when it is a defensive move, shape is theproper expression.

In this manner, suji is shape, but it is also vital point, anddepending on the perspective of the situation it could also be de-scribed as an essential, commanding point. In other words, sincethere is an ambiguous character to the nature of suji in and of itself,it is perhaps inevitable that the definition of the term also be am-biguous, and that it prove impossible to define exactly in all situa-tions. That simply cannot be helped.

Diagram 2

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Diagram 3

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoWhat is Tesuji?

Let's next think about a definition ofthe word tesuji.

The word tesuji is a little different fromthe word suji.

Naturally, tesuji is a form of suji, but itis not merely one more variety of suji.

The discussion is bound to get somewhat complicated, buthere too, let's investigate the matter by way of a diagram.

Diagram 3 (A living group) In this diagram, black has playedthe marked stone, making the proper shape, and so, the black groupis alive.

No matter what technique white tries to use against thisblack group, white will be unable to kill it, but in terms of makingprofit in the endgame, there is one line of play [suji] that comes tomind.

Diagram 4 (Thetechnique [suji] of cutting)White throws in the cut at 1to see how black will re-spond.

This is actually asurprisingly effective move D i a g r a m 4 D i a g r a m 5in this situation.

Of course, there is no question whatsoever that this movethreatens to kill the black group, but considering the endgame profitto be gained later on, this is quite an effective move [suji].

Black cannot play elsewhere [tenuki].Diagram 5 (Profit) Either way that black answers with 2,

the situation is the same. In this diagram, white gets to atari at 3.Naturally, black will capture at 4, but even being able to

force this move in sente is profitable to white.If the reader has trouble understanding this point, please

examine the following diagrams and pursue the matter to your sat-isfaction.

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Diagram 6 Diagram 7

Diagram 6(The result) In short,this diagram showsthe ultimate result thatcan be anticipated inthis situation. Blackhanes with 1 and con-nects with 3 and fi-nally, after blocking at 5, black's territory in the corner is found tobe 6 points.

Please keep this diagram in mind while comparing it to thefollowing diagram.

Diagram 7 (A 4 point difference) Suppose that white ne-glects to throw in the cut at a. In the endgame there is a threat thatblack will get to play both the hane and connection at 1 & 3 and thesame process at 5 & 7 in sente.

The cut of white a is thereby no longeran effective move.

In this diagram, black's territory hasgrown to 8 points, a gain of 2 points, while onthe other hand, white has been forced to play 6& 8, representing a 2 point loss. (That is, in thecase where the outer points are within territorythat white has surrounded.) The upshot is thata difference of 4 points of real profit has been both gained and lost.

Diagram 8 (Skillful finesse [tesuji]?) One cannot dismiss a"minuscule" profit of 4 points in a cavalier manner. In a close game,it is entirely possible for that one move of the cut of white 1 to turnthe tide.

The cut of white 1 could be played at just about any point inthe game in sente, but of course the most effective way to use itwould be as a ko threat.

The cut of white 1 has the distinctive flavor of tesuji aboutit, but if one defines the term in the strictest sense of the word, thensomething like the following technique is what is being describedwhen one hears the term skillful finesse [tesuji].

Diagram 8

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Diagram 9

Diagram 9 (Black toplay) In this board situation,there is an ideal example of atesuji to be found.

The point here is thatblack's two stones in thelower left corner are in anunusual position, and there isa question whether they arealive or dead. That is the situ-ation that gives rise to the possibility of a tesuji being played.

Will it be alright to move out directly with these black stones,or is a roundabout approach best? The first priority is to read outthe life and death circumstances that are involved.

Diagram 10 (The direct approach) If black moves out di-rectly by playing at 1, let's see what happens.

White's answer at 2 is to be expected, and when black playsat 3, white must not neglect to play at 4.

But when black triesto build a living shape withthe move at 5, white's diago-nal move at 6 makes it un-likely that black will succeed.

Diagram 11 (Noprospects here) If black in-stead tries the moves at 1 &3, white forces black to cap-ture at 5 by playing at 4, andthen pokes at white 6. In thissituation as well, black has noprospects for success. It mayseem that there are manyother variations that blackmight use, but the fact is thatmoving out directly will notwork for black.

Diagram 10

Diagram 11

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Diagram 12

Diagram 12 (Tesuji)In cases like this, it is best toleave the possibility [aji] ofcutting at a by black open,and attaching at black 1 istesuji.

In other words, whilecasting a backward glance atthe opportunities inherent inthis position, one uses Tech-nique to follow the correct line of play: SUJI. Since this is a diffi-cult concept to put into words, the reader is asked to please studythis diagram very well in order to appreciate the nuances of tesuji.

Diagram 13 (Moving out) In response to the attachmentof black 1, if white fights back with the move at 2, black then movesout with 3 & 5.

What role will the exchange of black 1 for white 2 play whenwhite answers in the same way as before with 4 & 6? When blackcaptures at 7, what is the out-come?

Diagram 14 (Abother to deal with) Thepoint here is that even if whiteattacks with the poke at 8, themarked black stone whichwas played as the attachmentand was answered by white'smarked stone, is found to beeffective, and it is now abother for white to deal withblack's blocks at 9 & 11. Af-ter this, let's examine the situ-ation a little further to seewhat will happen next.

Diagram 15 (Annihi-lated) If white pushes out at

Diagram 13

Diagram 14

14

Tesuji and Anti-suji of Go1, it is no good for black toblock at 2. That is becausewhen white cuts at 3, black'sstones wind up becomingcompletely annihilated.

Diagram 16 (An ex-change [furi-kawari]) Whenwhite pushes out at 1, blackmust give way with 2 & 4.An exchange [furi-kawari]results with the movesthrough black 6, but perhapsblack is not satisfied with thistrade.

Consequently, onemight suspiciously view thematter and question whetherputting all one's energy intofinding the tesuji [skillful fi-nesse] that was adopted wasnot, after all, a waste of time,but we hasten to add that wehave just shown one variationthat is possible in this posi-tion.

Diagram 17 (Hang-ing tough by playing ko)Going back to the beginning,when black plays at 1, if white extends at 2, black can hang toughby playing at 3 & 5 to make a ko.

If white answers by playing at 6, black starts the ko with themove at 7, and has plenty of ko threats to use nearby, starting withthe cut at a. This is a difficult ko for white to battle, and white willprobably refrain from doing so. Should white wind up losing this kofight, white's position will end up completely in tatters. Consequently,

Diagram 18 (Alive) If white connects at 1, when play pro-

Diagram 17

15

Diagram 16

Diagram 18

ceeds with the same order ofmoves as before, after blackcaptures at 6, black's groupis clearly alive.

Of course, this varia-tion is not predetermined tooccur. The position is suchthat there are many possiblevariations, so one should notfeel that this line of play is in-evitable.

What we would like to suggest is that no matter what coursethe flow of moves take, the possibility of playing tesuji occurs. Pleasetry to confirm this for yourself.

Diagram 19 (Par) In the final analysis, when black playsthe tesuji [skillful finesse] at1, white is best served byavoiding all the problems thatcan develop on the left side,and connect at 2, which isperhaps par for this situation.

Then, connecting un-derneath with the hane frombelow at 3 takes a big chunk Diagram 19

out of white's territory. This is sufficient for black.In short, tesuji is typically defined by situations similar to

this diagram, is related to a particular area (in this case the lowerleft corner) where problems [aji] or complications may develop,and that is what inspires the discovery of the tesuji that conforms tocorrect form [suji].

The point is that the attachment of black 1 is based on theproblems [aji] inherent in the possibility of the cut at 2.

If white connects at 2, black hanes at 3, and recovers anyloss incurred in the corner.

The tesuji in this diagram is a fundamental one, and is clas-sified as a sabaki [fancy footwork] tesuji.16

Diagram 20

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoTesuji and Anti-suji

Well then, we hope that the readerunderstands the different nuances betweenthe words suji and tesuji from the abovereal game type situation. However, whenfaced with a choice of a generally usedterm, whether suji or tesuji, one for themost part uses the word tesuji.

For example...Diagram 20 (Connecting technique) In this situation, black

has been disconnected to the left and the right in terrible shape.However, by using a skillful technique, black is able to connect witha single shot.

Diagram 21 (The suji of the nose attachment) That is, theshot of the nose attachment of black 1.

No doubt, fora player juststarting out tolearn the game,this move isquite a difficultto discover. Butnotice how,Diagram 21 Diagram 22

when faced with the attachment at black 1, white has no techniqueavailable to disconnect black.

Diagram 22 (Connection) White has no option other thanto capture with the move at 2, and black squeezes with 3 & 5,connecting in the process.

If white tries to push out with the move of 2 at the points ofeither 3 or 5, black will still be able to connect underneath. The factof the matter is that white has no choice but to allow black to con-nect. Please investigate the possible variations on your own. Wemight add that this move is known as the "goblin's nose attach-ment" suji, and you will probably nod your head in agreement whensomeone says, "Ah! Indeed! This is quite an effective tesuji."

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Strictly speaking, the move is known as the "nose attach-mentsuji," and not simply called tesuji, but there is no real obstacleto referring to it as tesuji.

In this book, we would like to examine the matter from thisperspective, investigating both the nature of tesuji and anti-suji.

The reason is that in the most exact sense of the word, theterm tesuji embraces very high level concepts with abstruse impli-cations that, although fascinating, must be approached from theclosely related topics of suji and shape or one will fail to under-stand the matter properly.

Naturally, we will studying the most interesting model tesujias well, but more than anything else, one must understand the fun-damental concepts of suji that ordinarily appear in the course of agame.

What we especially want to do is to show the readers themistakes that they commit in the midst of their actual games with-out even realizing it, and also show how to correct one's way ofthinking.

Well then, we believe that the reader has come to an under-standing of the distinctions in general between tesuji and suji (al-though those are not actually so important in a real game situa-tions) from the preceding explanation, but what does the readerthink is the meaning of the word anti-suji (incorrect suji) ?

In a word, it is a suji [line of play] that is not a proper suji.A suji that is not a proper suji seems to be an odd way of

putting it, but the essential point is that it is a suji that is played in aninappropriate way, failing to occupy the proper point.

A move that is better not played, or going further, that, whenplayed incurs a loss, is a more accurate definition, but in any event,an "incorrect suji," an "anti-suji," a "premature suji," or an "unrea-sonable suji," etc., are all examples of the improper use of suji.

Nonetheless, not knowing the correct suji does not neces-sarily mean that one understands "incorrect suji." A player who hasbecome accustomed to playing anti-suji will perhaps never graspthe concept of accurate suji.

And this is frightening.

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Diagram 23

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoMastering the Basics is Vital

Here we would like to show thereader an example of a truly wonderfulfinesse [tesuji].

Diagram 23 (Black to play)The question here is what will happento the four black stones that have beensurrounded by white? If the cut of themarked black stone had not been made, there would be no problemat all, but that cut means that there is a race to capture [semeai] inthis position.

The upshot of the matter is that black's four stones may berescued, but it is no exaggeration to say that those who do notunderstand tesuji will be convinced that such an outcome is not inany way possible.

First of all, let's investigate what one's instinctive way ofplaying (and this is why it is called anti-suji) might be in this posi-tion.

Diagram 24 (Anti-suji) Sincethis situation is a race to capture, it isunderstandable that one would want tohurry to fill in a liberty with black 1,but this is a common liberty (one ofblack's own liberties as well as white's)and filling it in is an improper line ofplay [anti-suji].

Even if black plays the movesat 3 & 5, the sequence through white 6leads a one move loss in the race to cap-ture.

Diagram 25 (The same thing)We can declare in a straightforwardmanner that the moves of black 1 & 3lead to the very same result as in Dia-gram 24.

Diagram 24

Diagram 25

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Diagram 26 (This is tesuji!)There is no denying that the two-stephane of black 1 & 3 is a sparkling lineof play[suji].

It may be germane to point outthat since the cut at a is left in black'sshape, a beginner would never dreamof playing this line [suji]. Diagram 26

Diagram 27 (Capturing) Con-tinuing the variation in this diagram, ifwhite cuts at 4, the hane into white'sposition with black 5 ends up capturingtwo stones of white's.

Diagram 27

Diagram 28 (Winning the raceto capture) If white instead connectsat 4, black will also connect at 5, and inregards to the race to capture, the haneof black 7 results in a one move win forblack. Notice the effective role playedby black's leaving the liberty at a un-filled. Diagram 28

Diagram 29 (Simplicity itself)The hane of black 1 in itself is also tesujias well, and supposing that white con-nects at 2, black follows this up bycrawling in at 3. In this case also, blackends up winning easily.

20Diagram 29

Diagram 30

Diagram 31

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoDiagram 30 (Saved) In re-

sponse to black's hane of 1, if white cutsat the point of 2, black pushes throughwith the move at 3. White's two stonesto the right are captured, while at thesame time black's four stones are res-cued.

Diagram 31 (An impressivesuji) Other than the conclusion we havecome to above, there is no techniqueavailable to black besides the two-stephane of black 1 &3.

But regardless of this fact, thetesuji itself is a magnificent one, andwe are sure that when you first encoun-tered this line of play [suji], you couldnot help but be impressed by it.

Even if saying that it is impres-sive is somewhat of an exaggeration, there is no doubt that yourinterest in the topic of tesuji is aroused by this variation.

However, we must also remark on the fact that just becausethis is an interesting subject does mean that it will of necessity be ofbenefit to the reader.

There many books on tesuji that have been published. Ofcourse, they are all interesting. But the question is whether thosebooks are of benefit to readers.

If one considers what goes into creating a strikingly originaltesuji positions the point is clear. No matter how many of suchstriking situations are recreated, and no matter how provocativethey are to readers' appreciation of the art of go, the question iswhether they are of service to readers in real game situations.

The key is for the reader to regularly approach a game witha serious sense of purpose.

In short, one must master the ordinary tesuji that are effec-tive in real game fighting and abandon a lackadaisical attitude thathinders one's progress.

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Model 1: The Sujiof the Two-StepHane

Black to Play

Tesuji is also referredModel 1 to as "real suji."

It is sufficient toevaluate the term as meaning the proper activity of the stones, butarguing over the question of definitions obscures the fact that "realsuji" indicates the way that stones must be played in order to beeffective. This strict, almost harsh, interpretation is the correct one.

Even in ordinary situations [common shapes], the technique[real suji] in this model is often to be encountered in actual games,so please try hard to master it.

Diagram 1 (The basicshape) In this position, white in-vades at 1, and this is the startingpoint for the position that resultsin the model. The intention behindthe diagonal move at black 2 is toseal white in.

Diagram 2 (Thick play)White pokes at 3 in order to dodgethe attack [sabaki]. For black 4 andthe extending move at 6, othermoves may be considered, but inthis situation, black follows a thickline of play.

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Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3 The solu-tion: the suji of the two-stephane The two-step hane of black1 & 3 is the correct line of playthat refuses to give an inch. Thefear that one might harbor regard-ing the two-step hane is...

Diagram 4 (No good) ...thatwhite will cut at the base of black'sposition with the move at 2, butwhen black answers at 5, themoves at a and b are equivalentoptions [miai], and white's effortsend in failure. Consequently, it iscorrect to fearlessly play the two-step hane in this situation.

Diagram 5 (The continu-ation) White has no choice but tocapture black's stone with 4 & 6,however...

Diagram 6 (The real suji)In this situation, simply pushingthrough at black 1 is the real suji.

Without cutting at a orplaying atari at b, simply pushingin at black 1 shows the correct at-titude regarding go.

Tesuji and Anti-suji of Go

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6Why leaving all the options

available (or "simply pushing" as the expression was put) and play-ing at a is correct will be explained in the following diagrams, andwe trust that the reader will understand the point that we are mak-ing here.

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Diagram 7

Diagram 8

Diagram 7 (An enormousloss) When black pushes throughat 1, white cannot block with amove at 2.

With the moves at 3 & 5,black captures three stones, anenormous loss for white.

Diagram 8 (The realmoves [honte] of white 2 & 4)When black plays at 1, the capture[ponnuki] of white 2 is the propermove [honte].

The forcing moves[kikashi] at black 3 & 5 end uptaking control of white's markedstone, while leaving open the op-tion of isolating white's singlestone on the right side by playingat a is left over, represents the cor-rect line of play for both sides.

Diagram 9 (White mayalso play this way) When blackplays at 1, white may also respondas in this diagram. Black onceagain pushes through, here at 3,and in the future can play the moveat black a in sente, and that is thedifference from the previous dia-gram.

Diagram 10 (Anti-suji)However, in actual games, thereare many people who will throw Diagram 10in the cut of black 1 first.

This is an anti-suji.Why?Black still pushes through at 3, but in the following dia-

Diagram 9

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Diagram 11

Tesuji and Anti-suji of Gograms we will demonstrate clearlywhy this is an anti-suji of go.

Diagram 11 (Inevitable)Continuing, it is natural for whiteto capture black's stone with themove at 4.

Even though there is nonecessity to play the move at black5, for the purpose of this demon-stration we are putting it in.

With the moves through black 7, white's marked stone is allthe same captured, but in this seemingly inevitable sequence ofmoves, there are some blind spots that must be noted.

Please examine the next two diagrams in a comparative frameof mind with a backward glance at this diagram.

Diagram 12 (Anti-suji)Diagram 13 (Real suji) Please examine these diagrams

closely.In regards to the anti-suji, white has captured a black stone

with white's marked stone, but inthe case of the real suji, black hasplayed atari with the marked stone,and white has been forced to con-nect with white's marked stone.

In short, at the very leastthis represents a loss of 3 pointsfor black, and is the price blackmust pay for playing the anti-suji.

Besides this, the anti-sujihas eliminated the good chancethat black had to be able to isolatewhite's stone on the right side byplaying at a, depending on howwhite plays there.

Diagram 12

Diagram 1325

Diagram 14 (Weak-kneed) The incorrect suji of black1 here is played out of a weak-kneed fear of even playing the anti-suji shown previously. White an-swers at 2 and all problems asso-ciated with this corner wind upbeing disposed of.

Diagram 15 (Cutting)The point is that what black fearsis going to happen is that whenblack plays 1, white will cut at 2.

Diagram 16 (Playable)However, black can answer with1 & 3, and hang tough. After blacklives with black 5, white must alsoseek life with the moves through10. However, if this result is un-palatable...

Diagram 17 (Simple andclear) Black can play at 1, 3 & 5and the thickness black builds heremakes the result acceptable forblack.

Diagram 18 (Furtherprofit) It goes without saying thatlater on black can first play at 1,and then at 3 & 5 to take moreprofit.

26

Diagram 14

Diagram 15

Diagram 16

Diagram 17

Diagram 18

Diagram 19 (Incorrectsuji) Playing at black 1 is fine, butthen the black descending move atblack 3 is the epitome of poor form[incorrect suji]. Black's stones arenot supposed to land on such aspot. In the present diagram, blackmust cope with the threat of awhite cut at a, a vexing situation.


Diagram 19

Diagram 20 (Insufficient)The connection of black 3 mustalso be characterized in this situa-tion as demonstrating a notablelack of gumption.

Diagram 20

Diagram 21 (Tesuji) Inthis model, the two-step hane ofblack 1 & 3, aiming at the blackmove at a, pushing into white'sposition, is the tesuji. Pursuing thematter further...

Diagram 21

Diagram 22 (Real suji)...simply pushing through at black1 is the real suji. We would reallyappreciate it if the reader wouldsavor the nuances that remain inthe position when black refrainsfrom playing at a or the atari at b.

Diagram 2227

Model 2

Model 2:TheSuji ofthe Connection Un-derneath

White to Play

A Japanese proverbstates that "In connections acrosssociety [of benevolent souls] dev-

ils are barred from interfering." And when stones are isolated, byconnecting with a group of friendly stones, the resultant group isbigger, and have better chances for living.

The model depicted here is related to the previous model,and the fact is that the single marked white stone can connect to thewhite group in the upper right corner by means of a tesuji. It is amove that is perhaps just a little difficult to discover, but it may bedescribed as one of the fundamen-tal moves that are called tesuji.

Diagram 1 (The basicshape) White invades at 1, andblack plays the diagonal move of2 as before.

If black plays at 4, whiteplays the move of 5 differently thanin the previous model, creating aposition that is very similar toshapes that appear in real games.

Diagram 2 (What now?)Black can capture white's markedstone with the moves at 6 & 8,creating a thick and strong shape,and after black 10, how is whiteto play?

Diagram 1

Diagram 29 8

Diagram 3 The solu-tion: the knight's move connec-tion suji Playing the knight's moveof white 1 is tesuji.

Just glancing at this move,it might seem to be a laughableattempt to create play, but it actu-ally connects without fail to thecorner. It is a tesuji that the readeris urged to study.

Diagram 4 (No problem)If black plays at 2, white 3 is theimportant answering play. Blackhas no way of countermanding it.

Diagram 5 (Incorrectsuji) Playing at white 1 instead ofas in the previous diagram is anincorrect suji. When black cuts at2, white is unable to connect andwill incur a major loss.

Diagram 6 (Bullyingthrough) Continuing from the pre-vious diagram, white has no otheroption but to play at 3, and blackends up forcing through the whiteposition with 4 & 6. There is aquestion here about what white istrying to accomplish, and whywhite should incur this great losshere.


Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

29

Diagram 7 (RelatedModel 1) This is a position thatoften occurs in handicap games.

With what move does thereader imagine that black will beable to connect the isolated groupsto the left and the right? Diagram 7

Diagram 8 (A similar suji)The knight move connection of theblack move of 1 is suji here. It isexactly the same move as the sujishown in Model 2. If one is notfamiliar with this suji, is there anyquestion that one will fail to find itin this particular case? Diagram 8

Diagram 9 (No problem)After black plays at 1, white mighttry butting into black's stone withthe move at 2, but black will quitenaturally draw back by playing at3. After this there are no problemsfor black. Diagram 9

Diagram 10 {Anti-suji)Suppose black plays at 1 here.White pushes through at 2 andblack is no longer able to connect.But how many times have we seenbeginners commit this simple mis-take?

30Diagram 10

Diagram 11 (RelatedModel 2) Here is one more ex-ample of handicap joseki that of-ten is played.

Diagram 12 (The knight'smove connection) Black uses theknight's move here to connect un-derneath. Naturally, not everymove that might be grasped here,as at straws, will be effective. Themove must follow suji, and wehope that the reader understandsthis.

Diagram 13 {Anti-suji)The black cut at 1 is crude and in-effective [anti-suji]. White is al-lowed to put up resistance with themoves at 2 & 4, setting up a kofight, and black is not permittedto connect underneath uncondi-tionally.

Diagram 14 (Incorrectsuji) The black hane of 1 will like-wise be resisted strongly, here withthe block of white 2. This must beanticipated. One must not presup-pose that connecting is a hit-or-miss proposition. The move hereis incorrect suji [making a misstepin one's play].


Diagram 11

Diagram 12

Diagram 13

Diagram 14

31

Various Thoughts on the Suji ofConnecting Underneath

The possibility of suji thatconnect underneath is the nextsubject that we will discuss, but wemust first consider how such situ-ations may arise.

Diagram 1 (Black to play)The demand here is to find the sujithat will connect black's two iso-lated stones with black's main forcein the right corner. This is one ofthe fundamental techniques that wediscussed before.

Diagram 2 (Tesuji) Thediagonal move tesuji of black 1 iscorrect.

Diagram 3 (No problem)Even if white attaches with themove at 2, black connects up withthe two stones without any prob-lems by playing at 3.

There is no other movethat white can use to prevent blackfrom connecting.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

Diagram 4Diagram 4 (Anti-suji)Playing black 1 in the very middleof the two positions is anti-suji, and by doing so, black will wind upbeing unable to connect.

When black gets hit with the attachment of white 2, blackhas no choice but to abandon the two stones to their fate.

32

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoDiagram 5 (Also a con-

nection, but...) On the other hand,with this kind of position, blackcan also connect underneath withthe diagonal move of black 1 fromthe other side. However, it is notcorrect to play this way.

Diagram 6 (Incurring aloss) The reason black 1 is notcorrect is that in cases where whitegets to play two moves in a row at2 & 4, black's move at 1 representsan out and out loss.

Naturally, white is not al-lowed to play two moves in a rowunder normal conditions, but in thegame of go there is always a pos-sibility of a ko taking place. In aword, if the move of white 2 isviewed as a ko threat, it is obvi-ous that the result shown herecould arise.

Diagram 7 (No loss)When black plays the diagonalmove of 1 this way, think about what happens if a ko arises now.Presupposing that the resulting variation is the same as in the pre-ceding diagram, black's stone at 1 avoids being captured. This situ-ation illustrates how go is a game that demands foresight coupledwith determination regarding possible sources of profit that mightarise in the future.

Consequently, even though each of the moves of black 1 inthe last two diagrams connects in exactly the same way, it must beclear to the reader that the move that stays close to black's mainforce is the correct one.

It is insufficient to be satisfied with the mere fact of con-necting the groups.

Diagram 7

33

Diagram 8 (Black toplay) The position here israther complicated, but theblack stones that find them-selves surrounded must dosomething.

Diagram 9 (The sujiof the pincer attachment)The descent to black 1 is amove that must be answered[kikashi]. Then, with the pin-cer attachment of 3, blackconnects underneath. This isa suji that utilizes specialproperties of the first line.

Diagram 10 (Noproblem) Next, even if whiteplays 4 & 6, black connectswith 7.

Diagram 11 (Justlooking for trouble) Whenblack plays at 1, if white triesto hang tough by playing at2, black plays at 3 & 5, leav-ing white without two eyes.The end result is that whitemust resort to putting an ap-proach move ko into effect,but this is just looking fortrouble, compared to the pre-vious diagrams.

34

Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Diagram 10

Diagram 11

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoDiagram 12

(Black to play) Thethree black stoneswhich have been sur-rounded here are stillnot captured.

Playing atblack a, thinking thatthere is nothing to bedone, would be anti- Diagram 12 Diagram 13suji. In truth, there is a fine tesuji to be played in this position.

Diagram 13 (The single blow of cutting) First black cutsinto the position with the move at 1. Black then follows up thepreparatory work by making the throw-in at 3.

Diagram 14 (Crossing underneath) Black plays atari at 5,and after white plays at 6, black finishes off the matter by playing 7.

Diagram 15 (Rapidly disappearing liberties) Please care-fully examine the situation that results when black blocks at 7.

White is unable to make a connection here, so black is ableto connect underneath unconditionally. This is an example of thesuji of rapidly disappearing liberties.

The edge of the go board has interesting properties, andthere are a variety of tesuji that arise because of this fact.

Besides whatwe have shown here,there are a number ofsuji for connectingunderneath, but wehave determined tospeak principallyabout fundamentalsuji.

Diagram 14 Diagram 15

35

Model 3: The Sufiof the DiagonalMove

Black to Play

No matter howstrongly a move is touted as a

tesuji, if it is not effective in a real game setting, it cannot be said tofill much of any kind of role.

The model under study here is an ideal example of tesujiappearing in a real game situation.

The position here shows one scenario which may arise froma two space high pincer joseki, if white fails to respond to black'sblocking move at 1. (The joseki move for white is to extend outsolidly at a.) But what tesuji arises in this position for black to use?

Model 3

Diagram 1 (The startingpoint) When black plays the twospace high pincer of 3, the variationstarts after white plays at 4.

Diagram 2 (The archetype)When black attaches at 5, white 6 isthe proper response.

Since this is a basic joseki, weassume that most readers know aboutit, and realize that if black plays at13, white must extend at 14 to com-plete the variation.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3 The solution:the diagonal move suji First blackplays the moves of 1 & 3, with thediagonal move of black 5 as the prin-cipal suji being aimed at.

Diagram 4 (A capture) Ifwhite plays at 6, black cuts at 7, andwhite cannot push at the point aboveit.

Diagram 5 (Splitting thewhite position) If white connects at6, black connects underneath at 7,leaving white split into two largegroups of stones which can be at-tacked.

The upshot is that because ofblack's tesuji, white is suddenly in bigtrouble.

Diagram 6 (incorrect suji)Consequently, playing black 1 & 3as in this diagram allows white todefend the position with 4, and somust be characterized as an incorrectsuji. Black's marked stone cries outin frustration.

Diagram 7 (Joseki) Think-ing of the situation from this perspec-tive, when black plays at 1, whitemust necessarily extend outward sol-idly. This move is joseki in this posi-tion.


Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

Diagram 737

The diagonal move suji is one thatoften plays a vital role in life and death, aswell as capturing race [semeai] situationsand the like.

Let's examine the matter in two orthree other examples.

Diagram 8 (Black to play) Herewe have a life and death problem. Whatwhite has done here is to play the hane ofthe marked stone as a ploy to take care ofthe situation with a single stroke, and hasthen set off to play elsewhere. A strongerplayer might use this ploy against a weakerplayer to determine just how strong thatopponent is.

Diagram 9 (Anti-suji) Capturingone stone with black 1 is preposterous.White lives with the move at 4, and hastricked black completely.

Diagram 10 (Playing at the cen-ter of three stones) The placement of black1 is the vital point in this position. This iscalled the suji of playing at the center ofthree stones. It strikes at the vital point ofwhite's three stones, and is often effectivein real game situations.

But what relationship does thisbear to the diagonal move suji...

Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Diagram 10

Diagram 11

Diagram 11 (White cannot push) When black plays at 1, ifwhite answers at 2, black cuts at 3, and since white cannot pushfrom either direction, is captured. Black 1 & 3 are a textbook ex-ample of the diagonal move suji in action.38

Diagram 12 (Simple) When blackplays at 1, if white makes the diagonal at-tachment of white 2, black connects un-derneath at 3, and that is the end of thematter.

Diagram 13 (Bothersome) Whenblack plays at 1, the connection of white 2is a little bothersome for black. If blackdoes not find the key to quelling this lineof play, white will see black as a patsy whocan be taken advantage of.

Diagram 14 (The same result)When white connects at 2, black makes afeint to connect underneath at 3, forcingwhite to respond at 4. Black then cuts at5.

The reader must certainly be ableto see that white once again cannot pushfrom either side.

The diagonal move suji is one ofthe most basic.


Diagram 12

Diagram 13

Diagram 14

Diagram 15 (Exercise: Black to play) Such being the case,what does the reader make of the situation in this diagram?

If black plays first, can white be killed. The reader who un-derstands just a little of the nuances of tesuji will be able to instantlyfocus on the correct suji to adopt. Once again, the problem is solvedwith the aid of the diagonal move suji.

Learning about this particular sujiis one of the first steps one must take infundamentally sound play, and the knowl-edge gained has wide application in realgame positions.

Diagram 15

39

Diagram 16 (The diagonal movesuji) The diagonal move suji of black 1solves all problems with a single stroke.Once a player learns to use this suji, itbecomes child's play, but when one is justlearning go, it is a move that one may finddifficult to play. However, at that stage,everything is unfamiliar, and one may alsofeel like Columbus just setting out on hisfirst voyage.

Diagram 17 (Making a hane intothe position) If white butts against black'sstone with 2, black hanes into white's po-sition at 3.

Diagram 18 (Cut-and-dried) Ifwhite plays at 2 instead, Black thrusts intowhite's position with 3, and it is a cut-and-dried case of white dying.

Diagram 19 (Anti-suji) How-ever, players just taking their first steps inthe game mostly resort to direct methods,like playing black 1 in this diagram.

But white is afforded the oppor-tunity of playing 2 & 4, and black cannotconnect to the stone at 1. Using the anti-suji has resulted in letting white live.

Diagram 20 (Meaningless) Play-ing at black 1 is absolutely meaningless.White is actually forced into making life,and if that is the case, then not playinganything at all would be the better thingto do in this position.

40

Diagram 16

Diagram 17

Diagram 18

Diagram 19

Diagram 20

Diagram 21 (Black to play) Thismodel may appear to be fabricated, butthe fact is that it displays an ideal exampleof the diagonal move suji in action.

A race to capture [semeai] is inprogress between black's four stones andwhite's three stones here. It is not unlikelythat such a circumstance would arise in areal game.

Diagram 22 (The diagonal movesuji) The diagonal move suji of black 1solves all problems with a single stroke.

This one move allows black to ei-ther win the race to capture, or connectunderneath with the other stones.

Diagram 23 (Anti-suji) Playingthe hane of black 1 is anti-suji, a mistakethat is easily committed. But this fails whenwhite hanes into black's position with 2.

White plays atari with 4 & 6, amove order which results in the captureof black's group.

Diagram 24 (Connecting under-neath) The attractive feature of black 1 isthat if white plays the diagonal attachmentof 2, the jumping move of black 3 is a goodtesuji that allows black to connect under-neath.

Playing atari at a with black 3would accomplish nothing here. Doing sowould merely result in a return to the po-sition shown in the previous, failure dia-gram.


Diagram 21

Diagram 22

Diagram 23

Diagram 2441

Diagram 25 (The proper order ofmoves) In response to black 1, if whiteplays to prevent the connection with themove at 2, black makes a feint to meet thestones with 3. Should white prevent thiswith 4, black fills an outside liberty ofwhite's group at 5.

Diagram 26 (Connecting) Ifwhite plays atari at 6, black disregards thisto atari at 7, capturing two of white'sstones. Capturing the two stones repre-sents success for black, and, what is more,this is practically a capture that blackmakes in sente. White has little to be happyabout.

Diagram 25

Diagram 26

Diagram 27 (White cannot push)When black plays at 5, if white connectsat 6, black fills an outside liberty with 7,winning the race to capture [semeai].

The reader will notice the vital rolethe diagonal move of the marked stoneplays, and that white cannot press againstblack's stones from either side. Diagram 27

Diagram 28 (No good) Playingthe line [suji] starting with black 1 in thissituation is no good.

White counters with the placementof 2, and black cannot connect underneath.Please confirm this for yourself. The pointof white 2 is obviously the vital point here.

42Diagram 28

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoOne Day, All of a Sudden

"I am such a weak player that I am ashamed of myself, andI plan to forsake playing until I become strong."

Naturally, this is only a joke, but the fact is that it cannot beexpected that one will get stronger without playing.

As is the case with every art, it never comes to pass that onesuddenly becomes strong one day.

The matter is comparable to a novice sumo wrestler tradingblows with a junior champion. The less accomplished combatantwill fall and immediately get back up, be defeated and rise onceagain to challenge, demonstrating to all eyes focused on the battlesthe indomitable will of a champion, all the while spending moretime tasting the dust of the ring than the fruits of victory.

Therefore, it is an error to harbor a noble vision of "becom-ing strong in secret, while no one is watching."

One should take on all comers, playing everyone and any-one, building up experience at the board. Is it not likely that whileone suffers the taunts and laughter of the others in the club, one willinexorably become stronger?

In view of this fact, what we want to warn the reader againstin regards to methods of go study, is to avoid a meaningless adher-ence to a theory of perfection.

First one masters joseki, next one conquers the opening[fuseki], then one turns to the middlegame. This order seems to besystematic, but no sensible player would give any credence to sucha theory.

Instead, adopt a broader approach, being open to anything,and willing to try whatever is at hand.

Whatever one encounters, whenever the mood strikes, turnyour attention in that direction and investigate as one's interest isstimulated. That is a sufficient approach to study.

Go is the sort of game where that kind of attitude keeps itfresh and lively.

43

Model 4

Model 4: The CuttingSuji

Black to Play

This is a simple suji, so thereis a tendency at times to view it super-ficially, but that is wrong.

It is an obvious fact thatsimple suji are the building blocks of the fundamentals of the gameof go.

No matter how accomplished a player, even a Meijin mightbe, that player is no exception, and must resort at times to the sim-plest suji.

In this model, black has pushed outand white has blocked with the markedstone. How should black play here? Thisis one of the elementary trick moves.

Diagram 1 (The starting point)This is a situation that often occurs,whether in handicap or even games. Thisis the starting point for the model above... Diagram 1

Diagram 2 (The trick play) Whitepokes at 1, aiming to arbitrarily seal blackin. This is one of the more primitive trickplays.

Even if one gets tricked the firsttime one encounters it, it is a trick movethat does not succeed a second time.

Next black pushes out at a andwhite blocks, leading to the model.

44Diagram 2

Tesuji and Anti-suji of GoD i a -

gram 3 Thesolution: thecutting sujiSimply cuttingwith black 1 isthe correctmove. We say"simply cutting"in the sense that Diagram 3 Diagram 4although there are other methods that may be tried, one is cau-tioned not to attempt to play them. This is not a move that strikesthe imagination as being stunning, but it still exemplifies one of thevery elementary, fundamental methods in go.

Diagram 4 (Correct) If black cuts at 1, white will mostlikely extend at 2. This may not seem to be anything out of theordinary, but there are not a small number of players who will makea mistake in this position.

Diagram 5 (Anti-suji) Playing at black 1 and then cuttingat 3 is a mistake that beginners make, and is anti-suji. Black 1 is avery bad move.

Diagram 6 (The reason) In short, this is the correct shape,but if black adds the exchange of black a for white b, it becomes thefailure diagram.It is not just thatplaying at a ac-complishes noth-ing for black, italso helps whiteto get stronger.Please examineboth positionscarefully.

Diagram 5 Diagram 6

45

Diagram 7 (Exercise: Blackto play) This is an exercise wheresimply cutting is the correct suji. Theposition given here came up in a pre-vious model, but the question in thisexercise is to find the best methodblack should use to capture white'smarked stone. Diagram 7

Diagram 8 (Simply cutting)Simply cutting at black 1 is the cor-rect move, and by playing in this way,white's marked stone ends up beingcaptured.

Diagram 8

Diagram 9 (The continua-tion) When black cuts at 1, whitehas no choice but to play 2 (actually,white should connect at a with 2, butwe are using this move for illustra-tive purposes) and then black drawsback at 3, capturing white's singlestone. Diagram 9

Diagram 10 (Cut off) Whenblack plays at 1, if white plays to takethe black stone with 2, black capturesthree stones with 3 & 5, and white'sgroup ends up cut off from the mainbody of stones.

46Diagram 10

Diagram 11 (Atari) How-ever, rank beginners will often playat black 1 shown here. These begin-ners will be entranced by the follow-up atari of black a, and assume thatplaying this way is the most reliableway to get the job done.

Diagram 12 (Bad) In otherwords, the rationale is that playingat 2 is unavoidable for white, so thatblack will get to play 3 & 5, captur-ing white's single marked stone.

However, this is a bad move.

Diagram 13 (The correctsolution) This diagram duplicates thecorrect solution. In this position,when black afterward descends at a,white will have to eventually connectat b.

Diagram 14 (The failure dia-gram) However, in the case of thefailure diagram, when black descendsat a, there is no reason why whitecannot connect at b, meaning thatwhite comes out 1 point better.

This is a very fine distinction,but these variations show the dam-age done by playing an anti-suji.


Diagram 11

Diagram 12

Diagram 13

Diagram 14

47

Model 5

Model 5: The Suji ofStriking Through aKnight's MoveBlack to Play

Well then, here we have thecontinuation from the previous model.

The position results fromblack's simple cut with the marked

stone, and white has extended with white's marked stone. Up to thispoint, black has made no mistakes in playing.

The question is how black should play the next move.This is an important juncture in this position, and should

one fail to find the correct continuation, one will find oneself humbledby this trick play again and again. How-ever, when one learns the correct answer,an unforgettable tesuji, one sees that thisis really not such a difficult problem at all.

Diagram 1 The solution: thesuji of striking through a knight's moveBlack 1 is a strong blow that demonstratesthe suji of striking through a knight'smove. White has no effective answer.

Diagram 2 (A two-step hane) Ifwhite plays at 2, thetwo-step hane ofblack 3 is a goodmove that follows upthe striking throughsuji effectively.

Diagram 3(Anti-suji) Black 1 isan anti-suji.

Diagram 1


Diagram 4 (Breaking out intothe center) The two-step hane of black3 is a good move which leaves white ina quandary.

Perhaps white's only viable op-tion is to draw back to 4, but in thatcase, black captures at 5, breakingthrough white's net into the center. Thisis a great success for black.

Diagram 5 (Excruciatinglypainful) If white truculently cuts at 4and fights, black extends out with 5 &7, and again white has a dilemma. Cap-turing white in a ladder with a move atblack a, or cutting at black b leaveswhite in an excruciatingly painful posi-tion.

Diagram 6 (Captured) If whitedefends against the ladder capture byplaying at 1, black blocks powerfullywith 2 & 4, and white's three stones arepractically beyond saving.

Diagram 7 (A squeezing suji)Even if the ladder is bad for black,should white connect at 1, black playsthe fencing-in move of 2, utilizing a sujito squeeze white tightly.

Regardless of the continuation,before black's tesuji, white's trick playhas no chance of success.


Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

Diagram 7

49

Diagram 8

Diagram 8 (Anti-suji) Forblack to cut at 1 would be anti-suji.

This is what white has beenwaiting for.

And then capturing with black3 is the height of clumsiness, allowingwhite to seal black in completely.White's trick play has turned out to bea great success.

Diagram 9 (White makes sub-stantial thickness) Butting into white'sstone with black 1 is comparable in itsunattractiveness. White fences black inwith the move at 2, and when black triesto put cutting points in white's positionwith 3 & 5, white connects at 6, mak-ing substantial outward thickness.

No matter which of the twocutting points black tries to utilize, itwill not go well. (With the move at 6,white can also connect one point to theleft of 2.)

Diagram 10 (Defects [aji] in theposition) If black tries to push out withthe moves at 1 & 3, white will intracta-bly hane at 4.

Black has no choice but to fol-low through with the moves at 5,7 & 9, but white will block stronglyat 10, leaving the defect [aji] of the cutting point at a for black todeal with. The territory black can expect to make on the upper sideis not as big as it looks.

Please investigate the possible variations on your own.Regardless of what black tries to do, things will not go well

at all.

Diagram 9

Diagram 10

50

Let's examinethe suji of strikingthrough a knight'smove in a real gamesituation.

Diagram 11(A double attack onthe corner) In thisposition, white attacksthe corner with themove at 1, and when



black answers with the high pincer of 2, white counterattacks withthe double attack of 3.

Diagram 12 (The continuation)Next, when black plays 4, entering the cor-ner with white 5 starts one standard joseki.

Blocking at black 6 is natural, andthen 7 is a move that white might adopt totry to trick black. Black must prevent whitefrom joining forces by playing at 8. Now then,after white 9, how should black respond?

Diagram 13 (The suji of strikingthrough a knight's move) Here, strikingthrough the knight's move with black 1 istruly an ideal suji. With the marked blackstone in position in this situation, white isunable to fight back directly.

Diagram 14 (Anti-suji) Pushingthrough and cutting with black 1 & 3 is anti-suji. The shape that results when black cutsthis way is bad, and when white answers at 4& 6, things will not go well for black.

Diagram 1451

Model 6: The OnePoint Jump Suji

Black to Play

This is a style of playwhich often causes headaches.

The position resultsfrom one of the star point

joseki, and often appears in either handicap or even games.The best timing for white to play the move at 1 would be in

answer to a black checking move at a, but regardless of that, ofcourse this move threatens the whole black position.

In order to determine how black can respond effectively, abeginner would have to concentrate intensely on the possibilities inthe position.

Model 6

Diagram 1 (Joseki) The shapethat results when white attacks at 1 anddevelops with the moves through 5 isone with quite wide application.

Diagram 2 (The usual re-sponse) Afterward, if white makes thechecking move at 1, it is usual for blackto take the defensive measure of play-ing at 2. However, in an actual game,one might also play elsewhere. It is incases like that where the model diagramcan arise.

52Diagram 2

Diagram 3 The solution:the one point jump suji When whitecrawls in with the marked stone, thesimplest way to respond is by defend-ing the position by jumping to black 1.In the final analysis, the position herearises because black played elsewhere,allowing white to play the marked stone.Therefore, black must not insist on sav-ing the territory in the corner; playingto move out into the center is the betterresponse.

Diagram 4 (The danger?) Ifblack blocks at 1, white 2 is a move thatis easy to play, and there is a fear thatblack will face some danger.

Diagram 5 (Chaff in the wind)Following black 3, white crosses under-neath with 4 & 6, leaving black with afloating, eyeless group.

Diagram 6 (Tesuji?) In re-sponse to the poke of white 1, the di-agonal attachment of 2 is one measurethat black might take to get through thecrisis, but the continuation dependsupon a ladder relationship, so thingsmight get very complicated. This can-not really be considered to be a line[suji] that one can recommend withoutqualification.


Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

53

Diagram 7 (A good move)After white 1 and black 2, if white im-mediately cuts at 3, descending to black4 is a good move that works in con-junction with the diagonal attachment...

Diagram 8 (Tesuji) Next, ifwhite plays at 5 & 7, black blocks at 8,and when white plays at 9, black hasprepared the line [suji] starting with 10by which white's liberties rapidly disap-pear.

White is forced to capture at 11,and then...

Diagram 9 (Rapidly disappear-ing liberties) Black 12 & 14 finish whiteoff. If events go this way it is good forblack, but...

Diagram 10 (The ladder rela-tionship) If the ladder works, white canhang tough with 1,3 & 5, and then playat 7. When the ladder starting with whitea is good, black has no time to cut at b,and this is terrible for black. The possi-bility of misreading the ladder relation-ship is great, so using this method canbe dangerous.

54

Diagram 7

Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Diagram 10


Model 7: The Sufi ofPlaying Atari for Atari

Black to Play

The shape shown here issomewhat rarely seen, but it is onethat appears in real game situations.

When white plays atari at 1,what is the correct way for black to answer?

To solve this problem, one must come to the realization thatwhat is called for is for one to read out the inevitable sequence ofmoves that will result in the best shape of the stones.

This may not seem to be an im-portant point, but understanding its nu-ances will give birth to a real apprecia-tion of the interaction of the stones. Itis an aspect of the game that one mustnot ignore.

Model 7

Diagram 1

Diagram 1 (The attach and ex-tend joseki) The sequence from white1 through 3 needs no explanation.

Diagram 2 (A cross-cut) Blackcan make the cross-cut of 4 to initiate avariation that...

Diagram 3 (Wrapping whiteup) Next, if white plays at 1, black sac-rifices two stones with the movesthrough 10 in order to wrap white upand settle black's own shape.

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

55

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 4 (A variation) Butfollowing Diagram 2, white can play thediagonal move at 5 to initiate a varia-tion.

Diagram 5 (Anti-suji) Con-tinuing with black 1 and the block at 3is anti-suji, because...

Diagram 6 (A lump of stones)Black suffers forcing moves [kikashi]from both sides when white plays at 1&3.

After white captures with 5 &7, white's one stone of white 1 still haslife in it, and black is not doing well.

In other words, one gets thefeeling here that white has turned thetables completely on black, and the spe-cial plan that black deliberately initiatedby adopting an unusual variation hascome to naught.

Diagram 7 (The origin of themodel) When white plays at 5, blackdescends to 6 to probe white's response.

Then, when white plays atari at7, we get the shape in the model dia-gram.

This way of resisting theopponent's intentions while developing Diagram 7one's position is the essence of go. It may seem that the operation ofthe stones is distorted, but this is a rough and tumble scramble forthe advantage by both sides. In this situation, both are aiming towrap up the other's stones.

Well then, black's next move at 8 is the problem in the model.

Diagram 6

56

Diagram 8 The solution: thesuji of playing atari for atari The cor-rect move to play here is the return atariof black 1.

Diagram 9 (Suppose that... ) Ifwhite plays at 2, black gets a good posi-tion by answering at 3.

Diagram 10 (Big) Following that,white might try to play at 4 & 6, but withthe capture at 7, black takes a large profitin the corner.

Diagram 11 (Large outward in-fluence) If white makes life with 1 & 3,black obligingly extends with the movesup to 8, creating enormous outward in-fluence.

Diagram 12 (Inevitable) Conse-quently, when black plays at 1,white will capture at 2.

Then, by cutting at 3,black's stones have all been work-ing effectively.

Diagram 13 (Sufficient)If white connectswith the move at4, black defendsat 5, and this re-sult is more thansufficient forblack.

Diagram 12


Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Diagram 10

Diagram 11

Diagram 13

57

Diagram 14 (An all-or-nothingko) Cutting with white 1 initiates a huge,all-or-nothing ko which black has no needto fear. If white does cut at 1...

Diagram 15 (Huge [ponnuki]captures) Black will capture at 2, andthere is no ko threat that black will re-spond to. Instead, black will capturewhite's stone with 4 [ponnuki]. The powerof this capture is truly immense, and itwould take a comparably large ko threatto get black's attention. Therefore, blackhas no need to fear this ko.

Diagram 16 (Bad shape) Black 1is a glaringly poor suji. By playing thisway, black's marked stone loses any mean-ing for being played.

Diagram 17 (The continuation)White will then play 2,4 and the follow-ing moves.

Diagram 18 (Black gets wrappedup) When white finishes by playing at 8& 10, black winds up getting wrapped upinto a horrible lump of stones. This is theupshot of playing anti-suji, and is only tobe expected.

58

Diagram 14

Diagram 15

Diagram 16

Diagram 17

Diagram 18

Model 8


Model 8: The Fencing-inSufi

White to Play

At this juncture, let's examineone of the most interesting of tesuji.

The model shown here is notthe kind of shape that one will oftenencounter in real games, but the question is how to capture themarked black stone which is cutting white's position in half.

It is clear that by making such a capture, the position wouldbe a comfortable one for white to play, but one should first of alldiscard all thoughts of trying to capture the stone in a ladder. In thatcase, one should turn to thoughts of a fencing-in move, but thisposition is just a little bit difficult.

There are a variety of fencing-inmoves.

Diagram 1 (The simplest type)Black 1 is the simplest type of fencing-inmove.

Diagram 2 (A bit complex) This isalso a fencing-in suji.

Diagram 3 (Astylish suji)White 1 is a styl-ish suji.

There areseveral types.

Diagram 1


Diagram 4 The solution: thefencing-in suji Thefencing-in move ofwhite 1 is an excellentplay which is hard tooverpraise.

A move likethis, which seems toleap into empty space, Diagram 4 Diagram 5is one that would probably never be considered by beginner playersat all.

Diagram 5 (The follow-up shot) If black next connects at2, white completes the encircling net with the knight's move at 3,and black is bound up as if by steel cable.

Considering that black is immobilized by these moves, onecan vividly see the awesome power of tesuji.

Diagram 6 (No good) When white plays at 1, if black re-sponds at 2, white plays atari at 3. Black has no alternative but toconnect at 4. However, when white hanes at 5, black is unable tosave these stones no matter what is tried.

Please investigate the possible variations that may be playedhere on your own.

Diagram 7(Anti-suji) If whitecaptures one stone[ponnuki] with 1 & 3,the group on the sideis saved, but the groupabove must be sacri-ficed.

This is anti-suji.60

Diagram 6 Diagram 7


Model 9: The Connect-ing Sufi

White to Play

When black presses in on whitewith the marked stone, one need notthink that the white is suddenly in dan-ger. However, if white does reinforcethe group, that will be one less matterto worry about, and in itself, the haneof 1, strengthening white, is not a bad move.

But after black plays at 2, how should white respond?Those who scoff at this question will get no value out of

studying this model.

Model 9

Diagram 1 The solution: the suji of connecting pa-tiently The shape shown in this model appears all the time in realgames. Connecting with white 1 is a good move.

Scoffing at the simplicity of it overlooks the fact that it isone of the most fundamental suji and illustrates the essence of thegame of go.

Diagram 2(Anti-suji) In addi-tion, beginner playerswill often atari atwhite 1 and then con-nect at 3.

But this is aterrible move.

Diagram 1 Diagram 2

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Diagram 3 (Potential [aji] for later)When white simply and patiently connectswith the marked stone and leaves the posi-tion as it is, later on white can make movesagainst black's corner such as white 1. Byconnecting underneath with 3 & 5, whitemakes great inroads into black's corner.

Diagram 4 (Destroying the cornerterritory) Also, according to circumstances,white can play the attachment suji of 1.

If black replies at 2, white connectsunderneath with 3, and has once again laidwaste to the territory in the corner.

But in the case of the anti-suji shownabove, black has no potential moves [aji] toworry about, while white has no moves inthe corner to aim at.

Diagram 5 (An analysis) After whiteplays at 1, those potential problems in thecorner might worry black enough to dosomething about it. Suppose black plays at2. Now white has no move to aim at in thecorner. However, at that point, would thereader be inclined to play at white a?

No doubt, the reader would shunmaking such a move. But in the anti-sujiexample shown above, the result is the sameas if white had played at a.

That must be seen as a great loss.In both the solution and the anti-suji

diagrams, white ends in gote.All things being equal, if one must

accept gote, the rule of thumb is that onemust take the gote that offers future profit.

When one plays a meaningless move,one incurs a loss. That is what go is all about.

62

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5


Model 10: The Suji ofNot Connecting

Black to Play

Since we have covered the con-necting suji, this time we will examinethe suji of not connecting.

There is a go proverb that statesthat: "Even a fool connects in response to a poke." But there arealso cases where one does not connect when the opponent pokes.

Naturally, one must not indiscriminately play in such a way.The essential point is to analyze the position on the board carefullybefore making a judgment.

Perhaps the reader notices that the modelshown here arises in a variation of the two spacehigh pincer joseki. Tesuji appear in virtually ev-ery and any setting.

Model 10

Diagram 1 (The two space high pincer)This is a joseki which is used very, very often.

Diagram 2 (Distasteful) It is said thatwhen black attaches at 4, thehane at white 5 & 7 is dis-tasteful for black, but thereare times when it is accept-able.

Diagram 3 (Doublepokes) Black defends with10 & 12, and then whitepokes at 13 & 15, setting up

Diagram 2

Diagram 1

Diagram 3

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Diagram 4

the model diagram.Diagram 4 The solution: the

pressing suji It is correct to press fromabove with black 1. Black has already beenforced [kikashi] to connect with the markedstone, so it would be unbearable to connecton both sides, getting a lump of stones as aresult. In go, it is important to cultivate asense of what is "unbearable" to play.

Diagram 5 (Profit and outward in-fluence) On white's part, cutting at a will beavoided, as blocking at 2 is the real suji. Thenthe moves through white 4 result in whitemaking profit and black outward influence.

Diagram 6 (Heavy) In response toblack 1, if white expands outward with 2,playing at black 3 will put white on the spot.

Next, playing at white a is gote, whilea move at white b makes bad shape. Thepoking move has turned into a heavy one. This is no good.

Diagram 7 (Anti-suji) Connecting with black 1 makes heavyshape for the entire group. White will set up an attack with 2.

The shape that results in this position can easily be foreseen,and that is whythis variation,in which blackmakes a returnhane in reply towhite's, is gen-erally regardedas being a dis-tasteful one forblack to play.

Diagram 5

Diagram 6 Diagram 7

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Model 11: The Directionto Play Atari

White to Play

This model shows the positionthat existed just before the previousmodel came about. Model 11

The model here originates in thejoseki known as the "switch position" joseki, but the question hereis whether white should play atari at a or at b. If one knows thejoseki, this is not a big deal, but no matter what side white playsatari on, there is a definite rationale behind the move.

It cannot be said that ether side is thesame: there is real meaning behind the play ofthe stones.

Diagram 1 (Changing times) Black 6was regarded as a bad move during the EdoPeriod [1603-1868], but today, it is seen to bea good move. Thinking about go changes ac-cording to the sensibilities of the times.

Diagram 2 (The "coolie hat") Playingwhite 7 makes bad shape,called the "coolie hat," sowhite cannot connect thisway.

Diagram 3 (Theonly move) White 7 is theonly move. Now, whatabout white 9?


Diagram 4 The solution: atarion the side on which one last played atariWhite plays atari on the upper side with 1.In short, if one recalls the order in which themoves were made, white last played atariwith the marked stone, and it may be usefulto keep in mind that the consecutive atariare part of a series.

Playing the atari of white a on theother side is only done under special circum-stances. White 1 here follows the correctmovement [suji] of the stones. Of course,there is a reason why this is so.

Diagram 5 (The standard shape)First, connecting with black 2 is natural, andafter white stabilizes the shape with 3, therecomes a lull in the action.

Diagram 6 (A review) Let's reex- Diagram 5amine the subject matter covered in the pre-vious model. When black pokes at 1 & 3, white has no choice aboutconnecting the first time with 2, but with 4, white will not connect.Instead, white presses at 4.

Diagram 7 (Heavy) If black plays 5 & 7, white will con-nect at 8. If black cuts at 8 with either 5 or 7, white hanes at thehead of thestones and isokay. In the end,the stones blackused to poke in-stead becomeheavy, so thismove order isundesirable.

66Diagram 6 Diagram 7

Diagram 8 (Incorrect suji) Wellthen, what if white plays atari from this sidewith 1 ? Ordinarily, one does not see this atariplayed, and naturally there is a reason whythis is so. Black will cut at 2.

Diagram 9 (The reason) Whenwhite takes the ko with 3, black has no choicebut to back down with the move at 4, butthen white must also play at 5. After blackextends to 6, the marked black stone acts asa hindrance to a white extension down theright side. This is very painful for white.

Diagram 10 (Breathing room)However, when the atari is played properlyas at white 1 here, what could be wrong forblack to play as in the previous diagram bycutting at 2? White captures at 3, and the


Diagram 8

Diagram 9

moves through black 6 follow. But now white has scope to developfreely to 7.

On the other hand, black's marked stone representsoverconcentrated shape, an unpleasant outcome. In addition, whiteis left with the possibility of starting a ko fight with a (although thisis a large ko, and white will have tobe very careful about the timing ofit). This is similarly distasteful forblack.

In the final analysis, when onecarefully considers the matter in thisway, one sees that the atari of white1 is correct, while the cut of black 1makes no sense. The stones have aninnate logic of their own. Diagram 10

67

Model 12: The Cap-turing [Ponnuki] Sufi

Black to Play

The reader might recognizethis model as one scenario whichmay arise in the Taisha joseki. Thisjoseki is only viable when the ladder

is favorable and white cannot move out with the move at a. In thatcase black can adopt this variation. But although the ladder mightpresently be favorable, and white cannot move out at a, at somepoint white will make use of the circumstances here to initiate astrategy centered around a ladder breaker.

Consequently, the suji black uses todefend against that possibility at an earlystage is an exceedingly simple one.

Model 12

Diagram 1 (Taisha the joseki ofmyriad variations) This model began withthe Taisha fencing-in move of white 1. TheTaisha is popularly known as the joseki ofmyriad variations, and is representative of thefathomless kind of joseki...

Diagram 2 (The archetype) Blackattaches at 2, white hanes between black'stwo stones with 3, and black connects at 4& 6, avoiding complications.

However, if the ladder that ariseswhen black plays atari at 10 is not good, natu-rally black would be unable to adopt this lineof play.

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Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

Diagram 3 The solution: thecapturing [ponnuki] suji Without playinganything else, simply making the one stonecapture [ponnuki] of black 1 is the correctsuji.

If the reader thinks: "What in theworld is this?! What else would one expect!"it is only because of a previous acquaintancewith the joseki. A beginner would rarely, ifever, play such a move.

Diagram 4 (Sente) When black cap-tures at 1, white can do nothing else but de-fend at 2, and so black ends up with sente.What is more, black also eliminates poten-tial problems [aji] and creates a thick andstrong position.

Diagram 5 (Anti-suji) However,among beginners, the majority would be in-clined to block at black 1 first and then cap-ture at 3. The thought seems to be that one gets a final forcingmove in, and gets to play it in sente as well, so what could be bet-ter? But this is anti-suji. In the end though, isn't the move of black3 also gote?

Diagram 6(Theory) When thevariation in the solu-tion diagram has beenplayed, there is abso-lutely no need whatso-ever to rush to play at1, and so according totheory, this is a badmove.

Diagram 4

Diagram 5 Diagram 6

69

Diagram 7 (An exercise)The previous model is joseki, so therecan be no objection to the conclu-sions reached about it, but let's takea look at a pure and simple exerciseon the same theme. Because of thestatus of the ladder, white cannot runout with the marked stone. However,here too black...

Diagram 8 (The real move)Black must simply capture with themove at 1.

The rationale is the same asthat which manifested itself at thesame junction in the joseki above, andthe capture must be characterized asthe honest-to-goodness, real move[honte].

Diagram 9 (The same fol-low-up) After black finishes up thecapture with the marked stone, nextblack can play at 1 and take twostones of white's. This is a big fol-low-up move that is left for black inthe same way as in the joseki.

Diagram 10 (A terrible anti-suji) But there are those who willprevent white from running out withthe marked stone by playing at black1. One might rationalize the situationby thinking that at least the moveworks effectively in the center. Butthis is clearly a terrible anti-suji.70

Diagram 7

Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Diagram 10

Diagram 11 (The intention)In short, black played the move at 1with the intention of having it workeffectively, but this just makes it easyfor white to play atari at 2.

When black captures at 3,white advances out to 4...

Diagram 12 (A uselessmove) This diagram shows the re-sulting position, and far from work-ing effectively, the marked blackstone is actually useless. On top ofthat, white has actually been givenprofit in exchange for the move,which makes things so much theworse.


Diagram 11

Diagram 12

Diagram 13 (Naturally)When black simply captures at 1, set-tling the matter at that, if white playsat 2, blocking at black 3 is naturallysente.

Diagram 14 (Reason) If, inspite of this, when white plays themove at 1, playing a move like black2 in such a strange place, allowingwhite to move out to the point of 3,violates go theory. It must be recog-nized as incurring a terrible loss. Thetrue movement [real suji] of thestones conforms to reason.

Diagram 13

Diagram 14

71

Model 13: The Back-tracking Sufi

Black to Play

In this position whitehas just lightly jumped with themarked stone in order to dodgeblack's pressure. The scene is one

common in joseki in which black must decide on the move to playnext that will conform to suji.

We should perhaps classify this suji as one of the fundamen-tal ones as well. However, here too it is one that beginners arevirtually unable to play.

Model 13

Diagram 1 (A pincer) Thestarting moves that create the shape ofthe model under discussion is the onepoint high attack on the corner of black1 countered by the low pincer of white2.

Diagram 2 (Joseki) Black at-taches on the inner side with 2, an-swered by white 3 & 5, initiating onevariation of the joseki. Then black playsthe diagonal move at 6 and the fencing-in move of 8.

White lightly dodges to 9, andthe question is what the best way forblack to play is now.

72Diagram 2

Diagram 1

Diagram 3 The solution:the backtracking suji Black pushesin with 1 and then backtracks with 3,a restrained and polished tesuji. Thiskind of relaxed move is one that can-not be discovered independently,even after long thought, and that factpoints up the value of books like thisone. With black's move at 3, in thelocal situation white has practicallyno answer.

Diagram 4 (A cut) Suppos-ing that white extends to 1. Black'scut at 2 is a good move because...

Diagram 5 (Thick) Next, ifwhite plays at 1, black captures astone in a ladder with the moves at 2& 4, making thick and strong out-ward influence.

Not only that, but whiteneeds to play at least one more moveto live. White is in a terrible plight inthis situation.


Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6 (Settled) If whiteconnects at 1, black captures twostones with the move at 2, settlingthe group. The shape that is createdby connecting at white 1 is heavy, andconsequently this is insufficient forwhite as well.

Diagram 673

Diagram 7 (Pressure)When black backtracks with themarked stone, if white plays at1, black can apply heavy pres-sure with 2, and also...

Diagram 8 (Settled) Ifwhite connects at 1, black cutsat 2, and the group is againsettled. In each of these cases,the positive results have beenengineered by the backtrackingsuji.

Diagram 9 (An over-play) Pushing through and cut-ting with black 1 & 3 cannot becalled anti-suji, but in this situ-ation it is an overplay. Afterthis...

Diagram 10 (Forced)White plays at 4, and with 5 &7 black captures the whitestone, but white is also allowedto make a one stone capture[ponnuki] with 6. On top ofthat, being forced [kikashi] intoplaying black 9 by white 8 ispainful. This is no good.

74

Diagram 7

Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Diagram 10

Diagram 11 (This side)The suji of cutting on this sidewith black 3 is no good as well.Continuing...


Diagram 12 (Stymied)Black plays to capture white'sstone in a ladder with 5 & 7. Itmight seem like black is well off,but that is not so.

White pushes out with8, leaving black stymied.

Diagram 11

Diagram 12

Diagram 13 (Burstingthrough) When white pushesout with 1, if black captureswith 2, white ends up burstingthrough black's position. Or...

Diagram 14 (Con-founded) If black gives wa

tesuji and antisuji of go

Documents

connecting suji

real suji

suji of tiding

backtracking suji

ladder suji

capture suji

cutting suji

squeezing suji