Sunday Problem #34

Published 24 Jan 2021 by antti (last edited 31 Jan 2021)

tags: tsumego, sunday-problem

This is a slightly modified problem from Guanzi Pu. Although most of Guanzi Pu’s content is endgame (it’s even in the collection’s name, 官子譜 or Endgame diagrams), this is clearly a life-and-death problem.

Black to play.

Solution

Solution (1)
Black has no choice but to start by driving White down to the first line with 1–6. After this, however, Black may find herself at a pause: what to do next?

13 at 9
Solution (2)
Here, the unlikely-looking black 7 is correct. White can then only move his stones out with 8, and Black lives in sente with 9–13.