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© 2001 Slate & Shell

Life and Death: Intermediate Level Problems

Maeda Nobuaki 9 Dan

Originally published in Go Review

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

Edited by William Cobb, Gordon Fraser and Richard Hunter

Maeda Nobuaki 9 Dan (1907–75) is known as “the god of life and death Go problems” and was a prolific composer of such problems. This collection of his creations was originally published in Go Review, the English language journal published by the Nihon Kiin (Japanese Go Association) between 1961 and 1977, which was the pre-eminent source of information about Go for English speakers at that time.

The problems are presented in cycles of ten. The first problem in each set is relatively easy and the difficulty increases up to the tenth problem, which is fairly challenging. Maeda estimates that the level of difficulty ranges from about 7 kyu up to 2 dan. Such estimates are at best rough estimates, of course—your own experience may vary.

This is another in the series of books based on material in Go Review being published by Slate & Shell. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the Nihon Kiin in allowing these publications for the sake of enhancing both the development of Go in the West and world peace.

William Cobb
June 2001

Note about this SmartGo Book

In converting from the paper version to the SmartGo Book version, we have taken the opportunity to make several enhancements: extra diagrams have been added, errors have been corrected, and the text has been expanded and improved.

The SmartGo Book format presents the problems in interactive problem diagrams where you can try your solutions. These problem diagrams confirm the correct line(s) and explicitly refute many incorrect lines. The following pages present detailed explanations of the best solution, alternatives, and the most instructive failures in interactive diagrams where you can play through the book moves or try out your own moves. Inline diagrams (tap the brown colored text) illustrate some explanations written in the text. Internal navigation links (tap the blue text) will take you back to similar or related problems for comparison or to the Index, Contents, etc. Returning is easy: just tap in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.

Richard Hunter
June 2013

Copyright Page

© 2001 Slate & Shell

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

Slate & Shell
1425 Westshire Lane
Richmond, VA 23238
www.slateandshell.com

Thanks to Harry Fearnley for help with proofreading

Edited by William Cobb, Gordon Fraser and Richard Hunter

Cover design by Laurie M. Crammond

Conversion to SmartGo Books by Richard Hunter

ISBN of print edition:
ISBN: 0–9706193–8–3

Contents

Life and Death: Intermediate Level Problems

Introduction

Copyright Page

Problems 1–10

The chapters in gray are included only in the full book.

Problems 11–20

Problems 21–30

Problems 31–40

Problems 41–50

Problems 51–60

Problems 61–70

Problems 71–80

Problems 81–90

Problems 91–100

Problems 101–110

Appendix: Related Positions and Further Discussion

Problem Index

Buy This Book

About SmartGo Books

Problem 1

White to live

Answer 1

Success

The ko is White’s only hope.

Failure

If White connects at 1, a hane at either end will kill the group. Note that Black 2 at 6, at the center of symmetry, would allow White to live in seki.

Failure 2
4: connects

Expanding the eye space with White 1 here is no good. Black can capture and connect with 2 and 4. This second-line wedge in White’s position prevents White from making two real eyes: White would need to play all three of the marked points, which is impossible if Black plays alternately.

Problem 2

White to kill

Answer 2

Failure

White 1 creates a ko, but not for the life of the Black group. With 2 and 4, Black makes two eyes.

Success

The placement of White 1 here is the vital point. After 7, Black is dead.

Variation

Black cannot make a second eye with 4 here because the two marked stones would be captured in a snap-back.

Problem 3

White to kill

Answer 3

Success

A classic case of “there is death in the hane” and the inside placement. Black 6 at 8 leads to the same result. 1, 3, and 5 are the vital points of this corner position. It is possible to kill Black by starting with any of them, but the order shown here is best.

Suicide

It is suicidal for Black to connect at 10 to try and make two eyes because of the shortage of liberties. Alternatively, if Black captures with 10 at 11, White 11 at 10 breaks the eye.

Failure

White 3 may look like a vital point, but Black lives with 4.

Failure 2

White 3 here works too, but it is better style to play the hane at 4, as in the Success diagram.

Playing directly at the 2–1 point with 1 at 3 also works; it shows a good eye for the vital points, but the Success diagram is better. The hane on the top side covers White’s weakness there: failing to play it will allow Black to play moves on the top side in sente. However, the direct 2–1 placement is appropriate in other positions, as we shall see later.

Starting with the hane on the right side, which has a stronger wall, also works but is inferior for the same reason.

Failure 3

White 1 is at the center of three stones, but in this position it does not work. After Black 2, White does not have an effective follow-up.

Problem 5

White to capture the marked stones

Answer 5

Success

By sacrificing White 1, White can make the potential eye there false with 5 and 7.

Continued

Black 8 reduces White to two liberties, but White wins with 9 and 11.

Failure

Protecting against the atari with 1 here does not fill a black liberty and it leaves White one liberty behind in the capturing race.

Problem 9

White to kill

Answer 9

Correct

Black cannot live by capturing White 1, 3, and 5, so he must expand his eye space with 6. But now White sets up an under the stones tactic with 7 and 9.

Success

This becomes clear when you see White 11.

Failure

Extending at 3 here fails. After Black 4, the atari of 5 is too late. Instead of connecting at 7, Black plays a counter-atari from behind.

Problem Index

Problem 1

Problem 2

Problem 3

Problem 4

Problem 5

Problem 6

Problem 7

Problem 8

Problem 9

Problem 10