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Trouble Master

Volume 1

by Inseong Hwang

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

How many troubles have you detected [in the position on the cover], and how many of them did you read through to the end of the sequence? I believe that being able to sense trouble is just as important as solving it on the board, considering that only 30% of problems are found in amateur games.

With these brand-new Life & Death and Tesuji problems, you can develop your ability to detect problematic areas, which will provide you with one of the greatest joys of this game.

And it is simply enjoyable! It’s similar to playing a “hidden picture puzzle”, but it can only be seen by the eyes of Go players.

Therefore, practice, have fun, and become a Trouble Master!

Copyright Page

Trouble Master
Volume 1

Copyright © 2023 by Inseong Hwang, Semi Lee
All rights reserved.

Author: Inseong Hwang
Sub-writer: Semi Lee
Editors: Joel Sanet, Brian Kirby

Published by
Yunguseng Dojang
www.yunguseng.com

ISBN of the printed version: 979–8–3782–6978–5

Converted for SmartGo Books by John Mifsud.

Contents

Trouble Master Volume 1

Copyright Page

About the Author

Preface

How to solve the “Trouble Master”

Problem 1 ★★★★

Problem 2 ★★★

Problem 3 ★

Problem 4 ★★★★

Problem 5 ★★★

Problem 6 ★★★

Problem 7 ★★

Problem 8 ★★

Problem 9 ★★★

Problem 10 ★★★★★

Problem 11 ★★

Problem 12 ★★

Problem 13 ★★★★★

Problem 14 ★★★

Problem 15 ★★★★

Problem 16 ★

Problem 17 ★★★★

Problem 18 ★★★

Problem 19 ★★★★

Problem 20 ★★★★★

Hints

Buy This Book

About SmartGo Books

About the Author

Inseong Hwang

8 dan player in Europe

National Go instructor of France & Switzerland

1996–2001 Korean Yunguseng (Insei)

2002–2005 Entered Myoung-ji University, Department of Baduk Studies

2003–2005 Worked as a TV commentator at Korean Baduk TV

Since 2005 Teaching Go in Europe

2013–2018 #1 on the European rating list

Currently operates an online Go academy “Yunguseng Dojang”

Sub-writer

Semi Lee

3 dan player in Europe

2004–2008 Graduated from Myoung-ji University, Department of Baduk Studies

Preface

During my Yunguseng (Insei) period in South Korea, I had a daily two-hour session dedicated to tsumego and tesuji problems. Whenever a trainee solved a problem, they would raise their hand to call a teacher, who would then check their solution. However, some problems proved to be quite challenging, often requiring me to spend the entire two hours on just one or two problems. In those instances, I would implore my teacher, saying, “Please give me a clue.” To which my teacher would respond, “The solution of that problem lies within it.” I would argue, “But that is not really a clue; it is an obvious statement.” My teacher would counter, saying, “In a game, nobody will tell you that there is a clear solution. You need to discover it on your own. However, in your case, you already know that there is a definite solution, so isn’t that a significant advantage?”

I review over 3,000 games a year and frequently come across situations where there are tsumego and tesuji cases on the board, but students fail to recognize them and miss out. During the review session, when I point out the missed tesujis, people often respond by saying they know them, but simply did not notice them during the game. Therefore, the more I taught, the more I began to think that it was not merely a matter of strength or skill, but rather a lack of awareness.

It is true that most people believe that life-and-death ability in Go depends solely on reading power, specifically depth or length of reading. While this is important, another crucial aspect is suspicion. Your suspicion primarily detects and guides the direction of your reading. Then reading ability (depth of reading) comes into play. However, what happens if you miss a chance simply because you did not even notice something was happening?

This realization reinforced my belief that there should be a training tool designed to help my students seize those moments.

While pondering those thoughts one day, I had an insightful moment: “Why must all problems have a definite solution? Wouldn’t it be even more entertaining if they were uncertain?” However, if there is no solution, it implies that it is not a proper life-and-death problem. So how could I resolve this dilemma? Suddenly, the concept of Hidden Picture Puzzles crossed my mind. “Oh, let’s make tsumego and tesuji problems just like that! Only Go players will be able to uncover these hidden problems. How awesome is that!” And thus, this book began with this simple idea. Fortunately, I review countless amateur (student) games, providing me with numerous fresh examples. I merge a variety of impressive tesujis and tsumegos and arrange them into a board.

Please enjoy this brand new concept: “Hidden Picture Puzzles” for Go players. I hope these problems make your Go world even more entertaining and rich.

Inseong Hwang

How to solve the “Trouble Master”

Start as Black or White and find “troubles” (or “aji” in Japanese Go terminology) in Black or White’s areas. Separate problem diagrams are available for Black to play & White to play.

Definition of “trouble” is “an unexpected gain”. It could involve the life and death of an entire group or simply a few extra points gained in the endgame compared to the typical approach.

Seek out as many troubles as you can. Each problem set contains numerous potential troubles. Therefore, finding the number of troubles in each set becomes an important goal.

If you want to see a tip that indicates problematic areas, please tap the [hint] link below the problem diagram to get a clue.

The difficulty ratings are given as stars and as a range of Go strengths according to the European ranking system.

★: 12 kyu to 7 kyu
★★: 9 kyu to 3 kyu
★★★: 5 kyu to 1 dan
★★★★: 2 kyu to 3 dan
★★★★★: 2 dan to 6 dan

These ranges are just an approximation of the average difficulty of the problem set. To get the maximum benefit to your Go intuition, it is best to look over the board superficially to find trouble spots to read out later, then check the [hint] to see if you have gotten them all.

All is set, please enjoy the problems!

Problem 1
★★★★

“In cut we trust!” If I were to establish a Go religion, this would undoubtedly be the central phrase. At times, Go can possess a beautiful simplicity: connecting stones strengthens, while cutting stones weakens. Even if you cannot directly capture the opponent’s stones, it is essential to maintain the belief that cutting weakens them. By embracing this principle, you will unlock the most enjoyable and enchanting aspect of Go. So, what are you waiting for? Cut first; think later! Embracing this principle, you will unlock the most enjoyable and enchanting aspect of Go.

[hint]

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

White to play

＞＜ ▶︎

Solution A

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

Start with ➊, the cutting move! After that, ➎ is the tesuji. When White captures A, Black can cut at B.

Dia. 2: Incorrect.

＞＜ ▶︎

➊ seems to strategically address both weaknesses. However, in this case, nothing works.

Solution B

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

A classical throw-in technique! White can capture three stones.

Solution C

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

Here Black can think of many options. A and B are both working, but A is slightly better.

Dia. 2: Correct solution

＞＜ ▶︎

Let’s look at move A first. The throw-in at ➌ is a good move. Now White is in self-atari, so White cannot connect to save seven stones.

Dia. 3

＞＜ ▶︎

If White ataris Black’s two stones first, the throw-in at ➎ still works.

Dia. 4

＞＜ ▶︎

If White ataris the four Black stones from the upper side, the atari at ➎ is a good move. White cannot connect at A because Black can play at B and kill the whole group.

Dia. 5

＞＜ ▶︎

In the first two working cases, the throw-in point at ➁ was the problem. White may protect it, but Black can still capture the stones.

Dia. 6

＞＜ ▶︎

If Black chooses move B, all the other moves are the same, but White may connect at ➁. Then, a ko is the only solution for Black. It is a tough option for White since White has more points to lose, but still White may survive. Therefore, it is better for Black to play the hane so as not to give this ko option to White.

Dia. 7: Incorrect
4: connects

＞＜ ▶︎

A throw-in is the most intuitive move, but it does not work.

Solution D

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

Finding the first move ➊ is important, but the next move is even more important.

Dia. 2

＞＜ ▶︎

➌ is the critical move, a passive tesuji. If White fights back strongly, Black can make a ko.

Dia. 3

＞＜ ▶︎

Therefore, White needs to negotiate. After the second tesuji ➌, White should make two eyes by capturing at A instead of saving the five stones.

Dia. 4: Incorrect

＞＜ ▶︎

Without placing the key move at the beginning, White saves the group clearly.

Solution E

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

An interesting sequence of ataris ending in double atari!

Solution F

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

White 3 is the first key move. Without executing this “cut”, nothing works! Go straight Up to ➓. After that, White can consider either Move A or Move B as potential options.

Dia. 2

＞＜ ▶︎

If White descends (A in Dia. 1), White can make a seki which is a great result. However, it is still not the best option.

Dia. 3

＞＜ ▶︎

The hane at ➀ (B in Dia. 1) is the second key move. White can capture three stones. This result is better than the other result, seki in Dia. 2.

Dia. 4

＞＜ ▶︎

If Black ataris, White should connect without exchanging A and B. Next—

Dia. 5

＞＜ ▶︎

Still, White can capture the three stones. This result is about two points better than seki for White.

Dia. 6

＞＜ ▶︎

If Black ataris from the other side, this becomes a big problem for Black. Black needs to start a ko with ➌, and it is a big burden.

Dia. 7

＞＜ ▶︎

Although White’s move ➂ may expect a similar outcome as the solution, it is important to note that without the cut (➂ in Dia. 1), White’s available options become significantly limited. Therefore, “cut first, think later!”

Solution G

Dia. 1

＞＜ ▶︎

A classical “stone can’t go back home” situation. White cannot save seven stones since it would be self-atari.

This case is also “In cut we trust!”

Hints

Problem 1

Return to Problem 1