45 Three Move Life and Death Problems
White to Play
Composed by Fukui Masaaki 8 dan and published in the 45 Three Move Life and Death Problems booklet as a supplement to Kidō, October 1989.
Extending is the Only Move
*But what then?
Show Answer
Correct Solution (Extending is the Only Move)
Everything else aside, extending with White 1 is the essential move here. Should Black connect at 2, the diagonal attachment of White 3 settles things at once. Here is a textbook case of one eye having an eye in the corner and the other not [me-ari-me-nashi].
Diagram 1 (Simple and Easy)
If Black defends at 2, White captures at 3 and that is it.
Diagram 2 (Alive)
Just capturing with White 1 is a failure after Black 2. Next, since capturing White’s two stones is sente [because Black has to be prevented from making a second eye in the space where the two stones were captured], Black will live unconditionally in the corner.
Next Week’s Problem
Black to Play
Composed by Akiyama Jiro 3 dan and published in Kidō, May 1994.
