Xuanxuan Qijing Problem 35: White to play and kill
玄玄棋经 · Problem 35 of 347 · Two-stone sacrifice
Black's stones are tangled together and short of liberties. Give up two stones on the edge and watch what capturing them does to Black's own liberties.
How to solve it
This problem is known as 'Little Wire Net' (小鐵網勢). Its big sibling, Problem 213, has been called the emperor of life-and-death problems. White starts with C19, answered at D19, and E17, answered at E18. These two moves can be played in either order.
White then plays F19. Black answers at G19, White adds a second stone at F18, and Black captures both with E19.
White plays back at F18 and Black connects at G17. Now White captures four stones with C18. Six more black stones are left in atari, so Black has no time to play back under the stones, and the group dies.
Main line
- 1. White C19
- 2. Black D19
- 3. White E17
- 4. Black E18
- 5. White F19
- 6. Black G19
- 7. White F18
- 8. Black E19
- 9. White F18
- 10. Black G17
- 11. White C18
Solution checked against Sensei's Library.
Play it out on the board
Place the stones yourself and see the refutation when you miss. All the Xuanxuan Qijing problems as quick lessons.