Home > Steve > Go > Problem of the month

January 1998's Go Answer of the Month

Dia 1 - Ladder problem 'A'.

Near the beginning of Kageyama's "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go", he poses a ladder problem and then says that you should practice reading ladders until you can do them correctly.

Here are two diagrams, with 3/4 of the board as Kageyama, and 1/4 modified. (No consideration has been given to whether the resulting board situation is plausible.)

Which ladders, if any, work? Try to read it out in your head, either on screen or on a real board. Try not to use fingers, stones or mice to 'help'.

Dia 2 - Ladder problem 'B'.

Dia 3 - Ladder answer 'A'.

(I've coloured the board to make it easier to see the white stones.)
Yes, the ladder works despite the bend in the middle. Black captures all the White stones.

Dia 4 - Ladder answer 'B'.

No, this one doesn't work. By 40, White has captured two Black stones and has ample liberties.

Extra fun?

"Optional" - Read the ladders out assuming that the top right corner moves one point to the left and one point to the right.
No answers will be given to this, work it out yourself.

Home > Steve > Go > Problem of the month
British Go Association
Last updated 2004-08-10
This page is part of http://www.stocton.org/
Email: webmaster@stocton.org