MECANISMOS DE PREVENCION Y MONITOREO PREVENCIÓN

The original meaning of this stratagem is: Something that is already dead returns in another guise. A direct explanation is to use everything you can to realize your own plans.

Applying this to Go, we can understand it as: use the power of stones that are already lost to make a gain.

Any such gain would be free of cost. This plot always comes after abandoning some stones, which are then put to further use. You could say there is an inevitable relationship between this stratagem and sacrifice tactics. There are two possibilities for this stratagem. The first is that some of your stones were

captured earlier, and now that the time is ripe they can be utilized. The other possibility is that you abandon some stones on purpose, to put them to use. In the end, the aim is to take advantage of the situation to gain some profit.

Basic Figure: Chosen from the 1983 A^LL-C^HINA D^AN-L^EVEL P^ROMOTION TOURNAMENT. White to play. This is a game where yose will decide the victor. According to the rules of the tournament, Black does not give any komi, so White must put all effort into making maximum gain in en-dgame play. Seeking out Black's weakness and making an accurate attack is the key for this game.

Diagram 1: The placement of White 1 in the corner is something we often see. Here it is not very useful. Black blocks at 2, and after tsuke-shita at White 3, Black calmly plays guzumi at 4. (If Black 4 were played at a, then White would cut at b, and Black could not keep both the corner and the side.) With the attachment of White 5 and Black's hane at 6, there are

no big plays to make. His only gain is in pressing Black down. Playing the endgame this way to Black 20, White's territory is insufficient.

Figure 1 - Actual Game Continuation: White began with oki on this side at 1. Although there was no way to make life in the corner after Black's tetchu at 6, White was laying out his “corpse”

for the reincarnation stratagem.

Once he had something to use, the next step was to use it. White 7 was a probing move, timed perfectly.

Black could not omit 8. After the exchange of these two moves, White could capture three Black stones anytime in the future by playing at 29, so he already had some profit. Next he struck at 9, continuing with a gain of additional profit on the side.

By now, Black was in unusual difficulty. With all sorts of aji in the corner, it was already impossible to think of avoiding a loss on the side. Black resisted strongly at 10, and when White played hane at 11,

Black refused to give in. White settled the corner position with 13 and 15 and then played two strong moves: tobi at 17 and tsuki-atari at 19, break-ing Black's line of communication. Black had thoroughly collapsed. The de at 20 was his last resistance. But after White captured one stone with 25, he had the tactics of de at 27 and a ko starter at 29. For this ko, White had a threat at a on the upper side, and internal threats in the corner, so

Black could not win the ko.

Diagram 2: After White 7 in Figure 1, if Black stub-bornly refuses to allow White the profit arising from the capture of three stones by playing at 8, then after the exchange with White 9 and 11, White has a great move in the hasami at 13! If Black changes 14 to connect at 18 instead, then White can play watari at 31 in sente. Then he could start a ko fight with hasami at 16 to live in the corner. In the diagram, when Black ataris at 14, White plays sagari at 15. Then if Black wants to unconditionally kill White, he must turn at 16.

After White plays sagari at 17 and de at 19, 21 will pre-vent a Black play at 31 (due to a lack of liberties). In the variation up to White 33, Black loses four stones in oi-otoshi, and White connects to the outside.

Diagram 3: When White strikes at 9 in Figure 1, if Black changes his reply to the hane at 10 here, then White cuts at 11 intending to isolate +. Black resists stubbornly at 12, and after White ataris at 13, he can settle his position with 15 and 17. Then the simple kosumi at 19 is a beautiful move! Black cannot play at 28 immediately to reduce White's liberties, but rather can only play hane at 20.

White plays 21, 23, and 25 in good order. Black

has nowhere to retreat. White calmly connects at 27, forcing Black to play 28 to kill White (if he changes this to tachi at 29, White 28, Black 30 is the same). When White hanes at 31, Black must connect at 32, and sagari at 33 is another great move! Black cannot connect, and White has an abundance of liberties if Black wanted to try the semeai. Furthermore, if he did capture White, his compensation would not be enough. This is not good for Black.

Diagram 4: When White hanes at 11 in Figure 1, if Black is conciliatory and replies with 12 to shut White in, then White can destroy Black's ter-ritory by a further hane at 13, also making a good amount of profit. 27 is extremely valuable for yose, leaving behind aji in the corner that will

force Black to play out the semeai. The biggest move is hasami at 28. Then after 37 on through 49, White leads in total territory, and there is some potential in the center.

Black's corner still might be subject to the burden of the semeai. White is winning.

Diagram 5: As for White's initial invasion, the primary reason leading to Black's de-feat was his stubborn attempt to kill White, giving White myriad opportunities to utilize the dead stones. Black's best here was to patiently, submissively play tsuke at 2.

Then it would still be possible to contest the outcome of the game in yose. Carrying into the endgame, White's tsuke-hiki at 7 and 9 is largest. Then it would likely proceed from Black's kosumi on the second line at 10 through White 17.

Each would get one of the two points on the lower side at a or b. Black can pick one, then continue yose play in sente.

Although White has a slight edge, there is still latitude to fight it out.

Conclusion: White boldly adopted sacrifice tactics, then used the

“corpse” to help him gain some profit, securing victory. This speedy road to victory is entirely due to White's use of the stratagem of “Rein-carnation”.