Concept notes

Sacrifice stones  捨石

The single most important feature about sacrifice stones is that, if the opponent actually has to remove them, he can do so only by using more stones than he captures. Even a stone in the corner requires two to capture it. If you can successfully sacrifice in the centre, the return on your investment can multiply.

Investments can fall as well as rise, of course. Letting the opponent capture can give him eyes and thickness, so conditions need to be assessed first.

Sacrifice stones occur very often in tactical sequences such as squeezes and throw-ins. But they can also be used with a strategic motive. The thinking is essentially the same. That means the technique of adding stones to fatten the sacrifice also applies, and also that any uncaptured stones may also have aji.

Useful proverbs

• Nishi ni shite suteyo - Add a second stone before sacrificing
• Suteru to shun to wa daichigai - There's a big difference between sacrificing and dying
• Kanameishi wa suterubekarazu - Don't sacrifice important stones

© John Fairbairn & T Mark Hall (GoGoD), London 2007.