Lesson 2 of 12
Capturing stones
4 min

Atari in Go: How to Escape and Which Way to Run

A stone or group with one liberty left is one move from capture. Spotting it, in your stones and your opponent's, is where every fight starts. You play Black.

Step 1 of 5

One liberty left
The white pair on E5 and F5 has one liberty left, F6, marked with a star. A group with one liberty is in atari: if its owner does nothing, it is captured next move. Here it is Black's turn, so Black could take both stones at F6.
Which group is in atari?
Count the liberties of each white group. Stones that touch share their liberties, and only the empty points straight next to a stone count, never the diagonals.
Question
Run toward open space
Your stone on C2 has two liberties, C1 and C3, and White's next move would put it in atari. Run first, and run toward open space. Down at C1, by the edge, your two stones would have three liberties, but White blocks at C3 and they are stuck on the first line. Up at C3 they have four, and the open board ahead.
Your move
Extend your stone on C2 toward open space.
Capture to escape
Your stone on E5 is in atari: its last liberty is E4. But look at White's stone on F5. It is in atari too, with one liberty, F4. The best escape is often a capture: take the stone that is attacking you, and you get its point as a liberty.
Your move
Save your stone on E5.
When not to run
Your stone on F2 is in atari, with its last liberty on F1. White's stones around it all have plenty of liberties, so there is nothing to capture. What should you do?
Question

What you learned

A group with one liberty is in atari: it is captured next move unless its owner acts.
Count a group's liberties together, and never the diagonals.
Run toward open space, away from the edge and the opponent's stones.
Capturing a stone that has you in atari is often the best escape.
Before you run, count. If running leaves you in atari, let the stone go.