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  • Lesson 3 of 12
  • Capturing stones
  • 3 min

The Ladder in Go: Chase a Stone to the Edge

A stone in atari can run. But sometimes every step it takes leaves it in atari again, and the chase ends at the edge of the board. That chase is one of the first techniques Go players learn. You play Black.

Step 1 of 3

  1. A zigzag to the edge

    White's stone on F5 has two liberties, F6 and G5. Black ataris at F6, and White runs to G5: two liberties again, G6 and H5. Black ataris at H5, and White runs to G6. Each atari leaves White two liberties at most after it runs, never three, so the chase zigzags toward the top right until White reaches the edge and Black takes six stones at J8. This chase is a ladder.

  2. Run a ladder

    The same shape, turned round. White's stone on D5 has two liberties, C5 and D4. Atari it, and keep going: after every run, atari from the side that leaves White two liberties at most, not three. White runs each time it is in atari.

    Your move

    Capture the white stone in a ladder.

  3. Which stone breaks the ladder?

    Black wants to ladder the stone on F5 again, but this time White has three more stones on the board. One of them stands in the ladder's way: White's running stones reach it, connect to it and break out. That stone is a ladder breaker. Which one is it?

    Question

What you learned

  • A ladder is a chase of ataris that zigzags a group to the edge.
  • Atari from the side that leaves the running group two liberties at most, never three.
  • A stone of the runner's colour in the ladder's path breaks it. Read the path before you start.
  • A ladder that doesn't work leaves your own stones full of weaknesses, so don't start one you haven't read.

In this course

Unit 1The rules

  1. Go Rules: Liberties, Capture, Ko and Scoring

Unit 2Capturing stones

  1. Atari in Go: How to Escape and Which Way to Run
  2. The Ladder in Go: Chase a Stone to the Edge
  3. The Net in Go (Geta): Capture Without an Atari
  4. Snapback in Go: Give Up One Stone, Capture More
  5. Capturing Races in Go (Semeai): How to Win Them

Unit 3Life and death

  1. Two Eyes in Go: Why a Group With Two Eyes Lives
  2. False Eyes in Go: Why Some Eyes Don't Count
  3. The Vital Point in Go: Kill or Live in One Move

Unit 4First strategy

  1. Go Strategy: Corners First, Then Sides, Then Centre
  2. Connect and Cut in Go: Keep Your Stones Together
  3. Ending a Game of Go: Borders, Passing and Dead Stones

Lessons for every game

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