ladder breaker
A stone or move that disrupts an opponent’s ladder before it can capture.
Also known as
shicho atarishicho-atari
A ladder breaker is a stone placed in the path of a potential or ongoing ladder. By interfering with the ladder sequence, it makes the intended ladder capture fail or forces the opponent into a different continuation. Its purpose is to prevent the ladder from working and preserve stones that would otherwise be captured.
Unlike a ladder, which is the capturing sequence itself, a ladder breaker is the outside stone or tactical move that disrupts that sequence. Its effectiveness depends on the exact ladder path: the breaker may be capturable or irrelevant if the ladder can turn or continue elsewhere.
This term in other languages