life and death
Determining whether a connected group of stones can survive permanently or will eventually be captured.
Also known as
In Go, life and death is the process of determining whether a connected group can survive permanently or will eventually be captured. Its status is settled by reading tactical sequences involving liberties, eyes, vital points, captures, and defensive or attacking moves. This makes life and death essential for evaluating groups and solving tactical problems about survival or capture.
Life-and-death analysis concerns the final status of a group, while a capturing race primarily compares the liberties and tactical resources of opposing groups. Two eyes usually establish unconditional life, but a group may also survive through seki or other rule-dependent situations. Apparent eyes must be checked carefully, since they may be false eyes.
This term in other languages