| Cuts

Think of it as the separation of stones

I promised you some tips on capturing stones, and this is one of them: Divide and conquer.

By cutting an opponent, we are separating his group into two. In doing so, we prevent the two groups of stones from connecting. If you want to put pressure on your opponent, this is a crucial technique. Taking care of one group is easy. Having to take care of two groups and possibly having to find two eyes for both at once is not so easy.

But beware! Separating the stones of your opponent by cutting often creates two separate groups for yourself as well and it often leads to fighting. Timing your cuts is important. You should first make sure that your stones are stronger than your opponent’s. Otherwise you might be the one who will be under a lot of pressure. Check out these puzzles to get the idea.