Atari in Go
Atari is the moment a stone or group has just one liberty left — one move away from being captured. Learning to spot atari, and knowing when to defend it and when to let it go, is one of the first real skills every Go player builds.
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What atari means
A stone or group is in atari when it has exactly one liberty — one empty point next to it — remaining. It is not captured yet; it is one move from capture. The word comes from Japanese and is used the world over, a bit like saying "check" in chess: a warning that something is about to be taken.
Atari applies to whole groups, not just single stones. A connected chain of ten stones with only one shared liberty left is just as much in atari as a lone stone, and it comes off the board the instant that last liberty is filled.
How to respond to atari
You have a few choices. You can extend — play a stone next to the one in atari to gain new liberties. You can connect it to a nearby friendly group so they share liberties and become strong together. Or, if the attacking stones are themselves short of liberties, you can capture them first and escape that way.
You do not have to save every stone. Rescuing a single stone that is not doing important work can cost you moves better spent elsewhere. Strong players often let a stone in atari die and take a bigger point instead — a small sacrifice for a larger gain.
Using atari to attack — and when not to
Atari is a forcing move: your opponent usually must answer it or lose stones, which lets you take the initiative. A double atari — putting two separate groups in atari with a single move — is especially strong, because the opponent can only save one.
But atari is not always good. Playing atari just because you can often helps your opponent: they connect, get stronger, and you have gained nothing. A common piece of advice for improving players is simply "don't atari for no reason."
Frequently asked questions
- What does atari mean in Go?
- Atari means a stone or group has only one liberty left — it is one move away from being captured. It is a warning, not a capture yet.
- Is a stone in atari already captured?
- No. A stone in atari still has one liberty. It is captured only when that last liberty is filled by an opponent's stone.
- What is a double atari?
- A double atari is a single move that puts two separate enemy groups in atari at once. The opponent can only rescue one, so you capture the other.
- Should I always save a stone in atari?
- No. If the stone is not important, it is often better to let it go and play a bigger move elsewhere rather than spend moves rescuing it.
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