Double Atari
A double atari is one of the first real tactics every Go player learns: a single move that threatens to capture two separate enemy groups at the same time. Your opponent can only rescue one of them, so the other is yours. Spotting double atari — and avoiding it yourself — wins a lot of beginner games.
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How double atari works
Atari means a group has only one liberty left and can be captured next move. A double atari puts two different enemy groups into atari with the same stone. Since a player can only make one move at a time, they can save just one group; you capture the other on your next turn. One clever stone, two threats, guaranteed profit.
How to spot a double atari
Look for two enemy stones or groups that each have two liberties, sitting so that a single point is a liberty of both. Playing that shared point drops both to one liberty at once. Cutting points are prime hunting grounds — right after you cut, the two split stones are often both short of liberties and vulnerable to a double atari.
Defending against it
The defense is to not leave two weak groups sharing a key liberty. Connect your stones before they can be double-attacked, keep important stones on more than two liberties, and watch your cutting points. When you sense a double atari coming, add a stone to raise one group's liberties or connect the two so a single move can't hit both.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a double atari in Go?
- A double atari is a single move that puts two separate enemy groups in atari — each with one liberty left — at the same time. The opponent can only save one, so you capture the other next move.
- How do I set up a double atari?
- Find two enemy groups that each have two liberties and share one common liberty, then play that shared point. Cutting the opponent's stones apart often creates exactly this weakness.
- How do I avoid being double-atari'd?
- Don't leave two weak groups sharing a key liberty. Connect vulnerable stones, keep important groups above two liberties, and defend your cutting points before your opponent can strike both at once.
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