Combat Series 4 - The Clamp

The Clamp is another nice attack with more general utility. For the example we will use one of the practice positions from 'Tesuji' by James Davies.

Here the clamp has just been played though you'd have to be in a bad place for your two stones to be that trapped (and the White P stone was possibly a mistake as well).

The clamp therefore restricts the future liberties of the trapped white stones to two and also the stone being clamped - which gives it it's strength.

White shouldn't try to save but if they did then there are 4? immediate moves. The usual book given ones are these

White connects giving itself 3 liberties but the cap stops all and white will still die. It can push south once and get an atari but black (in this case) just connects and white is counter atari'd.

Next we have the extension from the single stone

And Black just wedges. White could threaten an atari and black can just connect.

Next up we have white ataring immediately, black connects then white is just as trapped as before. If white extends as in position 22 then black should take the white stone otherwise white has escaped.

Finally we have white trying an empty triangle. Black should block the outside exit here (as otherwise a loose ladder starts).  White can no longer threaten the atari as his own 3 are now atariid.