Position and endgame · Lesson 32
Area, territory and dead stones: count correctly
Before scoring, agree which groups can live and which cannot be saved. Dead stones are usually removed after both players agree, but being surrounded is not enough to declare death. If unsure, play it out or ask a teacher.
This game counts area: confirmed living stones plus empty points they surround. Black has 13 stones and 2 empty points here, totaling 15 locally. The full result must also compare White and include 7.5 komi. Captured stones are not added again.
Some books use territory scoring, combining surrounded empty points and captures under those rules. Traditional Chinese counting may instead compare one side’s area in stones with a reference total. Do not mix systems, especially by counting all on-board stones and adding captures again.
Stones confirmed alive in seki count under this game’s area rules; shared empty points belong to neither side. The app lists only what it can verify. Confirm the result against the real board. Unverified does not mean a draw.
Surrounding empty points
Original lessons by Yiban ·