Seems like the first question from the Shikatsu Myoki is quite easy :) Indeed it is. If you have heard of the proverb “There is death in the 1-2 point”, you will be able to solve the problem immediately. In fact, there are only perhaps 5 or 6 things to remember when solving tsumego. These are the few things that I often think about:

1. Hane (so as to reduce eye shape. also other ways to reduce eye-space is always good)
2. Placement (to kill eyes, or make false eye)
3. Look at the 1-2 point because the corner is one little eye)
4. Play in a way that result in the opponent do not have enough liberties, especially when the opponent cannot block you because of lack of liberty. This normally has something to do with the triangle shape).
5. Sente, sente all the way. If opponent does not answer, it is death immediately.
6. Create miai situations for eyes, i.e. opponent can only make one eye and cannot make both eyes at the same time because each player can only play one stone at a time.

So, the answer to the previous problem is to first start at the 1-2 point, then use the atari so that it facilitates the hane which then result in the lack of liberty. Here is the sequence:

To be able to find the 1-2 point i.e. S19 is not too hard, is it? But to be able to visualise the R17 atari first and understand that white is immediately dead is a sign that you are quite good, perhaps at least 5-6kyu and above. Because if you see that, you know that if white answer at Q17, you can next play at T18 and white cannot block at T17 because of lack of liberty and thus leaving S19 a false eye. And you also understand that if white does not answer our atari at Q17 and capture your S19 stones instead you will capture the R16 and Q16 stones and after that make the point T17 and R18 miai, and white is left dead. If you can see R17 and understand all that, you are quite okay :)

Now, the next few questions is also actually not very hard but I found myself having problems with this one, the 8th problems in the Shikatsu Myoki and my mind became muddled and I cannot see all the variations clearly although I have a feeling inside that black is in a dangerous situation. But how EXACTLY, can white kill black? What are black’s strongest refutations?

White to play and kill black. What do you think? Will the normal tsumego techniques help?