When I notice my opponent (usually White) trying to make 3 groups in 9x9, I switch my focus to keeping them disconnected and connecting my own groups, and I almost always find that one of them dies naturally, swinging the balance dramatically in my favor.
However, in my last two correspondence games my opponents - one of each color - managed to live with three groups!
(The second was a handicap 2 game so I guess White really had to do something crazy like that to have a chance.)
I still won both but thought that was interesting and would be happy to hear others’ ideas or see more examples.
Doesn’t it depend on the skill level of the players? Beginning players might be able to keep 4 or 6 groups alive, if their opponent can’t kill them. Advanced players, with better play, might have a natural 2 or 3 group limit. In my case, in between, I’ve sometimes kept 4 groups alive, and sometimes none, so my skill level proves nothing at all. Of course, with perfect play on both sides, there must be a fixed limit. But the OP doesn’t say that play is ideal or perfect.
After a bit of doodling I got 5 living black groups.
Five seems to be the maximum number of groups on 9x9.
But maybe smarter minds than me will prove me wrong.
I’m starting to get the feeling that a “formally prove upper and lower bounds for the number of live groups on an nxn board” thread is in the making, here, lol
I think this board has radically different scores in area and territory counting, because of eyes in seki.
Japanese rules I count 4 points black, 6.5 white (basically komi, no points on the board).
Chinese rules 45 black, 36.5 white.
But, as a constructed position, there are 37 black stones on the board and 30 white stones. So 7 difference in prisoners makes black ahead by 4.5 in japanese rules and ahead by 8.5 in chinese rules.
Difference of 4 and there are 4 black eyes in seki. Seems to add up…
Edited for math and score difference of 1 disappeared!
