The Fourth Directive

"Do not surrender framework stones lightly!"

Perhaps despite trying your very best to play GCS, you occasionally might find that your devilish opponent has managed to isolate one of your original framework stones. Although the more likely scenario is, that in the terms of GCS, previously in the game, you have been woefully negligent. Never mind! You now have a tricky situation to cope with. What to do?

Your first duty is to thoroughly check that, despite initial appearances, there really is no chance to connect. Look carefully at the possibility of killing some of the intervening opponent stones. If you can find a potential chink in the opponent's position you should continue to try to connect albeit, in order to prevent capture, you may first have to strengthen the framework stone under attack. However, if no potential weakness can be found then the framework stone should be demoted to ex-framework status.

In this messy situation, obeying GCS cannot guarantee to find the maximum move, but the fourth directive is designed for damage limitation. Because you will have previously invested much in your ex-framework stone, if needs be, it is sensible to spend just one extra move in making it live. Having played a defensive stone without a local reply from your opponent, do not be tempted to add a second stone - this would be far too inefficient. Another temptation to avoid is that of playing a defensive stone that maximises the territory but endangers a nearby framework link. The main aim must be to live without causing further problems. In these circumstances, territory is very much a secondary concern. However, if the adjacent framework stones are very strong, it is often possible to threaten to connect towards them in order to expand eye space whilst retaining the initiative. If this option is unavailable, then a good understanding of how to defend eye shape is required. Life and death can be very complicated so do not feel too aggrieved if your ex-framework stone dies - just make a mental note to follow the GCS directives more closely next time!

¨Coping with isolation