Cutting and connecting

●	Connecting
	Black has stones on the vertical line and White on the horizontal.
	If it’s his turn, where should Black play next? Or White if it’s his turn?
	Click the buttons below to see the correct moves.

	If either Black or White connects, making a single line of stones, then the opponent's stones will be split into two and will not be able to link up.
	Stones that are split up are isolated. It's easy for the opponent to capture such stones and hard for them to make territory.
●	Connecting diagonally
	What happens with stones linked up diagonally?
	Stones linked diagonally are also connected and they also split up the opponent's stones. However, a diagonal connection is not perfect, so you have to be careful when the opponent plays next to them. If you don't look after them, they may end up being separated.
●	Cutting
	Let's suppose that White has played stones next to the Black stones, as in the diagram below. White is attempting to make a cut. What should Black do?
	Playing at 1 is the correct answer. Black 1 links up his stones and prevents White from cutting.　It also keeps White’s stones separated.
●	Failure
	If Black plays somewhere else, for example, at 1 here, White can cut him into two with 2.
	Both the White and the Black stones are split up, so there’s going to be trouble. If Black had seized his opportunity to connect all his stones, he would have had an overwhelming advantage. Now it is no longer clear who has the advantage. A fight will follow in which one side will probably be captured.