Empty triangle
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In the game of Go, the empty triangle is the most fundamental example of the concept of bad shape.
It consists of a formation (or subformation) of three stones of one colour, occupying a compact arrangement in a 2×2 square, like Black at
- C4, C5, D4
and no stone for White at D5. If the triangle is filled by a stone of the opponent's at the fourth point of the 2×2, the shape is neutral — not necessarily good or bad.
The deficiencies of the empty triangle are two-fold. Three stones in a straight line have eight liberties, while in an empty triangle they have only seven. When tactics start this can mean the difference between success and failure. Also the formation lacks in efficiency. In the case cited, the stones at C5 and D4 are essentially connected (via C4 and D5), so the stone at C4 is somewhat redundant.
