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 the triangled black stones and no stone for White at the marked intersection. 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 diagonally adjacent stones are essentially disconnected without the third stone.
However even though the empty triangle is a prime example of bad shape, playing a move to create one can sometimes be useful. A good empty triangle has the name nozuki in Japanese.
The Empty Triangle is also the name of a popular series of comic panels about the game of Go that features personalities from the KGS Go Server. [1]
