The Ladder in Go (Shicho)
A ladder, called shicho in Japanese, is one of the first real tactics every Go player learns: a relentless chase that keeps an enemy group in atari, move after move, down a diagonal staircase until it reaches the edge and is captured. The catch is that a single friendly stone in its path — a ladder breaker — can make the whole chase fail, so you must read it to the end before you start.
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How a ladder works
A ladder begins when you put a single enemy stone in atari. If your opponent tries to escape by extending, you simply atari again from the other side. Because each extension only ever reaches two liberties and you immediately take one away, the group can never get ahead — it staggers diagonally across the board in a zig-zag until it hits the edge with nowhere left to run.
- Put the lone stone in atari.
- When it extends, atari again from the alternating side.
- Keep chasing diagonally toward the edge of the board.
- At the edge the group runs out of liberties and is captured.
Ladder breakers — why a ladder can fail
A ladder only works if nothing friendly to the running group lies along the diagonal path. If even one of the chased player's stones is already waiting ahead, the escaping group connects to it, gains fresh liberties, and the chaser is left with a string of weak, cutting stones — often a disaster. That waiting stone is called a ladder breaker.
Because of this, you must read the ladder all the way to the edge before you start it. Beginning a ladder that doesn't work is one of the most painful mistakes in Go.
Reading a ladder before you play
- Trace the diagonal staircase in your mind, all the way to the edge.
- Check whether any of the running player's stones sit on or near that path.
- If the path is clear, the ladder captures; if a breaker waits, don't start it.
- When in doubt, a net (geta) can often capture without needing a clean ladder path.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a ladder in Go?
- A ladder is a forcing sequence that keeps an enemy group in atari down a diagonal staircase until it is captured at the edge. Each time the group extends, you atari again from the other side so it never gains a second free liberty.
- What is a ladder breaker?
- A ladder breaker is a friendly stone (to the running group) sitting in the ladder's diagonal path. When the chased group reaches it they connect, gain liberties, and the ladder fails — so always check the path before starting a ladder.
- Does a ladder always capture?
- No. A ladder only works if its diagonal path to the edge is clear of the running player's stones. If a ladder breaker waits ahead, the chase fails and usually backfires on the chaser.
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