Capturing and escaping

Last updated: October 2, 2026

In Punigo, the player with more stones on the board at the end wins. Capturing your opponent's stones reduces their count and frees up space for your own stones. That is why reading out captures is at the heart of every game.

If you see atari, capture

A stone with only one liberty left (in atari) can be captured by playing on that liberty. Get into the habit of checking the board for stones in atari before every move. In Punigo, stones in atari look worried, which makes them easy to spot.

White is in atari. Black captures by playing at A.

If you are in atari, escape

When one of your stones is in atari, extend into its last liberty to escape. Extending gives the group more liberties, so it cannot be captured right away.

Black is in atari. Its only liberty is A.

After Black extends with 1, the group has 3 liberties.

Be careful, though: escaping in a direction where you gain no liberties, or where you are put straight back into atari, does not help. Before you run, count the liberties you will have after the move. Running toward your own stones and connecting to them is the safest choice. Running with stones that can't be saved only gets more of them captured; in that case, don't run, and play somewhere important instead.

Capture to save yourself

Running away is not the only answer when your stone is in atari. If a neighboring opponent stone is also in atari, capturing it saves your stone too, because the captured stones leave empty points that become your liberties.

The black stone in the middle is in atari (its only liberty is A). But the white stone to its right is in atari too (its only liberty is B).

If Black runs to A with 1, the only liberty left is B. White plays B and captures.

Black 1 at B captures the white stone. The empty point it leaves becomes a liberty, and Black is safe.

When you are put in atari, count the liberties of the neighboring opponent stones before you run.

Double atari

A move that puts two separate opponent stones (or groups) in atari at the same time is called a double atari. Your opponent can save only one of them, so you capture the other.

If Black plays at A, two separate white stones are in atari at once.

After Black 1, White can save only one of the two stones.

Give atari from their friends' side

When you chase your opponent's stones, the side you give atari from matters. If you leave open the side toward their friends, they will run there and connect. Instead, block the side where their friends are, and drive them toward the edge or your own stones.

The two white stones have two liberties, A and B. There is a white friend next to A.

Black 1 at A blocks the side toward the friend. Even if White runs with 2…

…White has a single liberty left below. Black 3 captures all three white stones.

If Black gives atari from B instead, White 2 connects to the white stone on the right and escapes.

The snapback

A snapback is a technique where you deliberately let your opponent capture one stone, then immediately capture their whole group in return.

Black 1 is placed where it can be captured at once, but it puts the three white stones in the top left in atari.

White 2 captures Black 1, but now the white group's only liberty is the point where Black 1 stood.

Black 3, on the same point as 1, captures all four white stones.

Black 3 is on the same point as Black 1, yet it does not break Rule 3, because four white stones disappear and the board does not return to an earlier position. When only one stone would be recaptured, the move can repeat a position and be illegal (see Rule 3).

Summary

Before every move, look for stones in atari (look for worried faces).
When you are in atari, escape in a direction that gains liberties or connects to your stones.
Even when you are in atari, you may be able to save yourself by capturing.
A double atari lets you capture one of two stones.
When chasing, give atari from the side where their friends are.

Problems 1–7 and 9 let you practice capturing and escaping. → 10 practice problems