Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Lesson 142: Mastering Carpenter’s Square (5)

In the previous lesson, you've seen two variations of the Carpenter's Square, one with an empty intersection and the other with a bend. There can be other ways to go further with more variations, but mine are a different example with an empty intersection, and another one with two bends. I hope they help you become less dizzy. Diagram 1 The position in this diagram is different in two ways from the basic Carpenter's Square; there is no black stone at A to make Black's shape perfect, and White's siege has an empty intersection also at A. To tell the conclusion first, these two points kill the black group. Of course, the fatal attacking point here is White 1. Diagram 2 I expect now you will try Black 2 as the first possible move. However, because Black has a stone at 10, the attempt to make a dual-life as before cannot succeed. Diagram 3 It is obvious that Black 2 is not any better as White can play 9 after the exchange of White 7 and Black 8. Therefore, if Black's shape is flawed with A, it cannot be saved even with a ko. Diagram 4 However, a prese

Apr 10, 2008

Lesson 141: Mastering Carpenter’s Square (4)

We've seen the simplest example of the Carpenter's Square in the last three lessons. There was no empty point, and the shapes of both the defending and the attacking sides were flawless. From today, we're going to study more complicated versions of the Carpenter's Square. The meaning of the moves will change, and you will become more confused. Diagram 1 The position we will study in this diagram lacks a stone at the x-marked point. Different from the one we dealt with in the previous lessons, this one is less artificial. In fact, we can often meet this position in a real game with a variation of a 4-5 point joseki. The sequence from 1 to 9 shows how this shape is made. Black 6 is played elsewhere. Diagram 2 Of course, the empty point works favorably for Black rather than White, but it is still not possible for Black to avoid a ko fight to save the group. White attacks with 1, the vital point of this shape, and Black 2 is the easiest way to make a ko as you already know. The result will be the same, even if White plays A and Black answers with B before White's be

Apr 3, 2008

Viagra Changed Bedroom Culture

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Last Thursday marked the 10-year-anniversary of Viagra. The small blue pill has changed much in the bedroom since commercial sales began in 1997. More than 35 million men from 120 countries have taken 1.8 billion Viagra pills and the drug is still the most prescribed in the world. Six men swallow a Viagra pill every second. The drug was originally intended to treat hypertension. Doc. Rober Furchgott, Louis J Ignarro and Ferid Murad, who were involved in the development of the pill, received the Prix Galien in 2000 for the happiness it brought to bedrooms. The drug is still known to be also effective for mountain sickness and fat heart muscles. Many sex experts say Viagra isn't simply a drug but something that has changed bedroom culture. While many men don't talk about their sexual problems, the pill brought their shortcomings to light. Their ``malfunctions'' could be easily tended to with the blue pill, they say. Celebrities, teachers and all kinds of people rushed to their urologists for prescriptions and talked about the ``magic pill'

Mar 30, 2008

Lesson 140: Mastering Carpenter’s Square (3)

When you solve a life and death problem, you often try all the possible moves in the position to find the answer. But, even in a small local position, it is a huge task to check all the possible moves. For example, you've seen only two attacking methods in a Carpenter's Square and several possible answers for each, and there are many more variations still left. Therefore, if you don't know the key points of the shape and if you don't know what the attacking options are, you will not find the answer in time during a real game. Diagram 1 White's bend with 1 is another probable attack of the Carpenter's Square. As you may know, it is possible only when there is an ally such as the ▲-marked white stone here. Diagram 2 Black 2 may be the move against White's bend that comes to every player's mind. However, that move causes a death to Black. White 3 is a brilliant move in this case and there is no way Black can save the group after White 5. It doesn't help Black's situation to play at A instead of descending down with 4. White will block with B against Black A, forcing Bla

Mar 27, 2008

How to Deal With Spring Fatigue

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter It's spring ― time for flowers to blossom, fields to turn green and people to feel lazy all day. Experts say this spring fatigue is associated with the fact that daylight has become longer which affects people's biorhythms and hormonal cycles. Prof. Oh Seung-won of Konkuk University said spring fatigue includes sleepiness, lack of concentration, loss of appetite, and in some cases, dizziness. However, since it is not a disease, a good diet and some exercise will produce beneficial results. He said if one feels lazy, then it's better take a nap for 10-20 minutes rather than trying too hard to ward off sleepiness. ``Having a good sleep, getting a good rest can relieve symptoms a little,'' he said. However, if symptoms persist for more than 3-4 weeks, one should visit a doctor. Fatigue or laziness are two among many early symptoms of hepatitis, anemia, and thyroid or liver disease. Here are few tips for you to overcome spring fatigue. 1. Avoid smoking, and drinking coffee and alcohol: Drinking coffee to simply override sleepine

Mar 23, 2008

Lesson 139 : Mastering Carpenter’s Square (2)

By Nam Chi-hyung In the previous lesson, we learned the most basic variations that would take place when the symmetrical vital point of a Carpenter's Square is attacked. In this lesson, you will see what else is possible for an attack, and the proper ways of defending. Diagram 1 Apart from White's attacking move 1, the overall situation is the same as the one we dealt with in the last lesson. Before learning how to answer it as Black, remember that White 1 is only possible when there is no empty intersection between the black stones in the corner and the surrounding white stones. Since we already know that A is the vital point of the Carpenter's Square, let's start with Black's answer there. You still remember that most of the variations of this shape end with a ko, don't you? Diagram 2 The sequence from Black 2 to Black 8 shows a way that turns the corner into a ko fight, and of course, this is the best result Black can get. You may wonder why White didn't play at A, which turns the corner instantly into a ko, but chose to bend at 5 instead. If so, then please

Mar 20, 2008

Is Your Kidney Okay?

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Last Thursday was World Kidney Day. But how much do we really know about the organ? The Korean Society of Nephrology gave The Korea Times some details. Two kidneys weigh only about 300 grams. They are behind our waist bone. They look like a five-inch long bean about the size of a child's fist. They receive blood from the heart, usually about a liter per minute, filter waste which leaves the body in the form urine. They also absorb amino acids and glucose and remove nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur and balance the water level inside the body to maintain the right osmotic pressure. About 97.2 percent of kidney patients first visit hospital without any idea about what is wrong with them. According to research, of the 329,581 men and women who visited 39 large hospitals for regular health checks in 2005, 7.7 percent were diagnosed with kidney problems. Doctors say symptoms become noticeable once the kidneys are only functioning about 50 percent. ``They slowly affect your body,'' Prof. Cho Won-yong of Korea University said. Once the fil

Mar 16, 2008

Lesson 138 : Mastering Carpenter’s Square (1)

By Nam Chi-hyung Have you ever heard of the Carpenter's Square? It is one of the most difficult life and death positions in Baduk. In addition, they say that anyone who masters this position must be at least a 5-dan since there are various types of Carpenter's Square. Before we go any further, I'll tell you a small secret. Whenever I am asked about the variations of the Carpenter's Square, I just say "it's a ko" without reading thoroughly, and this works most of the times. While there are plenty of different ways to make a ko with a carpenter's square, there is no difference in the fact that it ends up as a ko, no matter what. Well, let's take a closer look. Diagram 1 Black's position is the famous Carpenter's square; we will start with the basic arrangement of the position, with white stones surrounding the black stones without any empty points. Black occupies a pretty big space and looks safe, but it is actually vulnerable to White's attack. As you may guess, A is the vital point for both White and Black. Furthermore, B and C can be good attacking moves for White when

Mar 13, 2008

Prevent Your Body From Yellow Dust Effect

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter This spring will be a time to take extra care of your skin as the worst case of the yellow dust syndrome is to hit Korea. The Korea Meteorological Administration says the dust will be thicker and will occur more regularly. The yellow dust does not affect only your respiratory organs an eyes, but also your skin. The minute particles can get into the pores of the skin and cause skin trouble, dermatologist Kim Ji-suk said. Considering that one cannot avoid going outside, one has to find the most effective way to minimize the dust's damaging effects. Kim and another dermatologist Lee Sang-hun gave the following advice. 1. Wash often: After being outdoors, be sure to wash your hands and feet. Use cleanser and warm water to wash away the small particles. Also, brush your teeth more often. Brushing helps take away the dust on your teeth. Rinse the inside of your nose with saline solution. Do the same with the eyes. 2. Use a mask: Those who have respiratory problems make sure you wear a mask. Many types of masks are available at pharmaci

Mar 9, 2008

Lesson 137: Popular Openings (8)

By Nam Chi-hyung Many people love Baduk because of its unlimited diversity. A small change in just one move can create a totally different version of a game. There are many ways you can experience this fantastic feature of Baduk, and the joseki we've learned in the previous lesson can be one of them. Diagram 1 The small change is White 1, which is played not at A but one line lower. Assuming that Black and White will play in the same way as when White 1 is at A, there will be no follow-up move for Black after White 13. As you see, now Black's approach with B cannot affect the white group in the lower left corner as before. Diagram 2 White's position is also good with this sequence, since the corner territory of White is more secure than the one with White 1 at A. Diagram 3 Therefore, when White plays 1 with a knight's move, it's good for Black to press from above with 12 and 14 as shown. It is a cool way to protect the weakness at A, since Black can attach at B if White comes out at A. You can compare this with the situation where White 1 is at C. H

Mar 6, 2008

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