Benson's algorithm (Go)

In the game Go, Benson's algorithm (named after David B. Benson) can be used to determine the stones which are safe from capture no matter how many turns in a row the opposing player gets, i.e. unconditionally alive.^[1]

Algorithm

Without loss of generality, we describe Benson's algorithm for the Black player.

Let X be the set of all Black chains and R be the set of all Black-enclosed regions of X. Then Benson's algorithm requires iteratively applying the following two steps until neither is able to remove any more chains or regions:

1. Remove from X all Black chains with less than two vital Black-enclosed regions in R, where a Black-enclosed region is vital to a Black chain in X if all its empty intersections are also liberties of the chain.
2. Remove from R all Black-enclosed regions with a surrounding stone in a chain not in X.

The final set X is the set of all unconditionally alive Black chains.^[2]

See also

• Computer Go
• Go strategy and tactics

References

1. Tapani Raiko (May 5, 2005). "Benson's algorithm". Retrieved March 21, 2012.
2. "Sensei's Library: Benson's Definition of Unconditional Life". Retrieved March 21, 2012.

• David B. Benson (1976). "Life in the game of Go" (pdf). Information Sciences (Elsevier) 10 (2): 17–29. doi:10.1016/s0020-0255(76)90554-5. Retrieved March 21, 2012.