One point decides everything
Most small life-and-death shapes hinge on a single vital point — the intersection whose owner decides the outcome for both sides. Everything this chapter trained, liberties, atari and connection, converges here: one point worth more than a whole flank of ordinary moves. The habit to build: before defending or attacking a group, ask which single point you would hate your opponent to have, and play it first — because the move you skip there is the move they play there. This 3×3 ring is the cleanest specimen in Go: its centre is that point for life and for death alike. Black to play: find the vital point.