is a
Japanese term in the game of
Go that refers to capturing a single stone, resulting in a
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
shape. The shape of the remaining capturing stones is considered to be very strong, due to its influence in all directions. A certain
Go proverb
Go proverbs are traditional proverbs relating to the game of Go, generally used to help one find good moves in various situations during a game. They are generalizations and thus a particular proverb will have specific situations where it is not ...
says: "A Ponnuki is worth 30 points".
A diamond shape (4 stones touching the same empty spot) is considered a ponnuki only when constructed by capturing the middle stone.
Depending on the context (other stones on the board), a ponnuki may be strong and
thick but inefficient (''overconcentrated'').
Etymology
The word ''ponnuki'' (ポン抜き) breaks up into ''pon'' and ''nuki'', in which ''pon'' is the sound of a cork when taken from a bottle, while ''nuki'' means "taking out" (noun), the expression means, 'to pop the cork', a poetic reference to taking the stone out of the centre.
References
Ponnuki on Sensei's Library
{{Go (game)
Go shapes