Estimated Problem Book Difficulty (version 7)

This page contains strictly problem books, and does not include theory or other books.

Note that levels are recommendations for when to start, not when they stop being effective. Estimates are KGS based and are approximate guesses from various sources. It’s recommended to solve problem books multiple times, including upside down and sideways.

This page is meant to serve two purposes:

1. Provide an estimated difficulty for those interested in the given books
2. Give a structured and progressive guide for those who incorporate problems into their training.

Problem Books

25k - 10k

• Level Up series (25k - 10k)
• Graded Go Problems for Beginners v2 (18k - 12k)
• Elementary: Life and Death (15k - 10k)
• Graded Go Problems for Beginners v3 (12k - 8k)
• 1001 Life and Death (12k - 5k)
• Get Strong at Tesuji (12k - 5k)
• Making Good Shape (12k - 8k)
• All About Life and Death v1-2 (12k - 5k)

10k - 5k

• Jump Level Up v1 - v5 (10k - 1k)
• Graded Go Problems for Beginners v4 (8k - 3k)
• 200 Tesuji Problems (8k - 3k)
• Intermediate Problems (8k - 3k)
• Maeda Beginner (7k - 3k)
• Weiqi Life and Death Drills v1 (7k - 3k)
• 200 Endgame Problems (6k - 2k)
• Get Strong at the End Game (6k - 1d)
• 501 Tesuji (5k - 1d)
• 501 Opening (5k - 1d)
• Get Strong at Life and Death (??)
• Get Strong at Invading (??)
• Get Strong at Attacking (??)

5k - 1k

• Graded Go Problems for Dan Players v1, 2 (5k - 2d)
• Maeda Intermediate (4k - 2k)
• Rescue and Capture (4k - 1k)
• Lee Changho’s Life and Death v. 1-6(4k - 2d)
• Lee Changho’s Tesuji v. 1-6 (4k - 2d)
• Weiqi Life and Death Drills v2 (4k - 1d)
• Book to Increase Your Fighting Strength v1, 2 (4k - 2d)
• Segoe Tesuji Dictionary (3k - 2d)
• Maeda Advanced (2k - 1d)
• Gokyo Shumyo (2k - 2d)
• Get Strong at the Opening (2k - 2d)

1d+

• 1000 Weiqi Problems (1d+)
• Cho U no Tokusen Tsumego (1d+)
• Graded Go Problems for Dan Players v4, 5 (1d+)
• Guanzi Pu (2d+)
• Xuanxuan Qijing (2d+)
• Xian Ji Wu Ku (2d+)
• Genran (2d+)
• Creative Life and Death v1,2 (2d+)
• Weiqi Life and Death Drills v3 (2d+)
• Cho U Tsumego (2d+)
• Creative Life and Death v3-5 (3d+)
• Shikatsu Myoki (5d+)