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Go for Beginners
Published by Ishi Press in 1972, this book by Iwamoto Kaoru is very good for people just learning Go (and for refreshing your memory). The book has two parts. (The following refers to the original Ishi Press edition. The third printing in 1975 uses more English terms and fewer Japanese language terms. The 1976 Penguin edition has only two chapters in Part I, and all the later chapter numbers are therefore different.) Part I (ch. 1-3): The Rules Of Go, which includes a 9x9 demonstration game, and explanation of atari, ko, seki, and life and death (esp. making false eyes). Part II (ch. 4-12): Elementary tactics and strategy. This part of the book will give you a very solid Go education as he gets into various aspects of the game, including play along the side of the board, ladders (shicho), life and death, geta, semeai, snapback, and so forth. Chapter 9 is Life and Death. Chapter 10 is General Strategy, especially with corner play. Chapter 11 discusses the ranking system. Chapter 12 has two of Mr. Iwamoto's games, against Kitani in 1949 (jigo) and versus Shusai in 1926 (B+Res). There is also an appendix with the rules of Go (as they would have been in 1972), a glossary, and a 1972 list of Go organisations around the world. This is a very clear and readable book, which also contains several very good exercises in most sections. I recommend it. ContentsPreface .................................... 1 PART I: The Rules of Go .................... 2 Chapter 1: Introduction .................... 3 Chapter 2: Demonstration Game .............. 5 Chapter 3: Capture ........................ 12 Liberties ............................... 12 Solidly Connected Stones ................ 13 Suicide is Illegal ...................... 20 Ko ...................................... 21 Life and Death .......................... 28 False Eyes .............................. 32 Seki .................................... 40 PART II: Elementary Tactics and Strategy .. 46 Chapter 4: At the Edge of the Board ....... 47 Chapter 5: Shicho ......................... 59 Chapter 6: Geta and Loose Ladders ......... 62 Chapter 7: Semeai ......................... 64 Chapter 8: Snap-back and Oiotoshi ......... 72 Chapter 9: Life and Death ................. 76 Eye Shape ............................... 76 The Death Blow from Within .............. 80 The Death Blow from Without ............. 80 Cutting Points .......................... 82 Throw-in Plays .......................... 83 Me Ari Me Nashi ......................... 84 Bent Four in the Corner ................. 85 Chapter 10: General Strategy .............. 94 The Corners are Important ............... 94 Shimari ................................. 96 Extensions .............................. 98 Kakari ................................. 102 The 3-3 Point Invasion ................. 105 Hasami ................................. 107 Make Territory While Attacking ......... 108 Thickness .............................. 109 Chapter 11: Ranks and Handicaps .......... 114 Chapter 12: Example Games ................ 120 Appendix: The Rules of Go ................ 138 Glossary ................................. 140 Go Organizations ......................... 142 Main author: Tim Brent This is a copy of the living page "Go for Beginners" at Sensei's Library. (C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0. |