Learn To Play Go Series

Learn to Play Go by Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun. Published by Good Move Press, the publishing arm of Samarkand.

Volume I A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game

This is a basic introduction to the rules of the game along with such starting points as very simple life and death and the Tiger's Mouth connection. It contains a board and some cardboard "stones".

Volume II The Way of the Moving Horse

Way of the Moving Horse teaches about the relationship between stones, or haengma, as well as the basics of approach, bases and extensions, basic attack and defense, capture races, ko fighting, life and death, and the tactics involved in contact fighting.

Volume III The Dragon Style

Divided in to two parts, the first part of The Dragon Style goes into the "virtues and sins" of Go--vague concepts that apply to attitude while playing. The second part of this book contains three detailed game reviews at various levels of handicap. Finally, at the end, there are some problems to "test yourself" on material that was discussed in book.

Volume IV Battle Strategies

Battle Strategies is about the middle game. Invasion and Reduction, battle strategies, where to attack and what moves to look at when attacking, and taking care of/abandoning your stones as appropriate. Later the book gets more into the fundamentals of life and death, a couple of related tesuji, capturing races, and an overview of ko fighting. Like her other books, this one concludes with "test yourself" section.

Volume V The Palace of Memory

The first part of Palace of Memory is all about tactics--shape and "templates" for close-in fighting. Then it goes on to an overview of strategic concerns in the opening, such as what moves are big, a couple of common jungsuk, and a guide to the endgame that discusses determining the value of different plays and the different forms of sente.

There is an epub ebook version and also one for the iPad.

Janice Kim has a Learn to Play Go Blog, begun 27 December 2011.