Customer Reviews

Go: A Complete Introduction to the Game (Beginner and Elementary Go Books)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd recommend this book if you don't know much about the game yet. It covers the rules of the game and most of the basic tactics. After reading it, I felt I had a good foundation to build on. Although I still have a lot to learn.

One thing especially nice about the book is that the chapters are separated by short articles describing a little of the history and culture of go and how it developed into it's current state.

The only drawbacks were that the author went a little too fast once or twice and the book lacked any questions for the reader to solve his/herself. (Well, it had three.)

I'm just getting started playing Go, and I found this book to be an excellent introduction. The author is an internationally prominent player, and his passion shows on nearly every page. However, he never forgets that he's writing an introductory book. The book is authoritative without ever being condescending or assuming that the readers know more than they do. It seemed nearly perfectly "pitched" to me.

The book very clearly lays out the rules of the game, most of the basic tactics, and some of the variations. It also makes clear a simple fact about Go: It doesn't take very much time to learn to play, but it probably takes a lifetime to truly master. When I finished reading the book, I truly felt I had a pretty good foundation for playing other similarly experienced players. However, I also felt that I still had a LOT to learn.

I really liked the short articles about the history of Go and the culture that has grown around it that are inserted between the chapters. They provide some context for what is being taught, and they're also a nice break in the "heavy" material.

Like all introductory books about all games, there is a drawback: There's no way to ask for more clarification or more examples. However, the pacing is good, the examples are clear, and the organization is logical.

After reading this book, you won't be a tournament-quality player. However, you will understand and enjoy the game, and you'll probably be inspired to learn more about it.

I have played GO for a long time.
Although this book is a introduction to the game, it is also a great help for skilled players.
It's usefull studying again the actual method and the meaning of the moves.
It is great fun reading the historical story of the Honnoji Temple affair related to the tripple ko.
Anyone of you might found it important to study the josekis and memorise them.
But I found it important to replay the actual games.
Learning all of the moves by heart, then repeat to put stones to the end of the game.
This book has an excellent example game, which was played between Cho Chikun and Kato Masao, who is a rival of Cho.
It's usefull studying and also worth learning all of the moves by heart.

Let's face it. You won't learn how to play go or even develop a style to playing the game from a book, any book. You'll learn it from playing the game.

But start here, just to learn the rules and learn what the game is all about.

After that, I do NOT recommend games against other people right away. The people you play will be so strong that you'll just get frustrated, or they'll be so weak that you won't learn much, win or lose. And the games will be slow and boring. Instead, get some go computer program (preferably one that lets you take back bad moves) and learn to smash the computer, first with 9x9 games, then with 13x13 games, and then with 19x19 games. Throw in some handicap stones, too!

Then read this book again. And maybe try Janice Kim's set of introductory books next, and some of the books of graded go problems. Then try your skills against some human opponents of about 8-kyu strength.

Although sometimes not as easy to follow as "Learn to Play Go" (frequently refers to earlier diagrams), this book is a good introduction to the game. Discusses pretty much the same topics as "Learn ...", with a little more detail regarding connecting, and shows us an actual game with commentary, which was very helpful in getting a better sense of how the game is played. "Learn to Play Go" is also an excellent place to start.

I just wrote a review about Kaoru Iwamoto's "Go For Beginners", because I bought both that book and Cho Chikun's in order to learn the basics of the game to re-read Kawabata's "The Master Of Go". There's a difference of level between the two introductions: This one actually works better, because it's less complicated, and although it focuses in the logic of Go, it gives you also a lot of Context: Chapters on History, equipment, the game in Japan, China and Korea, professional tournaments, international associations, Go and computers... In short: demystifies the game, and helps you come close to it before you tackle the real complexity and awe of Go. I still haven't found a partner to play, and although I downloaded "Goban" to play against my computer and it still kicks my derrière every single time I play, with Cho Chikun's book I can learn from defeat and, little by little, my game gets better.

My daughter wanted to learn and play Go from having been exposed to it in books she read. She got a little discouraged because I was beating her handily (and I was trying not to sometimes) when we just went off the rules and a few suggestions at web sites. I got her this book and within a few days she started beating me pretty regularly, even when I try hard. She is learning strategy and counter strategies and tweaky little rules. It will probably only get worse when she gets older, like say 8 or 9...

The didactic approach used is very useful to understand the link between the basic techniques exposed. It is helps me enjoy playing with a software pgm.

I am going to beat my brother. I am going to beat my brother. I am going to beat my brother......someday.

This book is excellent. I was taught the basic rules and had played a couple games online and with my brother, but this book helped me to put the pieces together coherently. My online ranking is in the low-mid 20 kyu's, and this is a good source to advance my game.

I really appreciated how the book broke up the learning chapters with history chapters. Made both the history and the Go strategy digestible without breaking focus on either. A very good book for someone at my level.

For a "no-nothing person about this game" I found it outstanding. Nothin was left to chance he covered everything for th beginner