Customer Reviews

Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go (Beginner and Elementary Go Books)

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4 star:		(1)
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This is a famous book in the Go community. It is the only one we know which is good to read early on (after say 6 months of playing), but which remains a source of fresh insights even after 20 years of playing. I reread it regularly, always enjoy its strange style, and always come back with a better grasp of the fundamentals -- yet again. It is not that you forget them in the meantime, just that they sink in ever deeper with every game you play, so that with every rereading you recognize more of Kageyama's insights explicitly.

This book covers an area that other good go books don't: basic common sense of go. Rather than talking about attack, life and death, territory, it talks about things that a wise teacher might say to a student. It's definitely worth buying this book to learn those concepts that aren't talked about in most go books. The author makes the book very personal with even a few unrelated stories that are still interesting (like going to the movies as a child).

One of the things that really affected me was his talk about ladders. He says that everyone should go back to this and learn to work them out in their head, even when it means thinking 30 or so moves in advance. For the lazy (which includes most of us), he say's he'll grab us by the scruff of the neck and smack some sense into us showing that we CAN solve these things and not to try to rely on tricks or formulas.

With his no-nonsense style, and quick wit, Toshiro Kageyama takes you thorugh 'the basics' of Good Go. Go, like mathematics, is a language (one of its many names is literally translated as 'handtalk'). Here, Kageyama is teaching us how to spell.

We are provided with easy-to-follow instruction and guided problems in chapters on Life and Death, Ladders (including spiral ladders); Territory and Spheres of Influence; How to study Joseki; Good Shape and Bad; Endgame Pointers; and my favorite, Tesuji (snap-backs and the like).

Kageyama also gives us a general feel for how the stones 'move' on the board, and the direction of play. These Lessons, and his writing style, combine with anecdotes from his professional career and television appearances to make this a wholly enjoyable book.

More on his style: The effect of Kageyama's writing is as if he's right there with you; very conversational. He will encourage and support, but he will also slap your hand if you are not paying attention. Make no mistake, his sole intention is that you express yourself, get better, and have fun along the way.

Beginners around 20 kyu and below:
You may want to concentrate on learning the alphabet, so to speak. But you should know that this book has some very simple 'words'. As soon as you feel comfortable playing on a 19x19 board, then find this book.

Kageyama packs the book full of useful instruction, given in a chatty style with the occasional self-deprecating humour. While not a book for the absolute beginner, he surprises many readers by starting with ladders. But he shows that they are excellent training for reading (calculating) ability which also builds self-confidence during a game.

The book also covers strategic principles, typical endgame play (and a common mistake by handicap takers), josekis (corner openings).

Of course, in such a game full of complex possibilities, books can't solve everything. For example, I presume it requires experience way beyond his book to know whether a move is "proper" or "slack".

I personally find this book very useful (at least for myself, but I believe as well for many of you guys). It is especially true if you read it the second and the third time. When I review my own game, I can find out a lot of mistakes which Kageyama has mentioned in the book. (Like forget to struggle to go ahead) There is a Go competition during summer, and I have just finished this book the third time. Some of the tesuji in the book is very useful.

I guess it will be good to learn the basic rule of the Go game and then play for a while. (may be a hundred game), then start reading this book. Then you can get the most out of it. (I believe Kageyama himself has suggested us to play for many games to get the feeling first. He mentioned player usually meet barrier at around 11-13kyu, 5-6kyu and 1-2kyu. So I guess if one train up to around 15kyu and then start reading this book, it will be very useful. And then review the book once a while. Get the fundamental idea in your mindset. And you will find Go even more interesting

This book is an endless source of information. As you get better at go, you get more and more out of it. When I first started playing, I learned little from the book but I did learn valueble basic tactics such as the net and the ladder and so forth. Later, I learned useful tesujis and opening strategies. After putting the book down for about 3 months, and as my skill increased, I went over it again and found more useful info including a generaly good attitude towards go.

I suggest this book to anyone who wants to keep playing go. It may not be useful at the time you get it, but keep skimming through and I gaurantee you will find useful information along the way.

Writen with such confidence and clarity that you realize you are listening to the words of a true master. A must buy for beginners and intermediates. Kageyama teaches with direct statements and common sense rather than puzzles. What comes through are the basics that every fundamentally strong go player needs. Took me from 30k to 5k in one fell swoop.

Looks to be a good book, but hard to follow for a recent beginner. Playing casually for two months was not enough for me to get to the level that this book teaches at. Someone who has just started at Go should look to another book as an introduction.

After taking a a really long break from Go, I just reread this book and almost back to my peak level (8-9k ish) in 2 days (due to fundamentals? I think so).

As many others have said this was an easy and fun book to read. After reading the book for the first time in one sitting, and before even playing another game I felt stronger, way stronger. The book makes you build confidence and teaches you the fundamentals where you at least know the name of whats happening in the game. Kageyama wants you to understand the concept of each move and why each move and why each is is played there. For example, the cross cut and invasion in corners people tend to avoid. The book gives you confidence in those moves and even if you lose everything is progress. It taught me to break my mold and try new things.

I actually have had people cry about me breaking joseki and how I should be punished, but they still end up losing the game. The book makes you feel confident about each move you take and how you should not always follow the joseki for a formation. The book just wants you to understand why each move is played where.

I would say read it the first time for fun. The 2nd time have your computer or GO board out and experiment with each of the exercises and actually try to solve them. Try to play things out. Read this, most entertaining and helpful Go book I have read.

This is a great book. A great go player talks conversationally and matter-of-factly about the basic principles of Go strategy. All his advice is simple, solid, general, and practical. And it's all wrappped up with his old man's childlike joy for the game. I reread this about every 3 years.

Advice for someone new to the game and curious:
1) Learn the rules: stones and captures etc
2) Play 100 games
3) Read this book
4) Read this book again