neal@rochester.UUCP (Neal Gafter) (08/27/85)
Subject: Go Books and Boards by mail order
This note is in response to numerous requests for information on
acquiring boards and books for the game of Go. The American GO
Association sells books and equipments, but I have found them to be
unreliable. I recommend:
Sabaki Go Company
PO Box 23
Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013
(717) 245 - 2808
"We sell the most remarkable game in the world"
The Sabaki Go Company is a mail order company specializing in books and
equipment for the game of Go. It has been my experience that their
mail order service is prompt and reliable. They will supply you with a
catalog at no charge. Ask for some extras for your friends.
I have been playing Go for about 1.5 years, and I rank myself at about
4 kyu. I own many of the English books sold by Sabaki (I am a book
worm). The following is a price list and a brief review of the books.
Please keep in mind that these are personal opinions, and should be
taken with a grain of salt.
But first some definitions:
Fuseki: The opening moves of the game where the players form their
respective areas of influence and prospective territory. The Fuseki
ends when the real fighting begins.
Joseki: Literally "fixed stones". These are known sequences of moves
near the corner which result in near-equal positions for white and
black.
Reading: The process of analyzing, in one's head, the possibilities
resulting from a move or sequence of moves. [Minimaxing]
Strength: A complimentary adjective describing playing ability.
Yose: The endgame. During this final phase of the games borders
between territories become well defined. Because it is last, this
phase of the game is decisive.
S-1 $8.00 An easy introduction to GO (Otake and Futakuchi)
(I do not have this book)
S-2 $9.95 The Theory and Practice of GO (Korschelt)
This is the first book I got on the subject; it it a
translation from the original German 18??. It was the
first book on GO written in a western language. I
would not recommend it.
S-3 $6.25 The Game of GO (Smith)
(I do not have this book)
S-4 $6.95 Stepping Stones to GO (Kishikawa)
(I do not have this book)
S-5 $4.50 GO and Go-Moku (Lasker)
Lasker is a Chess whiz; this book is an ok introduction
to the game.
S-6 $5.95 Go for Beginners (Iwomoto)
This is an excellent first book on the game. I like to
keep an extra copy to give to people I think I might be
able to get involved in the game. At my rank it is of
little value.
S-7 $8.00 Basic Techniques of GO (Haruyama and Nagahara)
This is the companion volume to S-11. It is a brief
(but detailed) survey of tesuji, even game and handicap
fuseki, and yose. It is sometimes easy for a beginner
to get lost in detail here, but these books are
definitely of value.
S-8 $10.00 Modern Joseki and Fuseki I (Sakata) S-9 $10.00
Modern Joseki and Fuseki II (Sakata)
These books cover in detail a few representative games
and analyze the Fuseki and the results of using
possible Joseki. It is an analysis of classical even
game fuseki. Book I covers "Parallel Fuseki" where
black and white occupy opposite sides of the board;
Book II covers "Diagonal Fuseki," and the "Shusaku
fuseki". These books contain an extensive collection
of Joseki. It is easy to get lost in detail in these
books, but they are the most comprehensive works on the
subject. S-10 continues where these books leave off.
S-10 $10.00 The Middle Game of GO (Sakata)
This book covers some of the standard techniques of the
"chubansen", or middle game. It does this by analyzing
continuations of some games discussed in S-8 and S-9.
S-11 $8.00 Strategic Concepts of GO (Nagahara)
This book is an introduction to the eight major
strategic concepts of Go: Miai (two moves such that if
one player occupies one, the other player must occupy
the other); Aji (the latent possibility of a sequence
or sequences of play); Kikashi (forcing move);
Thickness; Korigatachi (overconcentration); Sabaki
(light play); Fiurikawari (exchange); and Yosu-miru
(probe) These concepts are illustrated with specific
examples and with actual game records. An excellent
book.
S-12 $8.00 The 1971 Honinbo Tournament (Iwamoto)
The game records with very detailed analysis of the
games.
S-15 $8.00 In the Beginning (Ishigure)
An excellent beginners book describing techniques of
the Fuseki. This book does not stay on the shelf very
much.
S-16 $8.00 38 Basic Joseki (Kosugi and Davies)
(I do not have this book) A very good introduction to
Joseki.
S-17 $8.00 Tesuji (Davies)
An excellent book by a western writer covering many
basic tesuji. This book is easy to read, though the
problems are not always easy (for me). Of course, the
stress is on reading.
S-18 $8.00 Life and Death (Davies)
An excellent book covering basic shapes arising in
life-and-death situations. Many problems. An
excellent book.
S-19 $8.00 Attack and Defense (Ishida and Davies)
A well organized survey of basic middle game
techniques. Another excellent book.
S-20 $8.00 The Endgame (Ogawa and Davies)
The endgame is the final, and therefore decisive part
of the game. This is an excellent book teaching about
the techniques of the endgame.
S-21 $8.00 Handicap GO (Nagahara, Bozulich)
A very good book describing the strategy for high
handicap games, both from white's and black's point of
view.
S-22 $8.00 Kage's secret chronicles of Handicap GO (Kageyama)
(I don't have this book)
S-23 $8.00 What's your rating? (Miyamoto)
(I don't have this book)
S-26,27,28 Dictionary of Basic Joseki
This is the most comprehensive work in english on
Joseki. It is in dictionary format, and is easy to
follow.
S-26 $14.00 Dictionary of Basic Joseki I
The 3-4 point
The small knight approach. The large knoght
approach. The two-space high approach.
S-27 $14.00 Dictionary of Basic Joseki II
The 3-4 point
The one space high approach. The 5-3 point
The 3-4 approach. The 4-5 approach. Entering at the
3-3 point.
S-28 $14.00 Dictionary of Basic Joseki III
The 5-4 point
The 3-4 approach. Entering at the 3-3 point. The
Star Point
The small knigh approach. The one space high
approach. The two space high approach. Positions
with no approach move. The 3-3 point
The shoulder hit. The large knight approach.
S-29 $8.00 Enclosure Joseki (Takemiya)
(I don't have this book) Standard sequences for
invading and living in enemy enclosures.
S-30 $8.00 Appreciating Famous Games (Ohira)
A very detailed commentary of some famous games.
S-31 $8.00 The Direction of Play (Kajiwara)
A bit over my head, I'm afraid.
S-32 $8.00 Kato's Attack and Kill (Kato)
Techniques for chasing weak enemy groups to gain
advantage.
S-33 $8.00 Lessons in the Fundamentals of GO (Kageyama)
A very good book covering some of the fundamentals, but
necessarily briefly. Ladders and Nets; Cutting and
Connecting; Walking ("ordinary" moves); The struggle to
get ahead (running and pushing battles); Territory and
Influence; Life and Death; How to study Joseki; Bood
and Bad Shape; Proper and Improper moves; Tesuji; the
Endgame
S-80 $7.95 The Protracted Game: A Wei-Ch'i Interpretation of
Maoist Revolutionary Strategy (Boorman) (I do not have this
book)
S-81 $5.95 The Master of GO (Kawabata)
(I do not have this book)
S-82 $2.50 The Rules and Elements of GO (Davies)
(I do not have this book)
S-84 $2.50 World Amateur GO Championship Rules (The Nihom Ki-in)
S-85 $7.00 GO Proverbs (Mitchell)
S-87 $60.00 Invincible, the games of Shusaku (Power)
A well commented collection of Shusaku's games. This
is a clothbound book.
S-88 $9.50 Go! (A reprint of Takagawa's "How to Play Go" and "The
Vital Points of Go")
I'm told that this book is worth buying for "Vital
Points", which teaches some intuition for the fuseki.
S-89 $7.00 Go: International Handbook and Dictionary (Tilley)
(I don't have this)
S-90 $7.00 Go: Introduction (The Nihon Ki-in)
(I don't have this)
S-91 $16.00 The Treasure Chest Enigma (Nakeyama)
A delightful collection of Go anecdotes, problems, and
some of Nakeyama's famous ladder problems.
GO EQUIPMENT: S-100 $18.00 Full-size Folding Wooden Board S-101
$35.00 Full-size slotted wooden board with 13*13 on reverse S-103
$22.00 Full-size set of Glass Stones (5.5mm or 7.5mm thick) S-104
$35.00 9.5mm thich glass stones
S-110 $12.50 Full-sized vinyl board with 6mm plastic stones and rules
(An excellent starter set!)
There is more equipment in the catalog. Sabaki also takes
subscriptions for "Go World": a quarterly magazine published in english
by Ishi Press covering recent games in Japan, with many interesting
articles for players at all levels. I think it is $20 per year.
Happy GO-ing!
Neal Gafter
--
Neal Gafter
Arpa: neal@Rochester.arpa
UUCP: ...{rocksvax|allegra|seismo|decvax}!rochester!neal
USnail: Department of Computer Science, U. of Rochester, N.Y. 14627
phone: (716) 275 - 2569 (office) or (716) 275 - 5377 (lab)sakw@cvaxa.UUCP (Sak Wathanasin) (09/06/85)
Neal Gafter in <11202@rochester> gives a list of Go Books, which include > S-89 $7.00 Go: International Handbook and Dictionary (Tilley) > (I don't have this) You should definitely get this one. Armed with it, you can tackle Go books written in Japanese, especially those containing Go problems. The ones I have found most useful are the 3-vol "Tsume Go" (Life & Death problems) set (Vol 1 - easy to Vol 3 - hard) and the 2-vol "Tesuji Dictionary" (problems graded A, B, C). Don't be put off by the Japanese text - you only need to understand the problem (black/white to play) and the answer (black/white lives/dies/gets seki/ko) - the positions (problem and answer) are given as diagrams (but watch out! - there is sometimes a "failure" diagram and a "success"). I can't follow the commentary, but then I find I get more out of my attempts to solve the problem if I can figure out why my "solution" fails & theirs work. (If all else fails, you could ask your nearest friendly dan-level player......) -- Sak Wathanasin, U of Sussex, Cognitive Studies, Falmer, Sussex BN1 9QN, UK uucp:...mcvax!ukc!cvaxa!sakw arpa/janet: sakw%svga@uk.ac.ucl.cs