Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go
Many Go players say Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go is their favorite Go book. It's not hard to work out why. In this book Kageyama covers all aspects of the game of Go, always emphasising the fundamentals. He has knack for picking up on areas where many Go players have the most room for improvement. Written in a fun and engaging style, this book is highly re-readable and guaranteed to make you a better Go player.
$17.99
Reviews
Book Description:
Many Go books promise to explain the fundamentals: here is one that really keeps its promise.
Kageyama’s subjects are connectivity, good and bad shape, the way stones should ‘move’, the difference between territory and spheres of influence, how to use thickness and walls, how to train yourself to read, where to start looking in a life-and-death problems – matters so fundamental that other writers miss them completely.
He also points out the right ways to study – how to study josekis, for example. “What changed me from an amateur into a professional was getting a really firm grip on the fundamentals,” writes Kageyama. The essence of 7 years an amateur and 22 years professional playing experience are distilled into these pages and they are filled with advice that all Go players will find practical.
- Level:
- Intermediate
- Author:
- Toshiro Kageyama
- Translator:
- James Davies
- Publisher:
- Kiseido
- Pages:
- 259
- ISBN10:
- 4-906574-28-9
- ISBN13:
- 978-4-906574-28-5
- Dimensions (mm):
- 174 x 108
- Dimensions (inches):
- 6.9 x 4.3
A truly classic in the Go literature. This book is either loathed or highly praised. Sincerely, I don’t know at which side I stand. For one, it is very hard to pinpoint specific things I have improved after reading (several times) this book. On the other hand, I’m sure I have improved by reading it, so it’s like it aims at a kind of subconscious “see the master, be the master” style of learning.
Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go is brilliantly written, with a chatty style that makes reading it a breeze. It has a little about everything in the game: opening, middle game and endgame. It even covers (with separate chapters) life and death and tesuji, with several (not straightforward, they need soem reading) problems. It finishes with “Kageyama’s masterpiece”, a game review by the author of his game against the (then) recently appointed Meijin (and future Honinbo, and probably some more Japanese titles but from memory I’m not sure how many more) Rin Kaiho.
In my opinion, this is a must-have book. As for what you’ll learn, let fate decide it, but this is an enjoyable book that will keep you entertained for a few weeks easily, and even if you were to learn nothing from it, only from the entertainment value it’s a good one. If you also happen to learn some fundamental (like… learn to read well! or… never push from behind!) and ingrain it in your Go soul, the better.
This book is probably the best go book I have ever read. I would strongly recommend this book to players who are post-beginners. You will improve 1-2 stones at least every time you read it. They are all the basic stuffs you want to know if you would like to improve your go playing experience. If you already know the basic rules of GO, this is the book you should get.