I am working through the Second Book of Go at the minute, but I am finding it incredibly hard going. Some of the diagrams show more than 20 moves in a single picture. I just get completely lost and have no idea what is going on. Is it generally mandatory to be reading with a Goban by your side to play through all the moves? Or have you trained your brain to interpret the moves clearly?

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Hello everyone, my name is Hismai, nice to meet you

Hi hismaimai20000,

Welcome. Start with 1 move -- yes, on a real set is very nice -- then slowly work your way up. Nobody is born able to read 20+ moves.

( Publishers have different constraints -- number of diagrams per page, for example -- which may be different from the reader's. )

If diagrams are overwhelming, relaying on a board helps. Intermediate players can train their minds by imagining positions created move by move during long sequences. Different books have different numbers of moves in their diagrams, starting from one move per diagram.

If the book is too difficult for me, or if I don't like its pedagogic style, I get another book

For example, Learn to Play Go vol 4 & 5 cover the same topics as the Second Book of Go, that is, an overview of all the fundamentals for kyu players.

If I don't have a go board at hand (or a go software to click on), I close my eyes and try to "see" a few moves in my head (say, 5 moves), and proceed until I can read the whole sequence in my head. This is only short-term memory, I can't remember sequences over a long period unless I practice them.

I'd definitely suggest playing it out on a board: the physical act of placing stones will probably help you remember them (like writing notes in a lecture instead of just listening). Also don't just play the sequences from the book, experiment with other choices and play around with the position e.g. "what if black goes here instead? hmm maybe white answers here. What do I think of that?" As you are a beginner you will make lots of mistakes, but this will help you actually think about the lessons in the book instead of it just going in one ear/eye and out the other. Once you are stronger training your ability to visualise long sequences in your head without a board is a valuable skill to practice, but for now making the basic lessons understandable takes precedence.

Indeed.

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The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.