I see that this book now has a new subtitle. Does anyone know for sure if the change is just cosmetic?

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Occupy Babel!

If anyone is interested in this sort of stuff, follow the link and you can read a huge part of the book (only pages 47-145 are not shown). I guess this makes sense. Anyone still reading by page 45 will certainly buy it.

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Patience, grasshopper.

The copyright belongs to A. K. Peters, the original publisher, dated 1994, and the new publisher is Ishi Press in NYC. I am reasonably certain that the content is the same as the original. (Peters retired.) Besides Berlekamp has said nothing to me about a new edition.

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

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

I bought a lot of go books that included this book. After a brief glance through it, it didn't seem like anything that was particularly helpful for me. Was that a too cursory decision? I had planned to try to sell this, but if someone wants to make a case that I've given the book short shrift I could be persuaded to reconsider my decision.

It is a good book, but not for everybody. There are concepts that, IMO, every pro should know, but few do. As a practical matter, it will add about 2 pts. to your game, not just from the material, but because it generalizes. That's not much to us, but it's about one half a pro rank.

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

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Ishi Press still exists? I thought it was defunct after the mess that led to the creation of Kiseido.

It seems to publish Chess stuff now: http://www.newinchess.com/Complete_Ches ... -2996.html

Wikipedia says it was restructured and aimed at the chess market after the mess.

What do you base the 2 points on? Are pros typically leaving that much on the table in endgame?

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Occupy Babel!

If you look at pro games in the 19th century, with no time limits, better pros (5 dan and up) hardly ever dropped a point in the endgame. If you look at games in the 20th century, with time limits, but limits that are generous by today's standards, top pros hardly ever dropped a point in the late endgame. However, they frequently made inaccuracies that did not drop a point, but could have. E. g., a move loses on average 1/8 of a point, but 7/8 of the time will lose nothing. Where you start to see errors at that time in top play is when plays gain 3 pts. or more. In these days of quick pro games, I shudder to think.

I am basing my estimate on generalization and the fact that getting the ideas down can save a lot of time. (If not for generalization, the book is worth less than one point. )

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

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Are you suggesting that the average player loses 2 points per game because he doesn't know any of Berlekamp's techniques or that the theoretical maximum difference between Berlekamp's techniques and standard rules of thumb is 2 points?

What was the mess ? (before my time; curious.)

I was thinking, not of the average player, but of the player who might be thinking of studying the book. And I would hardly apply the term theoretical to a guesstimate.

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

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Well, it is Ishi Press International. I guess there is a distinction between that and Ishi Press. It is certainly not the Ishi Press of old.

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

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.