I actually wrote these reviews for Haengma.net but since Nexik has a lot to do in the moment and no time for updates, I decided to publish them on my own.
Plan was/is to review "501 Tesuji Problems", "Making Good Shape", "Reducing Territorial Frameworks", "Life and Death: Intermediate Level Problems", "Attack and Defend", "38 Basic Joseki", "Invincible", "Rescue and Capture" and the Graded Go Problems for Beginners series, too. We'll see how it goes : D
I'd like to know, if you find them useful (do you miss facts e.g.?) or if you have a different view on those books?
Any other tips or suggestions are also welcomed : )
I didn't want to make separate threads for each review, since I don't know how interested you guys are in those. If the overview gets too bad or if there's a consensus that due to search-matters different threads would be great, maybe a moderator can split this post.------
Mastering the Basics, Volume 2 – One Thousand and One Life-and-Death Problems- compiled and edited by Richard Bozulich (244 p. | 1001 problems); Kiseido Publishing Company
As part of the “Mastering the Basics”-series, “One Thousand and One Life-and-Death Problems” is designed to help your reading and vital point spotting to climb to the next level and lay the foundation to enter the Dan ranks.
The general level of this book is in my opinion between low single digit Kyu and double digit Kyu. Towards the end it becomes harder but the reader will experience that he will also benefit by repeating the problems he has already solved.
Divided into six parts with increasing difficulty (one-, three- and five-move problems), one has to either bring Black to life or kill White's group, thus one isn't only learning to spot vital points for killing but also vital points to make eye-shape for oneself, which often tends to be neglected.
As a regular study book “One Thousand and One Life-and-Death Problems” has only one diagram showing the “best” right answer with little explanation, so one is asked to refute moves, which are not shown, for oneself. Sometimes it appears that a second answer could be right, here the reader is asked to verify that the answer given in the book is the best in terms of Ko-threats and such.
It should be save to say that by solving all of these problems one has to deal with every existing Life-and-Death Tesuji (like Snapback or “Under the Stones”) multiple times, so finding those moves in one's own games will be much easier. This also includes familiarizing oneself with building a dead eye-shape, exploiting a shortage of liberties, sacrificing techniques like making an eye false and so on.
In conclusion: “One Thousand and One Life-and-Death Problems” is a powerful tool to build up strength and confidence in reading out sequences. As far as I know, it is the only book in English offering so many problems with increasing difficulty, which makes it the best choice for studying this matter.
Opening Theory Made Easy – Twenty Strategic Principles to Improve Your Opening Game- by Otake Hideo 9 Dan (170 p.); Kiseido Publishing Company
This book is a jewel for everyone seeking for a bit more guidance than what is offered in “In the Beginning” of the “Elementary Go Series”.
Here the opening is clustered into twenty easily understandable principles, divided into three chapters: Fuseki Fundamentals (e.g. extensions, pincers, Moyo), Good Shape (e.g. how no to harm your own stones, empty triangle) and Strategy (e.g. attacking, reducing, sacrificing). Everything you will read in this book deals with something you will experience in every game you play, what makes it very easy to apply.
“Easy” is furthermore the term which describes best how the book teaches and shows you every principle. The author uses a lot of diagrams, which indicate for instance the difference of you playing at a certain point or if your opponent gets it. At the same time, although the point of every principle is clearly stressed, the author never goes much into detail, which makes it easy to follow and aims at an understandable guidance for beginners.
In my opinion, this book is a must-read. It has everything one could possible want to have explained about the first dozen moves.
Get Strong at Go Series, Volume 6 – Get Strong at Tesuji- compiled by Richard Bozulich (184 p. | 534 problems); Kiseido Publishing Company
"Get Strong at Tesuji" might be one of the most powerful problem books for beginners in Go and together with "Tesuji" by James Davies easily one of the most powerful Tesuji books in English at all.
With its 534 problems divided into four difficulties, you have a book at hand that will drill your eye, mind and intuition to spot and use Tesujis in your own games.
Designed as a problem book with six problems on each right page and answers along with explanations on the left, it's actually for the reader, who has a basic understanding of Tesuji and local assessment – despite the fact that “Get Strong at Tesuji” praises itself as a book, which is “aimed at the player who has just learned the rules and played a few games”.
Generally, the reader gets one to three lines of explanations of what to achieve in this problem and is asked to find the best way to do so. But not all problems await with a clear task, many just demand the best local play. And that's where difficulties might arise.
Despite the fact that “Get Strong at Tesuji” and “Tesuji” by James Davies share the same topic, there is a lot that sets them apart. Besides the more structural approach of “Tesuji” and its clear tasks involving only a handful of just introduced Tesujis, you will find and have to solve many problems in “Get Strong at Tesuji”, which don't fall under the moves one might have learnt through “Tesuji”.
One could say, “Get Strong at Tesuji” deals with a more open understanding of Tesuji, as you are quite often asked to make a solid or thick position, good shape, life for yourself and so on, regularly combined with ending in Sente, thus searching for and using forcing moves.
Actually, that's what makes this book rich. To value tiny-looking moves, which have a powerful impact on the local situation – that's Tesuji!
As said, “Get Strong at Tesuji” offers four difficulties from one star (25 to 10 Kyu), two stars (10 to 5 Kyu), three stars (5 to 1 Kyu) to a couple of four stars problems at the end of the book, which are Dan level. This makes the book ideal for studying in the single digit Kyu ranks, as you can quickly browse through a dozen of problems without spending much time on them.
It is also recommended to have read “Tesuji” beforehand as you will have an easier time figuring out the problems – especially if you are used to solve a lot of Life-and-Death problems, which have a totally different approach.
All in all one can say, “Get Strong at Tesuji” is the ideal book to hammer home the understanding of basic Tesuji application.
Elementary Go Series, Volume 3 – Tesuji- by James Davies (198 p. | 264 problems); Kiseido Publishing Company
“Tesuji” is a book one can't emphasize enough for the progress in the game of Go. Its clear structural approach in teaching Tesujis by using chapters with the different field of applications makes it the perfect book for both a Tesuji reference and for studying.
In 16 chapters, of which the first one contains the famous explanation of how to successfully read out a sequence, “Tesuji” shows the application of Tesujis with diagrams and good explanations and asks you both directly after learning the new Tesuji and at the end of every chapter to use the learned Tesuji(s) to solve a couple of problems.
This way, the reader gets theory and practice in a very good mix and will not be overburdened with knowing and being able to use all the Tesujis at once.
The reader will learn about:
- Capture the Cutting Stones
- Amputate the Cutting Stones
- Ko
- When Liberties Count
- Linking Groups Together
- Cutting Groups Apart
- Into Enemy Territory
- Escape
- Sacrifice to Gain Tempo
- Tesuji for Attack
- How to Connect
- Making Shape
- Ignore the Atari
- Double-Threat Tesuji
“Tesuji” is a real beginner book. You could start with it right away after learning the rules, although one might not recommend it without having played a dozen games, because one might lack the connection to the game. Furthermore the reader is required to read out a lot of sequences, so practice with doing so (e.g. experience with life-and-death problems) is useful.
The book and the problems become easier the better you know certain shapes, since spotting a Tesuji is often connected with a certain shape in which it appears.