http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... 86#p190286
Solving local tactical problems requires knowledge of (the) theory of tactical reading. If you want to obtain it faster than by many years of autodidactic study, you need to study the existing theory. I have hardly ever seen noteworthy parts of it taught verbally, so you should read the relevant literature:Kirby wrote:doing problems is not enough, but I need to obtain this theory?
If so, do you have a recommendation for obtaining this theory?
1) Tactical Reading: it is the result of 5 months of writing and teaches the basics of reading in detail and very carefully including aims and decision-making, all important (basic or slightly above basic) principles and methods of reading and simplifying reading, the generally applicable method of regular reading with simplifications incorporated, some intermediate theory, ca. 40 techniques and 100 problems, whose answers are always as detailed as necessary to show application of the theory, simplifications and decision-making.
2) First Fundamentals, chapter 10 Reading: teaches the five most basic reading principles, applies them to six examples and has 12 problems.
3) Tesuji (Davies), chapter 1 Reading: teaches by one example how to go forwards and backwards when constructing sequences.
(2) and (3) are superfluous if you read (1). I do not recall any other literature written for go players and teaching tactical reading explicitly. All other books I have seen teach by example only and presume a prior understanding by the reader of some reading theory. (1) is the only book I have seen that teaches simplifications and decision-making in the problems' answers consistently and sufficiently.
Hence, if you want to learn tactical reading and how to solve problems efficiently and correctly, read Tactical Reading. Otherwise, if you read only problem books, you learn only a small fraction of the theory implicitly and overlook important simplifications (while maintaining correctness of the solution) for a long time.