Inline Diagrams in SmartGo Books
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:05 pm
SmartGo Books has been updated with a new feature, improved performance, and six additional books. (SmartGo Books is a free app for iPad and iPhone, with 26 books about Go available through in-app purchase.)
Inline diagrams: Books have limited space, and information that ideally should be provided as additional diagrams is often embedded in the text: "If Black plays 3 at 4, then White can answer 6, and Black B and White 8 follow." Deciphering this takes your focus away from learning about Go. In the newest version of SmartGo Books, text like that is shown in brown and can be tapped to see a diagram showing that move sequence. You can see an example at: http://www.smartgo.com/books.htm#inline
Not all books have been upgraded to include inline diagrams yet; check out Modern Master Games and Understanding Pro Games to see this feature in action. Other books will be upgraded over time. (There is no automatic recognition of such text; inline diagrams have to be added by hand.)
The improved performance was especially important for "The Games of Fujisawa Shuko" by John Power (Kiseido). It contains game commentaries (mostly from Go World) for all 40 of Shuko's Kisei Title Games. Shuko won the first Kisei title against Hashimoto Utaro at 52. He went on to defend this title against challenges from most of the young stars of the day (Kato Masao, Ishida Yoshio, Rin Kaiho, and Otake Hideo) before being dethroned by Cho Chikun.
"Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go: Playing in Good Form and Making Correct Shape" by Sakata Eio (Yutopian) is now available in SmartGo Books. This great book about tesuji has long been out of print and hard to find.
Two problem books ("Go Problems for Beginners, Volume 1" and "501 Opening Problems") have also been added, and volumes 4 and 5 complete Janice Kim's "Learn to Play Go" series. The problem books are more like books so far than e.g. the problems in SmartGo Kifu; they will become more interactive in future versions.
Enjoy! And Happy Holidays to everybody.
Inline diagrams: Books have limited space, and information that ideally should be provided as additional diagrams is often embedded in the text: "If Black plays 3 at 4, then White can answer 6, and Black B and White 8 follow." Deciphering this takes your focus away from learning about Go. In the newest version of SmartGo Books, text like that is shown in brown and can be tapped to see a diagram showing that move sequence. You can see an example at: http://www.smartgo.com/books.htm#inline
Not all books have been upgraded to include inline diagrams yet; check out Modern Master Games and Understanding Pro Games to see this feature in action. Other books will be upgraded over time. (There is no automatic recognition of such text; inline diagrams have to be added by hand.)
The improved performance was especially important for "The Games of Fujisawa Shuko" by John Power (Kiseido). It contains game commentaries (mostly from Go World) for all 40 of Shuko's Kisei Title Games. Shuko won the first Kisei title against Hashimoto Utaro at 52. He went on to defend this title against challenges from most of the young stars of the day (Kato Masao, Ishida Yoshio, Rin Kaiho, and Otake Hideo) before being dethroned by Cho Chikun.
"Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go: Playing in Good Form and Making Correct Shape" by Sakata Eio (Yutopian) is now available in SmartGo Books. This great book about tesuji has long been out of print and hard to find.
Two problem books ("Go Problems for Beginners, Volume 1" and "501 Opening Problems") have also been added, and volumes 4 and 5 complete Janice Kim's "Learn to Play Go" series. The problem books are more like books so far than e.g. the problems in SmartGo Kifu; they will become more interactive in future versions.
Enjoy! And Happy Holidays to everybody.
