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Let’s Go!

Now it's time for something completely different. As you probably know, I usually review chess books. But during summer I have spent some time reading my first ever books on the game of Go. So I would like to share some thoughts on that with you.

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What can you expect from these books?

I first came across Go about ten years ago, when a friend of mine introduced me to the game. He was also fairly new to the game, but he kicked my behind every time we played. So I don't consider myself to be very talented, but I was still very fascinated by the game. And the fact that I took such a beating from my friend is something that has stuck with me over the years and made me curious about what it is I need to learn in order to play the game at a half decent level. And finally, I decided to take a look at some basic books on the topic.

After a quick search on the web, I found several recommendations of the book Go - a complete introduction to the game and a series of books called Graded Go problems for beginners. The latter is a series of four volumes that range from basic through intermediate to advanced, and I have worked through the first volume.

Some people refer to Go as a Chinese (or Japanese) version of chess. This is a gross simplification. There are some similarities between the games, but the differences are considerable. Cho Chikun writes about this in the introduction to his book:

Both require high-level strategic thinking and provide players with many opportunities to exercise their tactical skills. Both are challenging, intellectually stimulating, and inexhaustibly interesting for millions of people of all ages all over the world. But the similarities end there. 
    Go starts with an empty board, chess with a full one. The objective of go is to surround more territory than your opponent; the objective of chess, to capture your opponent's king. Go stones all have the same value; chessmen have different values. (...) Most, if not all, of the moves of a go game remain on the board until it ends, providing its players with continuously developing shapes and patterns of black and white stones. (pp. 1-2)

As the quote above indicates, the objective of the game is to control as much territory as possible. It is also possible to capture the opponent's stones, but this is not the primary objective. This is something that I didn't understand when I first started playing; I tried to capture as many stones as possible - and lost. Furthermore, it is not always possible to logically deduce the best move. As in chess, there are of course certain tactical patterns and forced sequences. But in many cases, finding the best move is more about intuition and judgement rather than logic. This is perhaps one of the reasons why it has been difficult to develop Go software that can challenge professional players. (Until AlphaGo, that is) 

The two books that I have chosen for this review are a good combo for beginners. Although I did not know before I started reading, both books refer to one another, and suggest that they should be read in parallel.

Go - a complete introduction to the game by Cho Chikun is a textbook that provides explanations and descriptions of the fundamental concepts of the game. As the title indicates, it is a complete introduction - not only to the game itself, but also to the world of Go overall. The book has a rather interesting structure; every other chapter presents various techniques of game play, and every other chapter covers historical and cultural aspects of the game. This book covers everything that you need to know in order to play your first game. However, as in chess, it is a good idea to learn (and drill) some basic playing techniques and tactics. This is where the second book comes in.

Graded go problems for beginners can only be described as a basic tactics book. Here, you will also get an introduction to the game, albeit considerably shorter (only 10 pages). The main body of the book is exercises that will provide opportunities to practice basic techniques, tactics and calculation. The book has a total of 239 problems at the very basic level. Although I do not consider myself an able player, I managed to get most of them correct. So for any fairly experienced chess player who is getting into Go, it could be a good idea to get at least the first two volumes in the series.

Go has a ranking system that many will recognize from martial arts. Beginners have kyu ranks, ranging from high to low numbers. Advanced players have dan ranks (black belts in martial arts), ranging from 1 to 7 dan. And professionals have a separate set of dan ranks, from 1 to 9 dan.

After reading these books, I realized that the world of Go has a lot to offer. The literature seems to be just as vast as in chess, with game collections, opening theory, tactics and endgame books. It is also possible to play Go online, for instance on the Go KGS server. I gave this a try, and played a few games. I managed to beat a bot at the beginner level, so now I have a provisional rank of 24 kyu. It's not worth anything, but it's kinda cool.

Who should read these books?

These books are at the most fundamental level, so they are best suited for absolute beginners. The text book (Go - a complete introduction to the game) is a great introductory book. So if you want to know the basics of Go and what it is about, I can warmly recommend it. If you want to get a bit more practical (and serious?), I recommend getting the puzzle book as well. The first two volumes of the Graded go problems series are designed for players in the ranges 30 to 25 kyu and 25 to 12 kyu, respectively. My understanding is that the first book roughly corresponds to a 1200 playing strength in chess, which should be an achievable goal for someone who is completely new to the game. The second volume would be slightly more advanced, perhaps corresponding to a 1400 level. If you want to become a Go player, I suggest you get these first two volumes, maybe even all four. I plan to get the second volume soon. 

About these books

Authors:Cho Chikun
Kano Yoshinori
Titles:Go - a complete introduction to the game
Graded Go problems for beginners, vol 1
Type of book:Chess Go improvement, Tactics
Level:Beginner
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