Real Professional Game Find the Next Move I

by Yoshio Ishida

Go on the Go 1Real Professional Game Find the Next Move IFrom Kido, May 199845th Annual NHK Cup & 17th Annual NEC Cup Finals25 Problems Presented by Ishida Yoshio 9 danThe Nihon Ki-in (Japanese Go Association) publishes a monthly magazine, Go Waarudo, every month that is composed of 150+ pages. For every fan of the game, this is a cornucopia of go material unrivalled anywhere. Reveling in all of the articles is pure joy. Mens’ go, womens’ go, juniors’ and seniors’ go, lightning go, go festivals and everything else is covered. There is little or nothing more to be desired from the magazine.But the editors go one step further. Included with every issue is a pocket-sized booklet of go problems. These are small, handy booklets that one can use to study go while waiting in the line in the Post Office or elsewhere, with multiple problems and brief comments to the solutions that get right to the point.What is now available now to the English-speaking go player is a version of this kind of go booklet prepared for electronic viewing devices, especially mobile phones. The original work here is translated word for word, with the 25 problems offered along with the text that covers two top professional games played in the finals of the most prestigious lightning go tournaments in Japan. The reader is invited to match wits with the finest in the game. (But remember that the players each had 10 minutes thinking time which they could use in any way that they wished, before being held to 30 seconds per move for the rest of the game. That makes solving problems a bit more difficult. Time management is always a consideration in these games.)However, these players are the cream of the crop. They know the time limits and have conditioned themselves to them. The games here are marvels of professional expertise. They mirror the results of games played under longer time limits. The opponents come at each other with every weapon at their command. Few players could fail to profit from following the action closely. And the commentary given here makes it an all the more edifying experience.Go is fun, and this kind of production makes it even better. Millions of Japanese fans of this format say the same thing! Try it on your mobile phone while waiting in line at your bank, post office, supermarket or anywhere else.

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 2011