Winning Go: Successful Moves from the Opening to the Endgame

by Richard Bozulich, Peter Shotwell

Master the game of Go with this expert guide.

Go is a two-player board game that first originated in ancient China but is also very popular in Japan and Korea. There is significant strategy and philosophy involved in the game, and the number of possible games is vast--even when compared to chess.

This is the first comprehensive strategy guidebook in English to cover the entire game of Go by illustrating the nuances and finer points of Go strategy. Its 203 problems and their commented answers demonstrate to players of all level of skill not only successful moves, but also the incorrect moves and why they are wrong. This enables players to identify strengths and weaknesses in their games. From opening play to the endgame, Winning Go is an essential tool in helping serious players master the sophisticated sequence and flow of advanced Go play.

Useful Go strategies Players will learn about not only creating good shapes, but also how to avoid or take advantage of bad ones, along with the right and wrong order of moves. This makes Winning Go the ideal choice for a first problem book because it enables both players and teachers to improve upon their Go game. From opening play to endgame, Winning go is an essential tool in helping serious Go players master the sophisticated sequence and flow of advanced Go play.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2010

Reviews

[Alex Bergonzini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha decepcionado un poco el libro. Pensaba encontrar un poco más de teoría fundamental, encontrar el espíritu de las jugadas y cómo entender la vida en cada piedra. Pero apenas hay cuatro explicaciones y un conjunto de problemas que resolver.

Los problemas y sus soluciones son completos y están bien explicados. Encajan perfectamente en la filosofía de cada capítulo y no sólo te enseña la mejor jugada, sino las consecuencias de hacerlo mal, esa parte es la más atractiva.

Este libro sirve como guía para entender movimientos erróneos y porque no hacerlos, así como beneficiarse de cada piedra en el tablero. Tiene principios muy bueno que se deben asimilar para que cada piedra sea un auténtico ejército.

[james · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do we improve in Go? Many strong players tell us that improving our reading ability by regularly solving Go problems is the most essential form of study to supplement regular game play.

"Winning Go" by Richard Bozulich and Peter Shotwell, is a problem book that is unique in its systematic coverage of each major phase in the game. Each chapter introduces a new main topic by first briefly reviewing major concepts and then providing a set of problems so the reader can see those concepts in action. When warranted, the solutions go into great depth to ensure a proper understanding of each of the concepts at play in a particular problem is grasped. Finally, many chapters end with a list of suggestions for further reading. The book covers as much ground as is typically seen in a series of five or more volumes.

I am playing at 7 kyu, and for those unfamiliar with the ranking system, I would describe this as an experienced novice. I find that the problems are near the right difficulty for me. The easier problems tend to take 30 seconds to two minutes to solve, while some more challenging problems I am not able to solve on my first attempt. Something I've found interesting about the book is that it clearly points out areas I need more practice at (for me, endgame).

I recommend this book - but I particularly recommend it to those looking for a gift for the Go player on their shopping list - or to the Go player looking to stretch their dollar as far as it will go.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I'm any better at Go for having read it. The authors spend most of the time showing you series of moves but they do not explain much why one move was better than another.
Also, this is definitely not for beginners. You have to have a pretty good handle on the rules to understand this books.

[Shane Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recommend this to other Go players in the 10 to 15 kyu range, since I found the problems challenging but not outside my modest skills. There were a couple of problems where I found an alternate solution that wasn't covered, but I think that's an inevitable issue with Go problems.

[Ken Parel-Sewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good problems. Many are quite challenging.