Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go

After taking a a really long break from Go, I just reread this book and almost back to my peak level (8-9k ish) in 2 days (due to fundamentals? I think so). As many others have said this was an easy and fun book to read. After reading the book for the first time in one sitting, and before even playing another game I felt stronger, way stronger. The book makes you build confidence and teaches you the fundamentals where you at least know the name of whats happening in the game. Kageyama wants you to understand the concept of each move and why each move and why each is is played there. For example, the cross cut and invasion in corners people tend to avoid. The book gives you confidence in those moves and even if you lose everything is progress. It taught me to break my mold and try new things. I actually have had people cry about me breaking joseki and how I should be punished, but they still end up losing the game. The book makes you feel confident about each move you take and how you should not always follow the joseki for a formation. The book just wants you to understand why each move is played where. I would say read it the first time for fun. The 2nd time have your computer or GO board out and experiment with each of the exercises and actually try to solve them. Try to play things out. Read this, most entertaining and helpful Go book I have read.

Great book to help introduce a number of fundamental concepts in an easy to read format. When I would start reading it was hard to put down until I finished the chapter/section I was on.

My favorite thing about this book is the style. It talks directly to the reader as if the reader were questioning what they were being taught. And this is great because the information can sometimes seem so simple that you do find yourself questioning it. I would say about 75% of this book is just focusing on its diagrams and examples. The diagrams are well done and the book uses them effectively. I was almost always able to simply read the book and didn't get out a board to look at a position unless I wanted to study it more in depth. Around 5% is an overview of topics without diagrams - such as talking about what a "proper move" is - but it will always quickly get back to examples. I learn well from this kind of teaching - quick discussion and then examples of how it applies - so this book was great for me. And the other 20% is exposition, stories about Kageyama's experiences as a professional and teacher, and general thoughts on go and life. I really enjoy these parts because it is nice to not only take a break from study but to see what it is like to be a pro and how this has impacted Kageyama's life and view of go. Who should read it? I want to say "every go player" but that's not really fair. I think the target audience is moderate to high level amateurs. If you at least 10 kyu, and willing to learn, I think you can get a lot out of this book. If you are a really determined 15k I think you can also get plenty from this book. Lower than 15k might be hard because some of the problems are difficult and require reading out 10+ moves. It will require the patience and humility to actually struggle through. I had to fight to solve some of these problems as a single digit kyu player. So perhaps first looking at other books like the Elementary Go Series would be better for players below about 12k and then picking this book up when you reach SDK. Dan players may not find everything useful, but I also would be surprised if any but the strongest players got nothing out of this book. The author uses examples from amateur dan games to demonstrate how amateurs miss important moves because they don't stick to the fundamentals. If you are a dan player that has never read this book I think it would be safe for me to still recommend it. A good attitude is important for this book. You need to be willing to look critically at your own play. But if you go into this book with the understanding that none of the content is beneath you then I can't imagine you won't get stronger.

This is a book on how to progress into the finer points of GO. Good book, but not for beginners. Very detailed and one that can guide a player with a grasp of the basics incrementally to better play and strategy.

Just as each go player has his or her preferred strategies, there is probably a book out there tailored to every type of go player. However, adhering to the fundamentals is something every beginner must learn, and every seasoned player must not forget; this is the genius behind the book. I would recommend it especially as the first go book that one acquires, regardless of skill level. It's important to realize what the book is not: it is not an encyclopedia of opening moves, corner positions, or joseki, though these concepts are covered. Instead, Kageyama 7-Dan covers the broad principles of the game such as connection, the "movement" of stones, and proper shape supported by a few relevant illustrated examples (tsumego and actual game records). The book is not totally comprehensive, but I feel that the author carefully chose only a few powerful examples within each topic to keep the reader engaged. Meditate on a lesson, attempt the puzzle presented, and implement the concept into a few of your games. Then, move to the next topic; this seems to be the best way to soak in such a small book with so much wisdom. If it doesn't directly improve your rank, as it did for me, most readers will at least appreciate the humor and anecdotes sprinkled throughout the text such as blunders made by go professionals and even comments on Japanese versus American baseball.

This book is not for complete beginners, I would say it aims at players around 20k-5k KGS. As you can see, the range is very broad, and that's one of the reasons that makes this book so great, the principles, applications and examples are so well written and explained that many players will learn something from it. Plus the author is a veteran TV presenter, who knows how to keep the reader's attention and also tells us some of his interesting career stories. I've also even unofficially translated this book into Portuguese in my website: fanaro.com.br. There isn't a person I've met that doesn't hold this book to the highest standards. I would rank it within my top 3, alongside The Great Joseki Debates and Kato Masao's Attack and Kill.

El color de la tinta es gris, no negro. Dificulta la lectura, por 30€ un libro de tapa blanda y en blanco y negro, muy baja calidad de impresión, como si fuese de impresora casera.

Testo fondamentale per uscire dal girone dei DDK

First of all the book is readable. This isn't always true of Go books. The wisdom is mixed in with anecdote which kept me there as I struggled with the topic. The book is credible - the author does a very good job of "been there made that mistake" which also helped me stay engaged. Uniquely, in my experience, this book also spends a reasonable amount of time discussing stupid moves and why they are so, which I found to be invaluable. Further I was pleased to get advice on what not to do, e.g., (slightly exagerated for effect) "don't bother studying Joseki, get the principles right" which validated my inability to read even two pages of "38 Joseki". Before I even finished it the first I think I improved by one stone. Definitely value for money there, then. It will require re-reading, it is a book to keep by your side, to dip into, gleaning a bit more each time. It's the best book I've ever bought since Iwamoto (which is a great place to start) Of course, anyone that has previously bought any book called "Fundamentals of <subject matter>" will realise this isn't a beginners book. However, as a self taught player, this one has definitely improved my understanding. Highly recommended

Interessante e spiegato molto bene. Rapporto qualità prezzo buono

The authors/translator prose makes it a joy to read, can forget you're learning at the same time.