Good shape is a subject that has received scant attention in Japanese go literature. Although references to shape are made in most books, there is no one book devoted exclusively to this subject. However, understanding and recognizing good shape is important for becoming a strong player and developing intuition that will instantly guide you to find the strongest moves in the opening and the middle-game fighting. Shapes are the building blocks of your groups. They determine whether your stones are working together efficiently or are sitting in each other’s way. Good shape is a source of strength to build on, while bad shape often comes back to haunt you. There are two aspects of shape. One is to make good shape for your own stones; the other is to spoil the shape of your opponent’s stones. However, good shape is more than a static form; it is dynamic in the way it builds eye shape and stays ahead of the opponent in running battles while building up more eye shape. This book provides an extensive theoretical introduction to shape, beginning with the efficient placement of stones. It illustrates various techniques for making good shape and gives its readers practical experience by presenting 245 problems so that they can hone their skills to find the shape move in their games.

Making Good Shape

Humor & Entertainment

Bozulich, Richard

Van Zeijst, Rob

Puzzles & Games

Kiseido Publishing Company

All About Ko

Kiseido

Go is played on a board with a square grid of 361 playing points. For the beginner, such a large playing field can be overwhelming and it is understandable that he or she might feel lost. For this reason, many professionals recommended that beginners play their first games on a 9x9 board. With only 81 playing points to consider, the game becomes conceptually manageable and the beginner can start learning the most elementary tactics and how territory is formed. After a few games on a small board, the beginner will graduate to playing games on a 13x13 board and eventually to games on the standard 19x19 board. Again the novice player is faced with a conceptual problem. He may be instructed to play his first moves in the corners, but with such a vast number of playing points to consider, he has no idea how to proceed strategically. By starting with nine of his stones placed on the star points, the beginner occupies the main strategic points. However, the game is not trivial. White still has a lot of room to maneuver. It takes many games and a lot of study for the beginner to be able to defeat a dan-level player at a nine-stone handicap. The lessons learned in playing with a nine-stone handicap are more than tactical. A lot of strategic principles are learned, such as the importance of separating and confining your opponent’s stones and the value of building thick walls that project influence into the center and along the side. As the novice improves and the handicap is reduced, these principles can be put to use and other principles will be learned. In this process, the most important thing that a beginner has learned is how to use their handicap stones to build thick positions, then turning the influence of these positions into territory. By studying the Sanrensei Opening next, where the black player starts out by occupying the three star points on one side of the board, the novice can then use the principles and sequences learned in handicap games. Moreover, the basic strategy o fplaying for outside influence used in handicap games is the same strategy a player uses in the Sanrensei Opening. This is the natural way to make the transition from handicap to even games and we recommend that inexperienced players adopt it, at least initially, in all of their games. By studying the opening as outlined in this book, the kyu-level player can lay a solid foundation for the study of other opening systems and opening theory in general.

Handicap-Go Strategy and the Sanrensei Opening: Making the Transition from Handicap to Even Games (The Road Map to Shodan)

This book features the first five games of the historic ten-game match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol (the remaining games are featured in Part Two of this series), two players who have dominated go in the first decade of the 21st century. For years, these two have been rivals, competing for the top spots in numerous international go tournaments. Both are famous for their severe attacks and their fighting skills. Gu has a thick style accompanied by an exquisite feeling for the opening from which he often emerges with an advantage. In contrast, Lee plays a fast, profit-orieented game, leaving behind thin positions. This means that his groups often come under attack. Most players would collapse under Gu's relentless attacks, but this brings Lee's game to life and he creatively finds the best possible way to settle these groups or to somehow escape with them. This contrasts in style and especially Lee's daring strategies in the middle game are what make the games in this books especially fascinating and give birth to innovative moves and spectacular fights. The games are analyzed in great detail so the reader can understand the thinking behind each move. The reader can also find the most recent innovation and analysis of the mini-Chinese opening. In addition, an important new strategic concept, 'risk management', is introduced and studied for the first time. This book features the first five games of the historic ten-game match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol (the remaining games are featured in Part Two of this series), two players who have dominated go in the first decade of the 21st century.

The 2014 Ten-Game Match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol: Part One: Games One to Five

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Books by Van Zeijst, Rob