Copyright © 2007 by Richard Bozulich and Rob van Zeijst

Mastering the Basics, Volume 6

All About Ko

by Rob van Zeijst & Richard Bozulich

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

Ko is the most intriguing aspect of go. When a ko fight arises, the calculations and considerations become quite complex. You have to be able to calculate how much the ko is worth, looking at it from Black’s perspective, then from White’s. Next, you have to look at the number of ko threats each side has, calculate the value of each, then determine whether or not these threats are big enough to induce you or your opponent to answer. Even if your ko threat isn’t big enough to get your opponent to respond, is it big enough to win the game? Clearly, when fighting a ko, thinking globally is of paramount importance, since positions throughout the whole board are involved. Ko is the most difficult part of the game to master, but, without an understanding of its intricacies, you can never become a truly strong go player.

All About Ko is a book that simplifies this difficult subject by breaking it down into 19 easily digestible chapters. Each of these chapters concentrates on one particular aspect of ko, with ample examples, so that the reader fully understands the concept being studied. Throughout these chapters, example games are given which show how professionals handle these kinds of ko situations in their games. Many small-board games are also provided so as to strip away irrelevant local positions, thereby enabling the reader to concentrate on the topic being discussed. The book ends with 122 problems designed to hammer home the concepts introduced in the first part of this book. They include kos that arise in josekis and common life-and-death positions. You will also be asked to find moves in positions that confronted professionals in their games.

All About Ko is a comprehensive textbook on ko. A thorough study of it will lay a solid foundation for your progress on the road to mastering ko.

This ePub reader does not support full scripting, so diagrams may not be interactive.

About the Authors

Rob van Zeijst started playing go at the age of 8. At 13, he joined a go club and became the strongest member within six months. He won the Amsterdam Tournament at 17 when only 3-dan and became European and Dutch Champion at 19. After teaching at Sakata Eio’s go salon, he became a Japanese Go Association insei. After ten months, he qualified for the top division, but had to quit for health reasons. He has won the European Championship three times, and has at least a 50% win-loss record against all European professionals. He was the European representative in the Fujitsu Cup four times. In international tournaments, he has defeated professionals up to 7-dan.

He has lived in Japan for over 30 years. He works as a technical translator and court interpreter (Japanese/English/Dutch). For six years he wrote a weekly go column The Magic of Go in the Japanese English-language newspaper The Daily Yomiuri.

Readers who have any questions or suggestions regarding this book or Making Good Shape should email him at: kobook@themagicofgo.com. Type ‘All About Ko’ or ‘Making Good Shape’ in the subject line.

Richard Bozulich is the chairman of Kiseido Publishing Company. He came to Japan in 1967 to study go and founded The Ishi Press and started publishing go books. In 1982 he started Kiseido and published Invincible: The Games of Shusaku.

Copyright Page

Mastering the Basics, Volume 6
All About Ko

Rob van Zeijst & Richard Bozulich

Published by
Kiseido Publishing Company
CPO Box 1140
Tokyo, Japan

Copyright © 2007 by Richard Bozulich and Rob van Zeijst

All rights reserved according to international law. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use without the written permission of the publisher.

ISBN of the printed version: 978–4–906574–76–6

Converted for SmartGo Books by John Mifsud.

Contents

All About Ko
Mastering the Basics, Volume 6

About the Authors

Copyright Page

Preface

Some Important Terms and Concepts

A Glossary of Japanese Terms Related to Kos

The Two Ko Rules

Chapter One: Ko in Action

The chapters in gray are included only in the full book.

Chapter Two: The Value of a Ko

Chapter Three: The Value of a Ko Threat

Chapter Four: There is No Ko in the Opening

Chapter Five: Adjacent Ko Threats

Chapter Six: Be the First to Take the Ko

Chapter Seven: Flower-Viewing Kos

Chapter Eight: Maximizing the Number of Ko Threats

Chapter Nine: Ko Threats that Lose Points

Chapter Ten: Invalid Ko Threats

Chapter Eleven: Creating Ko Threats

Chapter Twelve: Using Ko to Make Sabaki

Chapter Thirteen: Double and Triple Kos

Chapter Fourteen: Approach-Move Kos

Chapter Fifteen: Two and Three-Stage Kos

Chapter Sixteen: The Ten-Thousand-Year Ko

Chapter Seventeen: Bent Four in the Corner

Chapter Eighteen: Super Kos

Chapter Nineteen: The Carpenter’s Square

Chapter Twenty: Problems and Example Games

Problems 1–9

Problems 10–19

Problems 20–29

Problems 30–39

Problems 40–49

Problems 50–61

Problems 62–65: Kos that Arise in the Taisha Joseki

Problems 66–69: Example Game One

Problems 70–79

Problems 80–89

Problems 90–92

Problems 93–98: Example Game Two

Problem 99: Example Game Three

Problems 100–102

Problems 103–109: Example Game Four

Problems 110–111: Example Game Five

Problem 112: Example Game Six

Problems 113–114: Example Game Seven

Problems 115–119: Example Game Eight

Problems 120–121

Example Game Nine

Problem 122

Example Game Ten

Example Game Eleven

Appendix: Further Reading

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Preface

Many of the strongest players—Shusaku, Shusai, GoSeigen, Sakata, and in more recent times Cho Chikun, O Rissei, Cho U, Yi Ch’ang-ho, Yi Se-dol – are masters at fighting ko. These players use ko as a weapon to complicate a position, start fights, and turn local fights into free-for-all melees. When your opponent uses ko in such a way, your ability to stay calm is especially important.

Staying calm in the midst of adversity is certainly a virtue, and it is often the case that those who lack this virtue in their daily life also lack it when playing go. Perhaps the go board can be a good training ground for acquiring this virtue. However, before you can do this, there are two basic go skills that you must develop: reading and calculating ability.

Reading is the ability to analyze variations that arise from the many possible moves in a local position. Inherent in this ability is the power to visualize the end result. The best way to develop reading ability is to study and try to solve tesuji and life-and-death problems, and to do this mentally, without the aid of stones placed on the board. Moreover, it is not sufficient to study the problems in just one book; constant practice is necessary, so you will eventually have to study thousands of such problems.

Calculating involves the ability to determine the amount of territory each side has during a game and to calculate the value of endgame moves. However, these calculations are the simple ones; they are just the first level of complexity.

When a ko fight occurs, the complexity of the calculations rises to an even higher level. You now have to be able to calculate how much the ko is worth, looking at it from Black’s perspective, then from White’s. Next, you have to look at the number of ko threats each side has, calculate the value of each, then determine whether or not they are big enough to induce you or your opponent to answer. Even if your ko threat isn’t big enough to get your opponent to respond, is it big enough to win the game? Clearly, when fighting a ko, you have to think globally, since positions throughout the whole board are involved. There is no doubt that ko is the most difficult aspect of the game to master.

Ko is also a difficult subject to write about. This is evidenced by the fact that there are relatively few books written on this subject, and most of the ones we’ve seen, in Japanese, Korean, and English, are not very enlightening. The most interesting one that we’ve come across is a treatise written by Segoe Kensaku, published more than fifty years ago and long out of print, entitled Ko no Kenkyu (A Study of Ko). However, Segoe’s book deals only with selected topics and was not meant to be a comprehensive textbook on ko. In chapters thirteen, sixteen, and seventeen, we present some examples based on Segoe’s research.

By writing this book, we hope to fill a huge gap that exists in the English go literature by covering all the main topics related to ko. Chapter One explains what a ko is. Chapter Two shows the reader how to evaluate a ko, then in Chapter Three we explain why, in theory, a ko threat should be two thirds the value of the ko that is being contested. Next, in Chapter Four we illustrate why it is not good strategy to start a ko in the opening. The remaining 14 chapters deal with the various kinds of kos that can occur and the tactical techniques used in fighting them.

Numerous professional games are given throughout the book that illustrate the techniques being discussed. In the problem section, a position in a professional game is given and the reader is asked to analyze the ko that arose. The reader can then compare his analysis to that of the professional’s. In this way we hope the reader can hone his skill in fighting kos.

The purpose of this book is to give the reader an understanding of the basics of fighting kos. But this is only the beginning. You will have to continue your studies by reviewing the games you play in which kos arise. Try to analyze where you went wrong or what you did right. Play through professional games, especially those of great players like the ones listed above. There are a lot of resources for studying games (see Appendix: Further Reading). Remember, mastering the art of fighting kos is not easy; it is hard even for professionals. But the study of ko will reward you with deeper insights into all aspects of the game.

Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich
September 2007

Some Important Terms and Concepts

Here we introduce some go terms used in this book. For a comprehensive glossary of Japanese and English go terms, refer to The Go Player’s Almanac 2001 from page 331 to 374.

aji

Aji refers to latent possibilities that exist in a position. Although these possibilities may never be realized, their existence influences the course of the game and enables certain moves to be made.

Dia. 1a

＞＜

In Dia. 1a the marked white stone in the corner is dead, but it still has aji. Because of its aji, White need not fear Black’s pushing through at A, so he can jump to 1, rescuing his three stones at the top.

Dia. 1b

＞＜

If Black does push through and tries to confine White to the top with 1 and 3 in Dia. 1b, White ataris with 4. After Black defends with 5, the aji of the marked stone comes to life and White captures Black’s stones on the right with 6 and 8.

atari

Atari is a threat to capture a stone or a group of stones on the next move.

Dia. 2a

The white stone in Dia. 2a is in atari. If White doesn’t defend by extending to A, Black may capture it with 1 in Dia. 2b.

Dia. 2b

＞＜

Dia. 2c

The result is shown in Dia. 2c.

gote

Gote is a move which does not require an answer; a defensive move. Compare sente.

hane

Hane is a diagonal move played from a friendly stone in contact with an enemy stone.

Dia. 3

＞＜

White 1 in Dia. 3 is an example of a hane.

miai

Miai refers to two points of approximately equal value. If your opponent takes one of them, you can (and usually must) take the other.

Dia. 4

The points A and B in Dia. 4 are miai, so White is alive. If Black plays one of them, White will play the other.

moyo

Moyo is a framework which maps out a large area of potential territory. Some moyos are huge, while others are modest in size.

Dia. 5

In Dia. 5, the four white stones in the upper left map out a moyo. The four black stones in the upper right map out an even larger moyo from his corner enclosure along the upper right side and the top right. If Black were to play at A with his next move, he would have mapped out a huge moyo in the upper right quadrant of the board.

ponnuki

The shape left when a stone is captured by four opposing stones. The shape of the black stones in Dia. 2c is an example.

sabaki

When your stones are outnumbered in one part of the board, your aim will not be to make territory; rather, you will want to make good shape, rich in eye potential, so that your stones, if attacked, can easily make eyes in the area where they are attacked or can easily escape into the center. This is called sabaki. When making sabaki, it is not unusual to sacrifice some of the stones which are under attack. Here are two related concepts.

light

Stones are referred to as ‘light’ if they can be sacrificed to help other stones make good shape. A move played in the vicinity of stones that are to be sacrificed is called a ‘light move’. Moves that make sabaki are called ‘light’.

heavy

Stones that are heavy cannot readily make eye shape, and are vulnerable. If a group ends up as heavy, it has failed to make sabaki. Here are some diagrams which illustrate these concepts.

Dia. 6

＞＜

Dia. 7

＞＜

In Dia. 6, Black has mapped out a moyo at the top. If White wants to reduce this moyo, he can begin with a probe at 1. If Black blocks at 2, White will cut with 3 in Dia. 7 and play the forcing moves of 5 and 7. Next —

Dia. 8

＞＜

Dia. 9

＞＜

White 1 in Dia. 8 looks like an efficient move because it defends the two cutting points at A and B. In spite of this, it is bad. Black will peep with 1 and 3 in Dia. 9, and White is left with a clump of stones lacking eye-making potential after Black 5. These stones have now become ‘heavy’.

Dia. 10

＞＜

Since White 1 in Dia. 8 results in a heavy shape, it has failed to make sabaki. The correct way for White to play after Black 8 in Dia. 7 is with 1 in Dia. 10, White 1 is ‘light’ because it doesn’t defend the cutting points at A and B and treats the marked stones lightly — that is, White is willing to sacrifice them for the greater good.

Dia. 11

＞＜

For example, if Black does cut with 1 in Dia. 11, White can make a shape with eye-making potential with the sequence to 8. White has made sabaki.

Dia. 12

＞＜

Black could also cut at 1 in Dia. 12. White would then defend at 2. Black must extend to 3 and White jumps to 4 — a wedge has been driven between the two black positions at the top. He also has at least one eye at the top and is out into the center. White has succeeded in making sabaki.

sente

A move that must be answered; an offensive move. Compare gote.

tesuji

A skillful move which accomplishes some clear tactical objective, such as capturing a group, rescuing one of your own groups, linking up your stones, separating your opponent’s stones, or making good shape.

thick

A thick position has few or no defects, i.e., cutting points. Such positions are hard to attack. Thick positions are useful in that they can be used for attacking. Conversely, thick positions are hard to attack and it should be impossible for the opposing side to make sabaki against it.

thin

Stones that are weak or widely separated are called thin. Unlike thick stones, these stones are easily invaded or attacked.

A Glossary of Japanese Terms Related to Kos

Chosei – Eternal-life. Also called ‘long life’. A type of super ko. See Chapter Eighteen.

Dokei hanpuku – Full-board repetition with a repeating cycle longer than two moves. If neither player is willing to end the repetition, the game is ruled as a no-result and is replayed. Such positions are referred to as ‘super kos’. See Chapter Eighteen.

Han-ko – A ko fought over one point. It is worth half a point because it takes one move to capture and one move to connect, so the value of each move is half a point.

Hanami-ko — Flower-viewing ko. A ko in which one player has everything to lose, while the other stakes almost nothing.

Hon-ko – A direct ko. A ko in which one side must ignore one ko threat to win it.

Itte-yose-ko – A one-move approach-move ko where one side must ignore two ko threats to win it.

Junkan-ko – Round-robin ko. One kind of super ko. See Chapter Eighteen.

Ko-date — A ko threat.

Kozai – Ko threats.

Mannen-ko – Ten-thousand-year ko.

Mu-ko – An ineffective ko threat. A ko threat where the opponent need not answer or where the resolution of the ko is in itself a threat so big that the opponent must answer it, rendering the initial ko threat ineffective.

Nidan-ko – A two-stage ko. A ko that can shift between being fought in two positions.

Nite-yose-ko – An two-move approach-move ko where one side must ignore three ko threats to win it

Ryo-ko – Double ko. Two kos being fought simultaneously in the same fight.

San-ko – A triple ko. A kind of super ko in which three simultaneous kos are being fought.

Sandan-ko – A three-stage ko. A ko that can shift between being fought in three positions.

Son-ko – A ko threat that loses points.

Tenka kikazu – No ko threat is big enough.

Tenka-ko — An almighty ko. A ko that is so big that whoever wins it wins the game.

Yose-ko – An approach-move ko. A ko fight in which one side has to fill one or more liberties, thereby ignoring more than one ko threat.

Zettai-ko — An absolute ko threat. A ko threat that is so big it cannot be ignored.

The Two Ko Rules

There are two kinds of kos that readers of this book must distinguish. One is the basic ko rule that most players learn when they first start the game. The other is the super ko (dokei hanpuku in Japanese) rule. The following are the definitions.

The Basic Ko Rule

A player may not play a stone that recreates the position left after his last move.

The Super Ko Rule

A player may not play a stone that recreates any previous position.

These two rules can be stated mathematically as follows:

Let P(n) be the position created by the n-th move and the n-th move is not a pass. Then:

(1) P(n) = P(n-2) is not allowed. (the basic ko rule)

(2) P(n) = P(m) for all m < n is not allowed. (the super ko rule)

Super kos rarely occur, so the greater part of this book deals with kos that arise from the basic ko rule. The three main kinds of super kos are triple kos, eternal life, and round-robin kos. Eternal life and round-robin kos are briefly introduced in Chapter Eighteen. A discussion of triple kos can be found in Chapter Thirteen.

Chapter One: Ko in Action

1. The basic ko rule

Dia. 1

＞＜

Dia. 2

＞＜

In Dia. 1, White has just played 1, leaving his marked stone in atari. Black can capture this stone if he chooses by playing 2 in Dia. 2.

Dia. 3

Dia. 4

The result of this capture is shown in Dia. 3. It is now the marked black stone in Dia. 4 that is being contested. If White captures that stone by playing at A, the position would revert to Dia. 1. Black could then capture again with 2 in Dia. 2. If neither side yielded and kept repeating these moves, the positions in Dias. 1 and 3 would keep recurring and the game would not reach a conclusion. To avoid this impasse, go has the following rule:

A player may not play a stone that recreates the position left after his last turn!

This is the basic ko rule — it is the one that will be used throughout most of this book. (The other rule is for super kos.) According to this rule, Black can play 2 in Dia. 2, but White cannot immediately capture the marked black stone by playing at A in Dia. 4. White must first change the board position by playing elsewhere.

2. Ko in Action: Game One

Let’s look at a game on a 13 x 13 board to see how this rule causes kos to arise.

Dia. 5

＞＜

After Black and White establish positions in the four corners with the sequence to 4 in Dia. 5, a sharp clash breaks out in the upper left corner. After Black 9, White has a choice between playing an atari at A or drawing back peacefully with B.

Dia. 6

＞＜

Suppose that White ataries with 10 in Dia. 6 (A in Dia. 5). Connecting at Black 11 is out of the question. White is able to secure the entire corner by drawing back to 12. But, most important, Black is left with a terrible shape: the empty triangle formed by Black 11 and the two marked stones. This result is unacceptable, so –

Dia. 7

＞＜

Black has to respond to the atari of White 10 with a counteratari at 11 in Dia. 7. White captures with 12 and Black ataries with 13. The result is shown in Dia. 8.

Dia. 8

The marked black stone (Black 13 in Dia. 7) is threatening to capture the marked white one at A, starting a ko. White can stop this ko by immediately connecting at A, but –

Dia. 9

＞＜

If White connects at 1 in Dia. 9, Black will connect with 2. The sequence to Black 8 can be expected next. This is not good for White. Black has built a wall facing down the left side, so, with his marked stone in place, he has taken control of the left side. On the other hand, White has been confined to the upper left corner and his marked stone has been immobilized by Black’s thickness. This is a terrible result for White.

Dia. 10

＞＜

An alternative is for White to cut with 1 in Dia. 10. Black captures the marked stone with 2, starting a ko. White falls back to 3 and Black cuts with 4.

Dia. 11

The position after White pushes in with 5 is shown in Dia. 11.

Dia. 12

＞＜

If Black now captures at 6 in Dia. 12, White can fight the ko by capturing at 7. Since White 7 threatens the marked stone with another ko –

Dia. 13

＞＜

Black connects at 8 in Dia. 13 and White resolves the first ko by connecting at 9. Finally, Black 10 is a strong move, separating the two white stones in the center from their allies in the corner. White is in trouble.

Dia. 14

＞＜

What about White 3 in Dia. 10? Couldn’t White fight the ko by making a ko threat with the attachment at 1 in Dia. 14? Black would capture with 2 and White would get the advantage in the lower left with 3. However, Black’s thick double-ponnuki position in the upper left secures the corner and radiates influence along the top – indeed, throughout the whole board. Moreover, White’s stones at the top no longer have a coherent shape. Although White has taken the initiative in the lower left, his stones there are thin and Black has sente as well.

Dia. 15

＞＜

Black’s marked stone in Dia. 15 can still come to life by extending to 4. Black establishes a position at the bottom with the sequence to 8. If White 5 at A, Black extends to 8. Black’s position is certainly superior to White’s, so White’s ko threat at 1 in Dia. 14 did not secure enough compensation for the territory and thick position Black got in the upper left.

Dia. 16

＞＜

Instead of 10 in Dia. 7, White would probably be better off avoiding the ko for the moment and drawing back to 10 in Dia. 16. Black secures his stones with 11 and White stakes out a position on the left side with 12. This seems to be a reasonable result for both sides.

Dia. 17
16: connects ko

＞＜

However, attacking the white stones with Black 11 in Dia. 17 is a strong move. White ataries with 12 and Black blocks with 13, setting up a ko. After White captures with 14, Black attacks with 15. White can connect at the marked stone with 16, but Black will take the initiative with 17. Although White has succeeded in the upper left, Black’s overall position is superior to White’s.

Dia. 18

＞＜

After Black 15, defending with White 16 in Dia. 18 is a better strategy. If Black captures with 17, White 18 is a fast-paced move. This is an example of how professionals fight a ko. Of course, they want to win it, but not at all costs. They also don’t mind losing a ko if they can get reasonable compensation.

Go Books Published by Kiseido

➤ Books available in SmartGo Books.

Introductory and General

➤ K39: How to Play Go: A Concise Introduction by Richard Bozulich and James Davies

➤ K50: Go – A Complete Introduction to the Game by Cho Chikun

➤ K31: The Second Book of Go by Richard Bozulich

K40: The Go Player’s Almanac 2001 edited by Richard Bozulich

K30: Japanese Prints and the World of Go by William Pinckard and Kitagawa Akiko

Problem Books for Beginners

Graded Go Problems for Beginners by Kano Yoshinori

➤ K46: Volume 1, Introductory Problems (35-kyu to 25-kyu)

➤ K47: Volume 2, Elementary Problems (25-kyu to 20-kyu)

➤ K48: Volume 3, Intermediate Problems (20-kyu to 15-kyu)

➤ K49: Volume 4, Advanced Problems (15-kyu to 1-kyu)

Elementary Go Series

For more than 30 years, the Elementary Go Series has been the standard texts for go players who want to get a firm grasp of the fundamentals of go. Not only is the theory of go elaborated on, the reader is also given problems to show how these theoretical concepts are applied in actual games.

➤ K10: Volume 1: In the Beginning – The Opening in the Game of Go by Ishigure Ikuro

➤ K11: Volume 2: 38 Basic Joseki by Kosugi Kiyoshi and James Davies

➤ K12: Volume 3: Tesuji by James Davies

➤ K13: Volume 4: Life and Death by James Davies

➤ K14: Volume 5: Attack and Defense by Ishida Akira and James Davies

➤ K15: Volume 6: The Endgame by Ogawa Tomoko and James Davies

➤ K16: Volume 7: Handicap Go by Yoshiaki Nagahara and Richard Bozulich

Get Strong at Go Series

A series of problem books covering every phase of the game from the opening to the endgame. Each book contains 170 or more problems ranging in difficulty from elementary to advanced. Thus, they can be used by players ranging in strength from 20-kyu to dan-level. By studying go in this problem format, you will not only learn basic principles as to why moves are made but also train yourself in thinking through and analyzing positions. You will encounter a great many of the same or similar patterns that will arise in your own games. We guarantee that diligent study of this entire series will lay the foundation for becoming a truly strong player.

K51: Volume 1: Get Strong at the Opening

K52-K54: Volumes 2–4: Get Strong at Joseki I, II, III

➤ K55: Volume 5: Get Strong at Invading

K56: Volume 6: Get Strong at Tesuji

➤ K57: Volume 7: Get Strong at the Endgame

➤ K58: Volume 8: Get Strong at Life and Death

K59: Volume 9: Get Strong at Handicap Go

➤ K60: Volume 10: Get Strong at Attacking

Mastering the Basics

A series of books, especially written for high-kyu players, for mastering the basic techniques of Go. Each book in this series consists of hundreds of problems designed to hammer home the fundamental concepts of go theory and technique. A thorough and patient study of this series is the fastest way to go through the kyu ranks.

➤ K71: Volume 1: 501 Opening Problems by Richard Bozulich and Rob van Zeijst

K72: Volume 2: 1001 Life-and-Death Problems by Richard Bozulich

➤ K73: Volume 3: Making Good Shape by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K74: Volume 4: 501 Tesuji Problems by Richard Bozulich

➤ K75: Volume 5: The Basics of Go Strategy by Richard Bozulich

➤ K76: Volume 6: All About Ko by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K77: Volume 7: Attacking and Defending Moyos by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K78: Volume 8: Fight Like a Pro – The Secrets of Kiai by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K79: Volume 9: An Encyclopedia of Go Principles by Richard Bozulich

K80: Volume 10: Close Encounters with the Middle Game by Michiel Eijkhout

➤ K87: Volume 11: Sabaki – The Art of Settling Stones by Richard Bozulich

➤ K88: Volume 12: Attacking and Defending Weak Groups by Richard Bozulich

Elementary Books

➤ K02: Basic Techniques of Go by Nagahara Yoshiaki and Haruyama Isamu

K28: Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go by Kageyama Toshiro

K36: Opening Theory Made Easy by Otake Hideo

➤ K82: Handicap Go Strategy and the Sanrensei Opening by van Zeijst and Bozulich

K83: The Basic Principles of the Opening and Middle Game by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K84: The Basics of Life and Death by van Zeijst and Bozulich

K85: A Survey of Basic Tesujis by Richard Bozulich

Advanced Books

Graded Go Problems for Dan Players

K61: Volume 1: 300 Life-and-Death Problems (5-kyu to 3-dan)

K62: Volume 2: 300 Tesuji Problems (5-kyu to 3-dan)

K63: Volume 3: 300 Joseki Problems (1-dan to 3-dan)

K64: Volume 4: 300 Life-and-Death Problems (4-dan to 7-dan)

K65: Volume 5: 300 Tesuji Problems (4-dan to 7-dan)

K66: Volume 6: 300 Joseki Problems (4-dan to 7-dan)

K67: Volume 7: 256 Opening and Middle Game Problems (1-dan to 7-dan)

K81: A Dictionary of Modern Fuseki: The Korean Style

K29: Reducing Territorial Frameworks by Fujisawa Shuko

Game Collections

➤ K01: Invincible: The Games of Shusaku edited and compiled by John Power

K07: The 1971 Honinbo Tournament by Iwamoto Kaoru

➤ K91: Modern Master Games, Vol. 1: The Dawn of Tournament Go by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich, with historical notes by John Power

K92: Modern Master Games, Vol. 2: The 2014 Ten-Game Match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol, Part One: Games One to Five by Rob van Zeijst

K93: Modern Master Games, Vol. 3: The 2014 Ten-Game Match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol, Part Two: Games Six to Eight by Michael Redmond 9-dan and Rob van Zeijst

PP01: Tournament Go 1992 edited and compiled by John Power

Refining Your Go Technique

K69: Cosmic Go – A Guide to Four-Stone Handicap Games by Sangit Chatterjee and Yang Huiren

K26: The Direction of Play by Kajiwara Takeo

K33: The Chinese Opening – The Sure-Win Strategy by Kato Masao

K45: Positional Judgment – High-Speed Game Analysis by Cho Chikun

Dictionary of Basic Joseki by Ishida Yoshio

K21: Volume 1: 3–4 Point Josekis

K22: Volume 2: 3–5 Point Josekis

K23: Volume 3: 5–4 and 4–4 Point Josekis

The 21st Century Dictionary of Basic Joseki by Takao Shinji

K41: Volume One

K42: Volume Two

Go World

Go World was a quarterly magazine that covered the Japanese and international tournament scene. Analysis of games from tournaments and instructional articles for players of all levels.

A complete set of Go World from the first issue to issue #129 is available on three DVDs from Kiseido Digital. To order, go to www.kiseidodigital.com.

Ordering Info

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Copyright © 2007 by Richard Bozulich and Rob van Zeijst

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