Go Reviews

The Nihon Ki-in Handbook Volume 4, Handicap Go
Nihon Kiin Editor Fujisawa Kazunari, Translated by Robert J. Terry
Published by Yutopian
Reviewed by Michael Turk, Australian 10k
March 17, 2003

What a find for us weak/middle kyu players! If you are weaker than 9 kyu and you play in a club dominated by strong kyu players and dan-level players, you probably spend most of your time playing handicap games. If this is so, this book will be very useful for you. Although it is called a "Dictionary" it does not provide simply brief catalogue of handicap joseki and tesuji like many of the other dictionaries - it actually explains fundamental principles of handicap play in terms that weaker players can understand. The book is written from Black's perspective. Each handicap level - from nine stones down to two is covered. Most diagrams have only seven or eight moves. Each diagram has comments on the key concepts illustrated. The nice thing is that one can actually develop an instinct for the shape of the stones and how they move. The book is designed for you to see what moves are possible and the reasons for their choice - with a consistent strategy in mind. It not only shows the 'good' variations, it also shows some 'weaker' variations and explains the difference. I suspect that the book is written for players in the 15-10k AGA range. I am sure that study and application of the principles within the book, (with the view of understanding rather than memorization) will result in you becoming a stronger player.

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