Go Reviews

Sabaki: How to Manage Weak Stones
Yang Yi-Lun
Compiled and Edited by John C. Stephenson
Reviewed by Barney Cohen, 4k* IGS

This slim little book is based on material presented by Mr. Yang during a recent "Yang workshop" in New Jersey. It is available via the Wings Across Calm Water Go Club web site. The book consists of two parts, the first illustrating important concepts and techniques necessary for creating sabaki (a flexible, light position) and the second a review of essential sabaki guidelines followed by sample problems and solutions.

This is an extremely slim volume for such a huge subject. Nevertheless, it should prove a useful addition to many player's go library. With so many books on various aspects of go now available, it is truly astonishing that this is the first book ever to be devoted solely to the subject of making sabaki (at least in English). Not only does this book provide the reader with a clear analytical framework for assessing sabaki situations, it introduces a number of important concepts not well discussed elsewhere. Even with this book, there is still a huge hole in the literature for one of the major publishers of go books to develop a much larger treatment on the topic with many more examples and practice problems. In the meantime, this seminal volume should enjoy a wide readership. The last time that John Stephenson transcribed material from one of Mr. Yang's lectures, (How to Destroy and Preserve, 2000), it rapidly disappeared from print. This book is even better and more useful than the last.

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