Go Reviews

A Scientific Introduction to Go
By Yang Yu-Chia
Yutopian
288 pages; $19.95
reviewed by Peter Shotwell

There seem to be two philosophies for writing beginning go books: the 'Thin Way' and the 'Thick Way.' Keeping it thin doesn't frighten off the casual or young reader, but the disadvantage is that one must buy another go book quite soon. I prefer the thick approach (see my new book "Go! More than a Game") and Yang Yu-Chia's book is definitely in this category. At first glance, Westerners may think "A Scientific Introduction to Go" looks scattered and confused, with lots of puzzling, seemingly irrelevant passages, side excursions and graphics mixed in with some very good analyses of what to do and how to do it. However, Yang, who administers the Taiwan-based Ing Foundation, clarifies that he is writing for young children like his son who had been subjected to the traditional, minimalist Chinese introduction to go-lots of problems with no theoretical comment. Hence, the use of 'scientific' in the title, the flashy diversions and an approach that talks about territory first and waits until page 90 to discuss life and death shapes. I think this may be a good approach for very young kids who may not be able to progress beyond desires for killing, but the capturing game approach might be more interesting to older kids and adults who can understand the leap to the idea of territory more quickly. In any case, besides its excellent lessons on basic go theory, this book is a feast for those interested in go culture because of the wonderful extended essays on Go Seigen and the modern Korean scene.