Go Reviews

Essential Joseki
by Rui Naiwei
Yutopian
Revie wed by Jonathan Tien 5k

       Joseki are crucial point to master if you hope to play go well. However, many players inevitably get bogged down in joseki "encyclopedias," slogging through dull, unimaginative volumes of joseki after joseki after joseki, with little or no explanation to assist in the learning process. While beginners should start with books such as "38 Basic Joseki," higher kyu and dan players need a more challenging source for learning and reviewing joseki.
       Rui Naiwei's "Essential Joseki" combines the accessibility of an elementary joseki book and the detail of a multi-volume "dictionary." The book is organized by corner stone (3-4, 4-4, 3-3, and 5-4) and further divided by various approach moves. Each section is followed by diagrams showing various variations of joseki with brief but clear explanations on how the variation is used, and what the pros/cons are.
   "Essential" goes far and beyond most joseki books. Despite thousands of joseki variations, Rui Naiwei has managed to create an accessible and handy reference with enough detail and complexity to challenge lower dan players.