Go Reviews

Cho Hun-hyeon's Lectures on Go Techniques
Yutopian
http://www.yutopian.com/chineseculture.html
Reviewed by Nathan Borggren 7k

      We've all had those days where our corners end up looking like train wrecks and we stare puzzled at the goban wondering where it all went wrong. Lectures on Go Techniques breaks down this close quarter combat to downright trivial degrees. The first chapter on "Elements of Go Techniques" includes useful tactics like Surrounding and Escaping, Connecting and Cutting, Attachments, Diagonals, Tigers, empty triangles, and hanes at the head of your opponent's stones. In this section Cho Hun-hyeon derives some basic common joseki from proverbs like "Hane at the head of opponent's stones," "answer an attachment with a hane" and assorted shape issues.
       The second chapter is a set of basic problems in which he walks you step by step through correct and incorrect (sometimes very incorrect) answers regarding: Attachments, Extensions, Establishing A Base, Running Towards Center and Capping, Ataris, Cuts, Tigers, and Weaknesses. His explanations are long and lucid with easy-to-read diagrams. I find myself referring to it often as a source to explicate some of the why's and wherefore's in studying joseki moves long after I first read it.
      I classify this book as a pre-joseki guide that would benefit players from nearly beginners to around 10-12k, especially those in the 15 kyu arena. Players stronger than 12k may find the lack of challenge in the problems irritating. Lectures on Go Techniques is a simple, enjoyable, and quick read that will help you embark on the diffic ult, enjoyable, and lifelong study of joseki..