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Nie Weiping on Go: Another
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Reviewed by Josh Allen, 5d
As
a 5 dan I don't pay attention to many books out there, but contrary to fellow 5
dan Philip Waldron I think "Nie Weiping on Go" was a great book. The first,
biographical pages, I found a real pleasure to read, telling me more of
the recent development of go in China than I had previously come across.
Those pages also provide a sense of the dedication it took for one of the most
famous Chinese p layers to become a top pro and gave me a respect for the player
I did not previously posses.
As for the
commentary throughout the book, I must again respectfully disagree with Philip
Waldron's review (3/11/05 EJ). Yes, the entire book is on positional
judgment (this is why the book is called "Nie Weiping on Go - The Art of
Positional Judgment") so buyers should expect the book to related almost
completely to the subject. The book does this by helping you count territory so
you know who is ahead. Example from the book: " White can get 15 points on the
left, 5 points on top, 11+ points in the lower right, 9 points on the right, for
a total of 40 points (this makes more sense when you can see the actual diagram
but you get the idea here), black has 5 points in the upper left about 25 points
in the center , 2 points in the upper right for a total of 32 points black must
obtain 15 points in order to win the game"). Based on this asses sment,
you can then find out what to expect and how to prepare for it. Nie then
gives you diagrams on almost every page for what happens if something else was
played.
I admit that unlike most go books, you
will not find such things like "when A happens you must play B" because
positional judgment is not so easily defined. It is based on what you're
trying to play for, whether it's influence or territory, and what your opponent
is playing for. Only then can you begin finding the right move that works with
the entire board because it expands off those meanings. Finding those
kinds of moves can turn the tide of a game and that type of broad thinking is
contained in this book, which can only help your go. For these reasons I
highly recommend "Nie Weiping on Go" and hope to see more form him in the
future.
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