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Go! More Than a Game
Tuttle Publishing
reviewed by Dale Hoopingarner
As a new aficionado of the game of go, I'm
always on the lookout for go books when I visit a bookstore. Usually I walk away
empty-handed, but recently I came across Peter Shotwell's "Go! More Than a Game"
at my local Barnes & Noble. I found "Go!" to be a very enjoyable read and am
sure I will refer back to some of the game commentary several times.
The
early section of the book provides some interesting 9x9 and 13x13 games,
something I haven't seen in other books and is likely to be a welcome start for
many beginners instead of the somewhat daunting first try at a 19x19 board (so
many choices -- where to play?). The examples are backed up by variations with
fairly thorough explanations, a nice change from some books that merely hint at
a variation but leave it to the reader to explore.
An obstacle that readers
new to the game may find challenging is that the author tends to use a concept
before explaining it. Similarly, some Japanese go terms are used with little
introduction. He does, however, avoid the problem of some books of overusing
such terms, sticking instead to just the most basic ones.
A few editing
glitches mar the book a bit -- one game diagram is repeated twice instead of
showing the next sequence of moves, and occasionally a stone or position marker
referred to is absent, leaving the beginner to puzzle a bit. The subject of
josekis gets only a brief address, but given the entry level that the book
targets that is probably for the best.
Overall, I would recommend this book
to beginners. I especially enjoyed the final sections detailing the often
legendary history of go. I find the timeless appeal of the game to be part of
it's attraction, and delving into the often intriguing historical figures
surrounding go's origins is part of the game's mystique.
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