A new release from Go Books takes on a topic rarely covered in depth — the art and strategy of
9×9 go. Mastering Mini Go by attorney and 5-dan amateur Mark Tomlinson transforms the smallest board into a serious tactical arena.
“The 9×9 board distills Go to its essence — a knife fight in a phone booth where every move counts and games finish in minutes, not hours,” the book’s description begins. Drawing on cutting-edge AI analysis and his experience at the top of the online-go.com (OGS) 9×9 ladder, Tomlinson explores why the center dominates, how Black must pressure relentlessly, and how White’s patient style can exploit the smallest errors.
Packed with over 400 diagrams, professional game commentaries, and dozens of named openings, Mastering Mini Go aims to elevate “Mini Go” from a beginner’s training ground to a sophisticated, fast-paced battlefield.
Tomlinson — a senior attorney in Bakersfield, California — has repeatedly held the #1 spot on the
OGS 9x9 ladder. He co-hosted the Crazy Nines YouTube series with Stephen Hu, contributed to 81 Little Lions: An Introduction to the 9×9 Board for Advanced Beginners by Immanuel deVillers and David Wu’s KataGo 9×9 opening books, and created his own 9×9 opening book based on hundreds of professional games.
Mastering Mini Go is available for $11.99 as an in-app purchase in the SmartGo One app (for iPhone, iPad, and Mac) and as an EPUB directly at
GoBooks.com.