A Way of Play for the 21st Century

BGJ 123 Summer 2001

Reviewer: Matthew Macfadyen

ISBN 0-9676096-1-5

Go books appear at such a rate nowadays that the habits of the 1970’s, when most of the keener players read all the books as a matter of course, are hard to maintain. But a recent browse through Gerry’s stock produced some interesting ones.

A Way of Play for the 21st Century by Go Seigen, Whole Board Press.

This collection of essays is based on a series of TV lectures given by Go Seigen during 1996 and 1997. It should be regarded as indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand the opening phase of the game of Go. The explanations are relatively simple, but the conclusions which seem so obvious afterwards have only been accepted by the community of professionals in the last few years.

My only complaint is that the diagrams have an annoying combination of grey background and white rings round the letters, so the marked spots look like white stones. But this is the best Go book I have read for some years.