Book Review Learn to Play Go Volume III

Today I will review Learn to Play Go Volume III: The Dragon Style by Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun. The book is the third in the Learn to Play Go series. I previously reviewed the first two books. I will review the last two books in the series when I get them. I smell Christmas gifts...

While the first two books dealt with ways to place Go stones, this book relates to the thought process needed to play Go. The approach of the book is summed up in a quotation on page 4. "In go, as in any martial art, your mental state is one of the most important factors in winning or losing." This quotation raises interesting implications. It assumes that the game of Go is a mental martial art. It is a discipline and they did establish temples with orders dedicated to the study of the game but the game as a martial art? I suppose it is as much so as other zen arts such as flower arranging and calligraphy. Interesting approach.

The book is divided into two sections and eight chapters. The first two chapters have several subsections.

Part I: The Dragon Style
Chapter 1 Seven Dangers (Fear, Agitation, Greed, Thoughtlessness, Irrationality, Anger, and Envy)
Chapter 2 Eight Secrets (Choose Profit Over Glory, Rush to Plant Your Flag, Drive Towards Your Thickness, Stay Connected, Watch Your Vital Signs, Minimize Effort Maximize Profit, Style Counts, Hold That Line)

Part II Real Games

Chapter 3 Opening
Chapter 4 Middle Game
Chapter 5 Endgame
Chapter 6 A Nine-Stone Handicap Game
Chapter 7 A Three-Stone Handicap Game
Chapter 8 Even and Handicap Go

The first part of the book was extremely useful for my game. Honestly the second part was a bit beyond me. I wish instead of thoughtfully analyzed high kyu and dan Go games she analyzed less advanced players. Perhaps two players in the 15-20 kyu range who make mistakes common to readers of this volume. All in all this was useful but not as necessary as the prior to volumes reviewed.