Go Basics: Concepts & Strategies for New Players [With CDROM]

This is an excellent go book for the novice player. It explains all you need to know for basic play, and the cd rom is a great bonus. Many books give page after page of bewildering game plates that are all but useless for the non-pro. This book is simple and straightfoward. Very useful. I wish it would have covered more than just 9x9 games, though. If you want to focus on strategy for 13x13 or 19x19 games, than you need something else.

Quite helpful as a beginner. If you are in advanced stage - it helps to refresh your memory.

An excellent book for beginners to intermediates at Go. It focuses on the 9x9 board under the assumption that learning tactics, ideas and strategies on a smaller board will help kill bad habits before they start. It's very densely written, and I have to say that after the first few chapters I was lost, though that has more to do with the fact I'm an absolute beginner than anything else. It's necessary to have a board or two on hand to work out the exercises in the book, though if you're not willing to work out the problems without skipping to the answers, then why are you taking up Go? It'll take multiple read-throughs to grasp the book. I certainly haven't gotten a handle on all of it, but I regard that as a plus. It also comes with a nifty CD packed with goodies that's worth the price of the book alone. As for drawbacks, there are certain small errors in the book a little more careful editing could have fixed, and despite Shotwell's assertion that the lessons contained therein are easily extendable to the 19x19 game, a little more hand-holding from the 9x9 game to the larger board would be good for rank beginners like myself, since it's somewhat difficult and time consuming to completely master the 9x9 lessons before engaging more seasoned players who prefer the full board. All in all, a definite recommendation. Four and a half stars out of five

"GO Basics" is the sophomore effort from the prolific Go writer Peter Shotwell. Following his comprehensive first book, "Go! More Than a Game", could not have been easy, but "GO Basics" delivers on its subtitle premise of "Concepts & Strategies for New Players". Of course, there are many Go primers available, but this book stands out due to the unique approach it takes to teaching the fundamentals of Go. Most fundamentals-oriented books teach by using isolated 19x19 board examples. Such an approach may adequately demonstrate a concept but it often fails to provide the new player with an appreciation of the relationship of the concept to the entire game. "GO Basics" uses a total of 7 professional 9x9 games to teach the reader everything found in a complete game of Go. The first game is half the book. It covers the opening game, including captures, ladders, nets, and tesuji; and the middle game with life & death, eyes, territorial play, running fights, sente, gote, ko, and seki. The end game is taught with another unique approach. First the beginner's play is reviewed by showing the reader what not to do. This is followed by a review of the professional's play in the endgame, which of course, is the right way to play. The last six games cover advanced concepts such as sacrifice, big kos, cross-cuts, hunting big groups, invasions and thinking territorially. Finally, the makings of a 9x9 go set and the American Go Association CD-ROM's treasure trove of materials with its interactive playing program cements "GO Basics" position as a complete primer for beginners, young and old alike.