The Game of Go: The National Game of Japan

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 246 pages
• Published by: Tuttle Publishing; 1st Tuttle Ed edition December 15, 1989
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0804802025
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0804802024
• Book Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 10.7 ounces

Product Review
Title has been out-of-print. Game is board game, played with two sets of "men." (Kirkus Reviews)

Product Description
Passing from China, where it was developed over 3,000 years ago, to Japan, where it today commands a vast and enthusiastic following, Go is probably the oldest intellectual game in the world. Similar to chess, it leaves nothing to chance, requiring great strategy and carefully plotted campaigns to achieve an impregnable position, block enemies from lines of communication and win a series of battles. To penetrate this complicated, challenging game requires a great guide -- and this is it. Unsurpassable in its clarity and comprehensiveness, The Game of Go has been the classic guide to the game since it was first published in 1956.

Reader Reviews
I enjoyed this book for the historical trivia it contains as well as the authentic Japanese terms. However, as a pratical tool for Go Beginners, most Westerners will have trouble with this one. If you are familiar with Go, and of Dan level you will most likely enjoy the later problems (which are very complex). In all fairness, I think some reviewers have judged this book too harshly. Taking into account the time the book was first published and the lack of go material available then, this book does an adequate job in what it sets out to do: inform Westerners about Go. It is a pity that it is written more like a college essay than a book, and never really expresses the passion that Go players feel for this game.