The World of Xiuhang -- Patterns and Strategies

Author: Shusaku Fujisawa
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2000-02-01
Features: Although this book is titled "Opening Moves" (or "Tsumego"), it is completely different from typical tsumego books. Tsumego are relative and reasonable variations on the corners that have been summarized from past research over the long history of Go, serving as a treasure trove of techniques (sente) and shapes (sage). Learning, learning, and learning again is very meaningful. However, in actual play, corner variations cannot exist in isolation; they must always be viewed in the context of the whole board. As a result, tsumego are not absolute, and mechanically memorizing them is incorrect. It is crucial to approach tsumego and common patterns with a dialectical mindset. This book uses various opening and mid-game situations, focusing on whether the right tsumego or common pattern is chosen as the central point of consideration. Though it may sound cliché, the board is infinite, and after just 20 or 30 moves, readers will inevitably encounter unfamiliar positions—a problem that cannot be solved solely through knowledge (such as tsumego). What matters is "vision"—the ability to see what is most important in a given position and make sound judgments. To cultivate such vision, careful consideration has been given to selecting appropriate topics. Since these are professional players' actual games, the judgments presented are more advanced, but there's no need to worry about this—just read with the mindset of "Ah, that makes sense."