Go Bible: Xuan Xuan Qijing · Solving the Pearl-Encrusted Chessboard

Author: Yan Defu, Yan Tianzhang (Yuan Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Regarding Go, the "Shishi Xianji" (Stone Room Immortal Machine) states, "Open the spiritual realm, bid farewell to the mortal world." Fan Zhongyan remarks, "One stone is worth a thousand gold, one move weighs a thousand miles." The Qing Dynasty scholar You Dong says, "Observe the nineteen lines of Go, and it surpasses reading twenty-one histories." Zhang Chao in "You Meng Ying" (Faint Dreams of a Hidden World) writes, "Without calligraphy, chess, wine, and poetry, one need not necessarily be human." Go is regarded as the "gene" of Chinese wisdom and the "password" of Chinese culture, called the "ultimate art of China," "a unique pearl of art," and "an unparalleled cultural heritage."
Go is said to have originated in ancient China over 2,000 years ago and is one of the oldest board games in the world. It was introduced to Japan around the Sui and Tang dynasties and to Europe in the 19th century. Playing Go is highly similar to military strategy and has long been favored by scholars, literati, and military strategists. Go was created by the ancient Chinese people and is one of the treasures of ancient Chinese culture. — China Great Encyclopedia·Sports
Reasons to Read This Book: The 378 Go positions in this book are its core and essence. Most of them are carefully collected, organized, and created by the authors as various life-and-death problems, with many being masterpieces passed down through generations, all of which have practical significance. The numerous life-and-death positions are the cumulative result of generations. Yan and Yan synthesized the essence of various schools to create a classic work of their time. They deeply explored the original intent of ancient sages, far from being confined to petty cleverness. The book embodies the dynamics of movement and stillness, the subtleties of horizontal and vertical complexity, aligning with the numbers of the He Tu Luo Shu (River Map and Lo Shu), a realm that only the truly profound can discuss.
Recommended for the Following Groups: Go masters or amateurs, politicians, military strategists, or artists; defenders or critics of Chinese culture; people with leisure time or "powerful walkers"; those who are not smart or want to become smarter.
This book draws from the Xuan Xuan Qi Jing (The Profound Profound Go Classic), a comprehensive collection of ancient Chinese Go theory. The Xuan Xuan Qi Jing was co-authored by Yan Defu, a Go master from Jiangxi Luling during the Yuan Dynasty, and his fellow scholar Yan Tianzhang, completed between the seventh and ninth years of the Zhi Zheng era (1347–1349). It is regarded as a "major achievement" and "outstanding contribution" in the development of Yuan Dynasty Go, a "glorious" and "masterpiece" of ancient Chinese comprehensive Go art, and a "classic Go manual widely circulated for over four hundred years from the Yuan to the mid-Qing Dynasty." It is revered by renowned Go players at home and abroad as one of the "best authoritative works among ancient Go books." Its status in Go history is akin to the Bible in Christianity, hence the name "Go Bible." The term "Xuan Xuan" originates from the Tao Te Ching ("The Profound is profoundly profound, the gateway to all mysteries").