Go Bible: Xuan Xuan Qi Jing. Solving the Pearl Puzzle Game

Author: Yan Defu (Yuan Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Regarding Go, the Shishi Xianji (Stone Chamber Immortal Mechanism) states, "Open the creative spirit, 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, surpassing reading the Twenty-One Histories." Zhang Chao in You Meng Ying (Faint Dreams of a Solitary Wanderer) writes, "Without calligraphy, chess, wine, and poetry, one need not necessarily be a human being." 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 "incomparably rich cultural heritage."
Go is said to have originated in ancient China over 2,000 years ago and is one of the world's oldest board games. It was introduced to Japan around the Sui and Tang dynasties and to Europe in the 19th century. Playing Go is extremely similar to military strategy, and it 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 main body and essence. Most of them are carefully collected, organized, and created by the author as various life-and-death problems, with many being masterpieces passed down through generations and most having practical significance. The numerous life-and-death positions are the cumulative result of generations. Yan and Yan (Yan Tianzhang) synthesized the essence of various schools to create a classic work of their time. They deeply explored the original intent of the ancient sages, rather than being confined to petty cleverness. This book uses the dynamics of movement and stillness, the subtleties of circles and squares, and the profound principles of the He Tu Luo Shu (Heavenly Writing and Earthly Writing), which are beyond the understanding of ordinary people.
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 is based on the Xuan Xuan Qi Jing (Mysterious and 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 hometown peer 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 achievement" in the development of Yuan Dynasty Go, a "radiant" 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 middle of the Qing Dynasty." It is praised by renowned Go masters 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 Profound again, the gateway to all mysteries").