Determining the direction of play is a critical component of the game of go. If one does not understand the key factors that affect the upcoming flow of play one can easily flounder in the variations that develop. It can turn into a nightmare for beginners and experts alike.

Kobayashi Satoru 9 dan is a former Kisei titleholder and an acknowledged master of positional play. He presents situations for the reader to analyze and hten breaks down the relevent components to explain matters in an easily understood manner.

All of the positions are taken from actual games. In Chapter 1 he uses those of the earliest Japanese masters to illustrate the fundamentals of finding the direction of play while offering a fascinating account of the evolution of the art and how those players in the 16th century groped to come up with lucid thoeries about it. In subsequent chapters Kobayashi 9 dan uses his own games as examples ofor Problem Positions to examine the direction of play in joseki, the fuseki (opening) and in fighting.

In the present work, I have focused on the "direction of play of the stones." Particularly in the opening, that is the starting point for coming up with ideas for determining the direction of play for the stones. I have taken positions from actual games that I have played, and reflecting fully on what happened, have analyzed them here. While understanding that there are many parts where fundamental principles are not thoroughly worked out, the theme of this book is cultivating perception through actual examples. - from the text