This book concerns common joseki mistakes, why they are bad, and how to take advantage of them. Each mistake originates in a real game where an amateur made a real mistake. Joseki books typically concentrate solely on the correct line of play, with perhaps lip service paid to mistakes whose subtlety eludes all but the most advanced of Go players. The faulty lines are dreamed up by the author, a professional Go player, and do not reflect the mistakes of astounding simplicity that amateurs routinely commit. Showing only the mistakes is insufficient: an opponent of equal skill will often fail to take advantage of these mistakes. Therefore, a thorough discussion of the mistake is necessary to truly learn its nature.

We have chosen games reflecting many of the most common joseki mistakes committed by amateur players, most of whom fall between 3 kyu and 4 dan. Although some of the specific mistakes are contained in this book are unlikely to be precisely duplicated in the reader's games, the concepts behind them will prove an informative study for players of many levels. Consider this a practical guide to learning joseki sequences and the ideas that govern them.

Review by Lawrence Ku (AGA) show/hide 4/02/2005