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Pro-Pro Handicap Go

By Nihon Ki-in

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Title Pro-Pro Handicap Go
Author Nihon Ki-in
Translator R. J. Terry
Publisher Yutopian Enterprises
Codes y13, PAY13
Date 1997
ISBN 1-889554-08-1
Pages 219
Dimensions 8. x 7. - 201mm x 178mm
Publisher's URL https://www.yutopian.com/yutop/cat?product=PAY13

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Subtitled Invincible Play with 3,4 and 5 Stones,this book is designed to teach the reader how to get the most out of handicap stones placed against stronger players. Model play with handicap stones is illustrated in easy to understand game figures and explanatory diagrams. In the main chapters, the oversized game figures usually do not show more than 6 moves at a time.

Three pro-pro handicap games are exhaustively analyzed. In the first chapter, Kudo Norio 9 dan takes five stones against Abe Yoshiteru 8 dan. Kudo 9 dan states at the beginning of the game that with five handicap stones, it is not necessary for black to play particularly brilliant moves."By playing just ordinary moves that any one can come up with, I expect to win by 60 points."True to his word, he plays simply and solidly, and wins the game by 67 points.

In the next game, Ishida Yoshio 9 dan played in an active style against Kobayashi Chizu 5 dan. And in the three stone chapter, Takemayi Masaki 9 dan shows the use of his patented"Cosmic Go"against Ishikura Noboru 4 dan. The last chapter includes 8 briefly analyzed games.

All of these games are analyzed in terms that weaker players can easily understand, and tests are included to measure the reader's real strength. A special feature is the use of graphical symbols to indicate the moves that the reader should work hard to understand and incorporate into the reader's own game in order to improve.

this is a thoroughly enjoyable book to read while also learning from.

""

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Part 1: The 5 Stone Handicap Game
Kudo Norio 9 dan (5 stones) v Abe Yoshiteru 8 dan
Instruction in the Method of Winning with Ordinary Moves ...7
Kudo 9 dan's Real Game Special Advice (15 Themes)
Abe's"Things to Not Do"Corner ...35, 51
Find the Next Move (12 Problems)
 
Part 2: The 4 Stone Handicap Game
Ishida Yoshio 9 dan (4 stones) v Kobayashi Chizu 5 dan
Instruction in the Techniques of Punishing Unreasonable Play ...71
Ishida 9 dan's Real Game Sure-fire Win Questions and Answers (10 Themes)
Chizu's Sapphire Corner ...93
Find the Next Move (10 Problems)
 
Part 3: The 3 Stone Handicap Game
Takemiya Masaki 9 dan (3 stones) v Ishikura Noboru 4 dan
Instruction in the Method of Winning with the Cosmic Style ...127
Takemiya 9 dan's Cosmic Style Special (9 Themes)
Ishikura Sensei's"Derailed Corner" ...163
Find the Next Move (10 Problems)
 
Part 4: 100 Battles, 100 Wins ● The First 50 Moves in the Opening
Eight Games With 3, 4 or 5 stones ...189
O Rissei 7 dan (5 stones) v Rin Kaiho, Honinbo ...190
Hane Yasunasa 9 dan (5 stones) v Yamashiro Hiroshi 8 dan ...194
Awaji Shuzo 8 dan (5 stones) v Ishida Akira 9 dan ...198
Cho Chikun, Kisei (4 stones) v Ogawa Tomoku 4 dan ...202
Kajiwara Takeo 9 dan (4 stones) v Yoda Norimoto 5 dan ...206
Kataoka Satoshi, Tengen (4 stones) v Kondo Sachiko 4 dan ...210
Ishii Kunio 9 dan (3 stones) v Goto Shungo 4 dan ...214
Kato Masao 9 dan (3 stones) v Yamabe Toshiro 9 dan ...217
Index ...221

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Review by David Carlton show/hide

Review Author David Carlton Reviewer Strength 1 kyu
Author's Email carlton@bactrian.org website http://www.bactrian.org/~carlton/

This is about handicap go, of course. It goes through a five-stone, a four-stone, and a three-stone game in quite a lot of detail (about 60 pages each), and then gives the first 50 or so moves of eight more games, with commentary.

I like this book quite a bit, especially the first game. Black in the first game plays nice solid moves, not trying to maximize the win but just trying to be reasonable and defend well, and it's very clear and well-done. They have little symbols, telling you which moves are good ones that you should remember, which ones are questionable, and which ones are good moves but are the sort of good moves that, if imitated by amateurs, could cause problems. Some people may find those symbols annoying, but I really liked them. I didn't like the second and third games quite as much, because in them black did a bit too much of playing as if it were an even game, but I suppose some of that is valuable so that you realize just how much of an advantage having all of those stones is; certainly the explanations were still cleared and detailed. And the last chapter, with the openings of games, was fine as well.

This is somewhat the same format as Kage's Secret Chronicles of Handicap Go, but I much prefer this one. The only thing that I don't like is that it was translated by the same guy who translated Dramatic Moments on the Go Board, and while he doesn't include as many Japanese words in brackets in this book as he did in that book, there's no reason to do that at all. But don't let that stop you from buying this. Anybody who has read the Elementary Go Series definitely knows enough to profit from this; it's much easier than most of the other Yutopian books.



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