K51: Get Strong at the Opening Return: by Richard Bozulich

175 problems in the opening (fuseki) ranging in difficulty from easy to difficult. This book is an ideal introduction to the field of fuseki and should be studied by every beginning player. The problems begin with an analysis of the Chinese, niren-sei, sanren-sei, Shusaku, and tatsuki (diagonal) fusekis as well as other important opening strategies. The remainder of the problems are designed to hammer home to the reader the basic principles of the fuseki.

K52-K54: Get Strong at Joseki Return: by Richard Bozulich and Furuyama Kazunari


K52: Get Strong at Joseki, Vol. 1 178 problems on josekis arising from playing the first corner move on the 3-4 point.	K53: Get Strong at Joseki, Vol. 2 172 problems on josekis arising from playing the first corner move on the 5-3 point and 5-4 point.	K54: Get Strong at Joseki, Vol. 3 194 problems on josekis arising from playing the first corner move on the 4-4 point and the 3-3 point.

The problems in these three volumes include variations, how to select the right joseki in the context of the fuseki, and how to play after the joseki. Includes the most recent joseki innovations. Recommended for mid-kyu players and stronger who want to get a firm grasp of the field of joseki.

K55: Get Strong at Invading Return: by Richard Bozulich

After the players have mapped out their spheres of influence in the opening, invading these areas is a basic technique of the middle game. Here are 171 problems systematically covering the standard invasions on the side and the corners, attacking corner enclosures, and erasing large territorial frameworks.

K56: Get Strong at Tesuji Return: by Richard Bozulich

Contains 534 easy to intermediate problems of every type of tesuji. If you want to get strong at tesuji, it is not necessary to solve difficult problems; rather, it is more important to solve a lot of easy problems. By studying tesuji in this way, you will sharpen your intuitive skills to the point that you will be able to find the right tesuji in your games at a glance. This is the book that will bring your tactical ability up to that of an expert player. Especially recommended for players who have just learned the rules. Even strong players will be able to improve their tesuji skills through the repetitive practice provided by the problems in this book.

Independent review: http://www.gobooks.info/k56.html

K57: Get Strong at the Endgame Return: by Richard Bozulich

How do you win a won game?
How do you win a lost game?

Study the endgame! More specifically, study this book and you will really get strong at the endgame.

It would be an exaggeration to say that most games are decided in the endgame, but for sure a great many upsets are pulled off at this stage. Players often come out of the opening with a clear lead, only to see it dwindle away in the endgame. On the other hand, if your opening and middle game are not so strong, the surest way to stage an upset is to become a strong endgame player. You will also find that the key to winning handicap games with white is not necessarily to study handicap openings and josekis, but to get strong in the endgame.

This book makes studying the endgame easy. It starts out with a 42-problem test. Unless you're already strong in the endgame, expect to do badly. But after studying the 120 endgame-tesuji problems in Part Two and the 101 endgame-calculation problems in Part Three, you should have no trouble scoring close to 100% on this test. At that point you will be anxious to try out your newly developed skill with your go-playing friends, at your local go club, or on the Internet.

One of the two most important skills in the endgame is the ability to calculate the value of a move. Since you will, in general, want to play bigger moves before smaller ones, being able to determine the size of various moves will go a long way toward increasing your endgame strength. In the 101 problems in Part Three, you are asked to calculate the value of basic endgame moves, such as various hane and connection moves made on the first, second, and third lines, and the value of endgame sequences that arise from commonly played josekis.

The other important endgame skill is knowing the basic endgame tesujis. After working your way through the 120 endgame tesuji problems in Part Two, you will surely look at the endgame quite differently.

The book ends with 28 problems on 11x11 boards which illustrate the interplay between different-valued endgame moves in realistic situations. Studying these problems will help you understand when to forgo sente moves for gote ones, or when to go on the initiative with a sente move.

Finally, there is a full board endgame problem in which a professional plays against another professional, then from the same position plays against an amateur dan player. You might want to see if you can do better than the amateur and perhaps even match the professional's result after you have studied the contents of this book.

Independent review: gobooks.nemir.org/books/k57.html

K58: Get Strong at Life and Death Return: by Richard Bozulich

Killing isolated groups or finding a way to make two eyes for them is an important technique that every go player must acquire. Positions in which you must determine whether a group is alive or dead occur in almost every game, and the player whose skill at killing a group or finding the moves that will give his own group two eyes stands the better chance of staging an upset.

In fact, life and death is regarded as so important that apprentices studying to become go professionals are required to spend many hours each day solving life-and-death problems in order to improve their analytical abilities. Solving a life-and-death problem requires the reading out of the solution as well as the numerous variations and moves that the opponent may respond with. This often requires reading more than six moves deep and keeping a picture in your mind of the resulting positions of all variations. Such activity can be likened to mental weight training.

Although this is first and foremost a problem book (containing 230 problems), the explanations of the main topics make it useful as an introduction to life and death and it should be accessible to players who have read an introductory go book and played a few games.

Divided into three parts, the first systematically covers the basics of life and death, starting with the fundamental concept of eye space. Next, the three essential tesujis used to kill groups are introduced: the hane, the placement, and the throw-in. In another section the reader is shown when it is appropriate to expand his eye space and when he should fall back and play on a vital point. Also included are a complete explanation of the status of the bent-four-in-the-corner shape and ten-thousand-year ko. The last two sections of this part present a thorough analysis of the comb formation and the carpenter's square.

Part Two contains 100 life-and-death problems of positions that arise from josekis and their variants. In many of the standard patterns presented, small changes are made in the configuration of nearby stones and the effect on the status of the group under siege is illustrated in a series of problems. The material in this part is aimed at stronger players.

The final part presents 64 problems for the reader to review and practice applying the principles learned in Parts One and Two.

Independent review: http://senseis.xmp.net/?GetStrongAtLifeAndDeath

For errata, see http://senseis.xmp.net/?GetStrongAtLifeAndDeath%2FErrata

K59: Get Strong at Handicap Go Return: by Nagahara Yoshiaki and Richard Bozulich

This book contains problems from 9-stone to 2-stone handicaps.The discussions look at the solution not only from Black's point of view but from White's as well.

K60: Get Strong at Attacking Return: by Richard Bozulich

Get Strong at Attacking covers an often neglected phase of go: attacking in the middle game. Accurate analysis, spotting tesujis, and killing or rescuing stones are the backbone of middle-game strength. But creating or finding vulnerable stones, then attacking them correctly is an equally important technique and one that many amateurs are deficient in. The 136 problems in this book illustrate:

the importance of securing your own stones before attacking; in which direction to attack, taking into account the strength and weakness of your own stones and those of your opponent's;
when it is advantageous to confine your opponent's stones or when it is better to gouge out their eye space;
how to execute leaning attacks, that is, attacking stones in one part of the board in order to build strength to capture or threaten stones elsewhere;
splitting attacks, where stones are separated into two groups and both are put under siege;
that the ultimate purpose of attacking is not to kill your opponent's stones but to threaten them so as to secure territory or build influence.

A thorough study of the problems in this book will develop your overall sense of go strategy. If combined with a study of tesuji and life-and-death problems, your quest to become a dan-level player will be that much easier.

To read the introductory chapter