Darrell wrote:
I searched for a review
Concerning the title, this is the most convincing reason. Consistent use of "review" greatly eases web searches.
mhlepore wrote:
What gap does it fill?
In the earlier a) English literature, b) literature in other languages as far as I have seen or heard about media and c) verbal teaching by anybody (professional or amateur players) as far as I have seen it, there is almost no explanation at all of the positional judgement of the non-territory, dynamic aspects of the game. (If there is such in Asian books, they must be well hidden or fail to clearly explain theory in diagrams and with markup.) The short essay by Ishida about Takagawa in Go World 41 is the only noteworthy other source I recall, and it does not contain any explicit principle. - The gap has been huge.
The book teaches, in particular, middle game theory and its evaluation. While much of the middle game theory can also be found elsewhere (often only in implicit forms), the additional study level of positional judgement (applied to middle game theory) fills the gap in positional judgement.
Quote:
What is here that cannot be found elsewhere
The book invents (except that I have already occasionally applied part of my own inventions in online comments):
- new problems and their answers
- general principles and methods of positional judgement of dynamic aspects (such as invasions, reductions, aji, influence, fights etc.; for the important different kinds of such aspects as mentioned in the book's TOC) so that one knows which positions to evaluate, and how (if static territory is not the only relevant aspect)
- the 'neutral stone difference', the 'neutral-or-dead stone difference' and their application for positional judgement
- the theory combines old knowledge and new inventions so that, when possible, positional judgement becomes conceptually simpler and clearer than traditional go theory suggests (within its limited framework, when it needs to resort to subconscious thinking, or more strategic concepts or tactical reading than necessary)
The book discusses what I have not seen elsewhere before but what might also exist somewhere else:
- necessary depth of reading by professional players before making deep invasions
- general judgement of reductions in terms of gote and sente
- clear, general method of reducing a big moyo
The book clearly invents to the English literature / web ressources what I have not seen there clearly before:
- local potential (and its reduction); this is an important strategic concept
- cases of use of thickness listed more clearly than before (however, the study is not exhaustive because this book does not specialise in the topic)
- actions
- a couple of principles previously known by some (especially strong) Western players only verbally
The book corrects earlier knowledge of the Western go community:
- (much lower than expected) relevance of transformation of thickness
The book continues to explain, and show further applications for, these my inventions in my earlier books:
- the evaluation method 'unsettled group average'
- the 'influence stone difference', now applied (with principles) to positional judgement in josekis or the middle game
- evolution of the definition of thickness, so that now it is elegant (and 'indirect connection' is demontrated to be very useful once more)
- 'fighting region' and 'value of a fighting region'
EDITED