Every time I look at a modern pro game, I'm stunned by how little the fuseki looks like the Go I know. All the shapes are different! Nothing like pro games from 40 years ago, or high dan KGS games. Everything is just... unbearably light.

Are there books that explain what's going on, in English, on a level accessible to SDK? Either collections of modern commented games, or some kind of opening theory books that summarize the principles of a modern light opening? ("Corners first, then tenuki, then tenuki.")

You could get a subscription to Go World. These days it is mostly commented pro games (there used to be a greater fraction of instructional material).

I find that a lot of it is still kind of over my head (e.g., they're choosing between josekis that I don't even know), but there's still stuff to be learned from it. (Personally, though, I think I learn more from trying to understand amateur 5d games than pro 9d games.)

21st Century Openings 1+2 by Kim Sung-Rae are the newest books on Fuseki available easily. There is also a new two volume Fuseki Dictionairy and a 2 volume Joseki dictionairy published recently in Japan.

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Updated revised and continued Blog with Pro games commented and info about studying abroad: http://beginningpath.blogspot.com/

modern opening is very different from 40 years ago.
game of go has developed to a point where few point advantage in the beginning would lead to the victory.
in order for them to win they needed to find a way to take an advantage in the beginning and not lose crucial points.
traditional opening focused mainly on a balance but it wasnt enough to win.
that is why the game has become more fighting oriented and complicated.
professionals now try to find a way to take advantage by playing new fuseki they studied.

in my opinion it is more exciting than balance oriented game.

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"The more we think we know about
The greater the unknown"
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson

I found this book pretty good:

http://senseis.xmp.net/?ADictionaryOfModernFusekiTheKoreanStyle

For me, go is balance. I think modern go is about reading skill and reading skill only. I think, that given enough thinking time, masters of old would be stronger than new masters. I would bet on Sakata anyday if he was to play Lee Sedol. Of course, Sakata in his prime. But enough offtopic, I think Sung-Rae Kim wrote that book After Joseki. Maybe that is what you are looking for...

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The depth of analysis has increased greatly. It isn't just reading skill, it's deeply considered research into joseki and fuseki which has changed how go is played now. You cannot pick up the principles of modern opening play in a single book - the principles haven't changed! You can find books which analyze opening in greater depth, though. For example, "Korean Style of Baduk: Volume 1" gives a fairly detailed analysis of the mini chinese opening (although there have been many developments since, particularly the adoption of the micro chinese opening)

There is also a part about avalanche joseki, and it is nice. I do notlike chinesse fuseki, but that book has a lot of examples from pro games, and thats nice. If at least that games were commented...

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There is a new Oromedia book available through Schaak en Gowinkel het Paard called "The Best Game Records of 2009". I don't have it yet, but it's on my list. This is probably your best bet.

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"Those who calculate greatly will win; those who calculate only a little will lose, but what of those who don't make any calculations at all!? This is why everything must be calculated, in order to foresee victory and defeat."-The Art of War

What about this Small Encyclopedia from Nihon Kiin?

http://gobooks.nemir.org/books/y28.html

Did someone read it?