Life In 19x19

A very small number of books are good to start, good to keep reading and good to re-read once in a while. I'd suggest getting one of those.

I think "Lessons in the fundamentals of go" is one such book.

Alguien wrote:I think "Lessons in the fundamentals of go" is one such book.

This is a controversial book. Some people like it and some dislike it. As for me I wouldn't recommend it since it didn't help me very much at improving, but everybody has to find out themselves of course.

As a beginner myself, I've found the most useful book to be Graded Go Problems for Beginners Volume One. It's structured, linear, and at a just the right level of difficulty for the starting player. It also has a whopping 239 problems, which, trust me, is a lot. I like having it in book form because I can take it anywhere and it forces me to work the problem in my head. I believe you can buy an electronic version if you have an "i" device, but I prefer the "limitations" of the physical copy for learning.

I also have Janice Kim's series, which I find matches my learning style. She uses a light touch, and allows plenty of space for you to figure things out on your own. I'm curious about some of the other books commonly recommended, but haven't bought any.

As for websites, my favorite introduction remains The Interactive Way To Go. It's free, and well worth your time. It's step-by-step approach is wonderful.

If you just got the resources I mention above, and practice with them repeatedly, I think you'd have a lot of material to get you started. Of course nothing will substitute for real game.