Life In 19x19

Note: I will be updating this review following a re-read of this book. I didn't have the best mindset going into the book, so I'm going to look at it again.

"The Chinese Opening: The Sure-Win Strategy" by Kato Masao was first published in 1989. The fuseki itself is still seen often today. Amateurs and professionals alike will play the Chinese opening on a regular basis - Lee Sedol, for example, played it against Gu Li in their 3rd jubango match yesterday. This book discusses both the Low and High variations of the opening.

I have been playing this opening regularly for over a year now. The Low Chinese is by far my favorite fuseki and, whenever I use it, I feel like I'm putting on an old and comfortable pair of shoes. I wanted this book to help me finish ironing out imperfections in my play of the opening so that I could have some level of mastery. How well it did that will remain to be seen.

Format and Style
Every chapter uses examples from professional games to demonstrate how the concepts have applied in real situations. The basic format of each concept is first to introduce a move or situation that occurs in the opening, next to explain what the move does and why it is played over other movers, and finally to show examples of how the move was used in professional games.

The style is not as up-beat as a book like Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go, but it also doesn't feel particularly dry or boring. Perhaps Kato Masao could have put more of his personality into the book, but I can't complain. It covers the subject it was written about similar to the Elementary Go Series books.

Content
The flow of this book is straight-forward. It first discusses the principles behind the Chinese Opening. It then discusses how to approach and build from each of the corner stones, having one chapter on the 4-4 and one on the 3-4. After that it discusses how to grow and reduce the Chinese framework as a whole, including 14 problems from professional games. The book then has a chapter on Magic Sword joseki, because the only way to deny a Chinese Opening is to approach the 3-4 immediately. Finally, the last chapter shows how Kato Masao used the Chinese Opening to win the 1977 Gosei and Honinbo titles against Takemiya Masaki with several reviews.

The book is quite short. My version (the 1998 printing) is just 142 pages. It could be read in an afternoon if you didn't want to go in-depth with analyzing any of the diagrams, but I wouldn't recommend doing that with any go book.

Overall Impressions
As an SDK player who has used the Low Chinese fuseki extensively for over a year, I was both happy and disappointed by this book. The book explained to me some key mistakes I had been making, including one trick in joseki that I have fallen for a couple of times. It gave me some new ideas about how to proceed in the opening. However, it was not as challenging as I had hoped and many of the points presented are things I've been able to learn from simply playing the opening a lot.

While the book is short and could include more, it also doesn't need to be any longer. For what it is, the book seems to be the appropriate length. It does not drone on, but instead explains each concept with enough depth for the reader to feel comfortable before moving on. I, personally, could read 300 pages on this opening, but most players would not want to and I probably don't need to.

The book presents specific situations that I have seen many times in my games, explaining options that each player has for each one. I now have new moves to try, ways to make my game more dynamic. The problem section was good and I now have a firmer grasp of what to shoot for following the Chinese opening.

The last chapter is quite enjoyable. Each game review is well done and shows the Chinese Opening being used by and against Kato Masao. I love reading pros review their own games because of the deeper insight they can give. I would have liked it if the reviews discussed how the opening impacted their play more, but after a certain point in the mid-game that just isn't as much of a factor. Whenever a moment involving the fuseki arises, Kato Masao will point it out.

The book, by its nature of being written in the 1980s, can be called outdated. For example, the most common pro response against the Low Chinese today involves a sudden 3-3 invasion of the upper right following an approach move. This move was not common in Kato Masao's day, so it is not discussed. This does not make it without value, however. Especially at my rank, I still see moves the book covers played more often than ones it doesn't include.

Who should read it?
Obviously this book is for players that want to learn more about the Low and High Chinese fusekis. If you want to play it a lot then this book will help you learn how to do so more effectively. If you fear the Chinese Opening, this book could also be a good way to know your enemy and see potential weaknesses in the framework.

This book is not for beginners and I don't think it is for dans either. It seems like 15k-5k players would get the most out of this book. Lower rated players would likely be better served reading a book about more general opening theory that simply touches on Chinese fuseki. For stronger SDK and dan players - only read this if you really want to play the Chinese Opening or always wonder how to play against it.

TL;DR - This book is a fast overview of the Low and High Chinese fusekis. It explains the purpose of the opening and uses professional examples frequently. The style is nothing special, but overall I liked the book.

moyoaji wrote:This book is not for beginners and I don't think it is for dans either.
It seems like 15k-5k players would get the most out of this book.... <snip>
For stronger SDK and dan players - only read this if you really want to play the Chinese Opening or always wonder how to play against it.

moyoaji, Thank you for your review.

One question: since you are not even 1-dan yourself (no offense), based on what evidence
did you form your opinions about what dan people may or may not get out of this book ?

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm wondering about your evidence. For example, if you did an informal survey
with 50 pros and the majority of them said to you, "Yes, for dan players, only read this if you really want to play the Chinese Opening
or always wonder how to play against it; otherwise, it's pretty much useless for you," then OK, you have some evidence.

Corollary A: based on what evidence did you form the opinion that reading this book will not be helpful for dan people
in non-Chinese Opening situations ? I have not read the book, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing
the book contains some general strategies, ideas, sequences, and probably some tesujis.
Again, based on what evidence did you form the opinion that all these materials are "mostly useless" (my paraphrase of your opinion)
for dan players outside of the Chinese Opening situations ?

Corollary B: is it also your opinion that Kato Masao sensei wrote this book mainly for the 15k - 5k audience ?

Corollary C: perhaps some high dans here have read this book, and they could vouch for the above evaluations ?

EdLee wrote:Corollary A: based on what evidence did you form the opinion that reading this book will not be helpful for dan people in non-Chinese Opening situations ? I have not read the book, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing
the book contains some general strategies, ideas, sequences, and probably some tesujis.
Again, based on what evidence did you form the opinion that all these materials are "mostly useless" (my paraphrase of your opinion) for dan players outside of the Chinese Opening situations ?

I don't have any solid evidence of this. It is extrapolation based on the fact that I, as a 4 kyu player, felt the book was easy to follow. If I found it easy, I would assume a dan player would find it even easier. The book does contain all of these things. From general ideas about the opening itself to specific sequences and tesuji to remember when playing the opening. However, they are all specific to that opening. I suppose you could use it to help you deal with, say, a 3-4 approach, 3 space pincer, tenuki variation, but the follow ups that it gives usually discuss the joseki choice in terms of having a 4-4 stone on the other side of the board. For dans especially this would seem to matter as whole-board thinking for joseki occurs more and more as you gain in rank.

I did not say the materials are "mostly useless" outside of Chinese Openings. I did say that the book is written specifically for that opening. Everything in it assumes you have played, or are playing against, the Chinese. If you read a book on how to cook good lasagne that might help you cook a wide variety of pasta dishes, but it would mostly help you cook lasagne. The book hardly discusses other openings. It only has a few examples of how the Chinese differs from the sanrensei in the beginning of the book and that is all.

EdLee wrote:Corollary B: is it also your opinion that Kato Masao sensei wrote this book mainly for the 15k - 5k audience ?

I don't know.

I will note that, on the back of the book, it states: "...the Chinese opening, with its equal potential for building influence and taking territory, make is an ideal opening for players of all levels." The text on the back does not really talk about the book, however, and is more a pitch for the quality of the opening itself. I find the back of the book puzzling in that regard, but that kind of statement would might imply that Kiseido felt anyone could read this book.

In reality, Kiseido puts the book in their "Intermediate Books" along with The Direction of Play, Cho Chikun's book The 3-3 Point Modern Opening, and Strategic Concepts of Go. I've only read Kajiwara Takeo's book out of those and this book seemed much easier than The Direction of Play. It is true that I've gained at least 5 stones since I read that book, but it also explains the sequences much more in depth than that book, which left you to finish reading out a sequence for yourself much more often. Additionally, the book's focus on a single fuseki also makes it much easier to digest. You don't need to stop and analyze positions as much since it often starts explaining a new concept by resetting the board to the same opening moves.

This could also be, however, a result of the fact that I have played and studied this fuseki for so long. Perhaps my pre-existing knowledge of the topics made it easy for me? I did consider that and so included my background with the fuseki at the start of my review. Perhaps my expectations of the book were too high to start with? I did read a 5 kyu review that said they were "very pleased" with the scope of the book. Like I said in my review, I felt the book was of the appropriate length. I, personally, might have wanted even more on the opening, but more would certainly be overkill for almost anyone else.

I truly did enjoy the book. I think it did help me better understand the Chinese opening. It's just that, compared to other books I have read, this one does not stand out to me as much.

moyoaji wrote:It is extrapolation based on the fact that I, as a 4 kyu player, felt the book was easy to follow. If I found it easy, I would assume a dan player would find it even easier.

There's an assumption here though. Many players of many strengths "find it easy" only to look back when they're stronger and scratch their head at all the subtleties that they missed. I mean absolutely no criticism by this of you or your strength in this, just something to be aware of when talking about theory books rather than problem books, it's easy to miss stuff and not realise it.

Boidhre wrote:There's an assumption here though. Many players of many strengths "find it easy" only to look back when they're stronger and scratch their head at all the subtleties that they missed. I mean absolutely no criticism by this of you or your strength in this, just something to be aware of when talking about theory books rather than problem books, it's easy to miss stuff and not realise it.

This is possible. I didn't feel like things went over my head, but maybe they went so far above my head that I didn't even feel the breeze as they shot past me.

I did have several 'ah-ha' moments when reading the book, especially involving specific moves that had troubled me in the past. The discussion on this cross-cut was fantastic and quite in-depth. I have been lured into a trap by this move before. Apparently 'a' or 'b' is the correct next move for black. I would foolishly play 'c' and watch white settle in the corner with saddening ease.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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$$ . 5 . 1 . . . |
$$ 6 2 . b . . . |
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I wish I knew why I wasn't thrilled with this book. I wanted to pretend I was and just give a glowing review, but for some reason I was left disappointed. There is nothing technically wrong with it. Anything I would ask to add would be either nit-picking or ridiculous to include.

Thank-you for the review moyoaji.

How do the variations and analyses of differences between the low and high Chinese compare to those discussed in Rin Kaiho's Dictionary of Basic Fuseki?

Thanks for the review, I have often wondered about that book. I have similar book 3-3 strategy in the opening. I find I refer back to it periodically, because the information was subtle, however as a 7-4kyu I found I spent most of my time defending and punishing vulgar variations, only later did some of the joseki occur. Do you feel that it is a good reference for the Chinese opening?

logan wrote:Thank-you for the review moyoaji.

How do the variations and analyses of differences between the low and high Chinese compare to those discussed in Rin Kaiho's Dictionary of Basic Fuseki?

I don't have that particular book so I'm not sure how it would compare.

Many joseki variations are discussed, some in great depth and some in a bit less depth.

SmoothOper wrote:Thanks for the review, I have often wondered about that book. I have similar book 3-3 strategy in the opening. I find I refer back to it periodically, because the information was subtle, however as a 7-4kyu I found I spent most of my time defending and punishing vulgar variations, only later did some of the joseki occur. Do you feel that it is a good reference for the Chinese opening?

I think it is a good reference.

I just finished the book last night, so I haven't gotten to use it for reference much, but I do have one incident so far where it was helpful: One of my opponent's using the High Chinese against me played the knight's move cap against my approach to the 4-4 stone. I forgot what the book said to do and ended up getting an unfavorable result by replying twice with knight's moves of my own only to have the corner secured by my opponent.

After the game I was able to look at the chapter on the hoshi stone and saw that Kato Masao recommends invading the 3-3 immediately for white. It did give an example of a pro that responded with one knight's move. I think the mistake was responding with two of them. I could indeed have gotten a better result. I will remember that in the future.

Speaking as a dan-level player I would say that dan-rank players can learn from this book. My experience is that dan-level players still need work on fundamentals. I was drawn to play the Chinese opening when it was a fad in the 1970's-'80's, e.g when Kato and Fujisawa played it in every game in their Kisei title match. I think nowadays pros don't play the high version very much, maybe because it is too weak in territory and thus a little lacking in balance, but the low version is popular as was noted in the review.

Rin Kaiho's Fuseki Dictionary was originally published in Japan around 1980 so it is also probably out of date. If you want more current thinking I suppose you will have to look at pro games.

gowan wrote:Rin Kaiho's Fuseki Dictionary was originally published in Japan around 1980 so it is also probably out of date. If you want more current thinking I suppose you will have to look at pro games.

It was published in 1978, and revised & expanded in 1996. The English translation covers the 1996 publication.

logan wrote:

gowan wrote:Rin Kaiho's Fuseki Dictionary was originally published in Japan around 1980 so it is also probably out of date. If you want more current thinking I suppose you will have to look at pro games.

It was published in 1978, and revised & expanded in 1996. The English translation covers the 1996 publication.

Well an 18 year old revision would still be somewhat out of date for the recent details of joseki etc. If you want a Japanese source Yoda produced an even newer version which hasn't been translated.

There is also this newer book that if you know some basic Japanese is pretty good. It can be purchased on Kindle which saves on shipping quite a bit.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%9F%BA%E7%A4 ... 2%E7%A2%81

Does anyone have any opinion on how this book compares with the Slate and Shell book on Chinese Opening?
http://www.slateandshell.com/SSYZ018.html

gowan wrote:Speaking as a dan-level player I would say that dan-rank players can learn from this book. My experience is that dan-level players still need work on fundamentals.

Thank you for posting this gowan. Somehow I missed your comment. You seem to have, knowingly or unknowingly, touched on the issue I was having with this book. The moment I read the word "fundamentals" I realized what happened and I was heartbroken about my reaction to The Chinese Opening. How foolish of me to think this book was somehow beneath me...

I will be re-reading the book in its entirety and posting a new review. I'll probably just edit my first post here and put the old review in a "Hide" box for context, but if someone has a better suggestion then that let me know.

I made a study journal post about my entire reaction to this comment. I wasn't sure my whole thought process was appropriate to put here. Additionally, I wanted to talk more generally about my reactions and I felt a post about this was relevant to my journal. Maybe it should have been? I don't know. Either way, here is the rest of my reaction: Journal Post

If you would like to read more about Chinese Fuseki, you can try to find books by Hane Yasumasa, 9p. He published few books about High Chinese (his favorite fuseki) in japanese