This book is a continuation of Volume Three of this series. It contains 300 joseki
problems that will test and expand your understanding of josekis and your ability to deploy
them effectively as part of your opening strategy. It is divided into two parts, each
containing 150 problems. The first part analyzes joseki from the local perspective. In the
second part, openings, taken from professional games in which the first moves of the
joseki have been played, are presented. You are asked to choose the variation of the
joseki that is best suited to the overall board position, so this part constitutes the study of
fuseki as well as joseki.
At times the correct move is not one the standard joseki moves. It can be an innovative
move that is different from what is part of the standard joseki canon. In go, such moves
are referred to as kiai (fighting spirit). Consequently, this book can be used as a supplement
to the various joseki dictionaries.
Examples from every category of joseki are presented – josekis arising from the star
point, the 3-4 point, the 5-3 point, the 5-4 point, and non-standard opening points. A
study of this book and its companion will expose you to nearly 600 different josekis.
The key to mastering josekis is not memorization but understanding. The problems in
this book focus on the key points and tesujis involved in josekis. The key points refer to
the moves that involve tactical decisions. Should you go for profit on the side or build
thickness and central influence on the outside? These tactical decisions come up in most
joseki patterns and affect your overall strategy. Working through and reviewing these
problems will give your game added depth and breadth and make you a formidable dan
player.
The relative difficulty of the problems is indicated by the time allowances, ranging
from ‘at a glance’ to 10 minutes. In general, the shorter time limits indicate problems that
call on go common sense or knowledge of style or simply your intuitive feel for go. The
longer time limits are for problems that involve considerable reading, the assumption being
that you are working them out through analysis rather than just retrieving the answers
from memory.
Although the josekis are presented in problem format, the reader should not try too
hard to solve them as if they were a test of some kind. The reader should not be disappointed
if he gets most of them wrong. Many of the variations presented are the product
of many hours of analysis by teams of professional player, coupled with experimentation
in their games. It is enough if the reader contemplates the problems for the time allotted.
What the reader should expect to gain after studying the answers is exposure new ideas
and joseki innovations and how important it is to think about a joseki not only from the
local result but also globally–how it relates to the other stones placed throughout the
board. In short, not to be bound by the rote memorization of joseki.