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Single Digit Kyu Game Commentaries, volume 2

This is the second volume of Yuan Zhou’s highly popular and unusually thorough commentaries on single digit kyu games. Each diagram has only one or two moves, to enable effective study.

Overcoming Human Igo: Annotated Games from the 2019 World Amateur Go Championship with AI Analysis

Albert Yen placed fourth in the World Amateur Go Championship (one of the highest placements for a US player), and in this book he provides extremely thorough commentaries with AI analysis of every move. He also fully explains his special way of starting games when playing White.

Buddhist Philosophy and the Game of Go

This is the second, enlarged edition of the book titled Reflections on the Game of Go, written by William Cobb in 2005. This book contains a clear explanation of the basic principles of Buddhist philosophy using go as examples. A large number of the entries have been published in the American Go Association’s journals as “The Empty Board”.

How to Play Handicap Go, 2nd Edition

In this revised and expanded book Yuan Zhou explains the special nature of handicap go and shows how both Black and White should deal with go’s unique character, using games with different numbers of handicap stones. The second edition has three new games, so all levels of handicap are covered. Along with a new forward and introduction, the reader will find more discussion of the differences of strategy appropriate for each level of handicap.

Recent Top Pro Go Games Fully Explained, vol. 2

As with volume 1, the full title of this book also refers to the influence of AI programs. There are three games, two with Ke Jie (the best player in the world today) and one between top women pros. As in the first volume, there is regular attention to the impact of AI.

Recent Top Pro Go Games Fully Explained

The full title of this book includes the phrase ‘with discussion of the impact of AI programs’. In this book, Yuan Zhou explains three pro games in great detail with special attention to the impact of the AI programs on the way current pros play. To facilitate study, the diagrams are large (two per page) and usually contain only one or two new moves per diagram.

Lee Sedol vs Handol AI

Yuan Zhou thoroughly analyses the three game match in which Lee Sedol again wins a game against a strong AI go program. Most game diagrams have only one or two moves to aid study.

Using AlphaGo’s Enlarged Corner Enclosures

AlphaGo’s tactic of making a two space rather than a traditional one space corner enclosure from a 3-4 point stone has become very popular among pro players. Zhou explains the significance of this tactic and the variations involved in using it. A large number of illustrative pro games are presented with commentary on the tactic and its consequences.

The Workshop Lectures, Vols. 2 & 3

Volumes 2 & 3 of this (originally) six volume series have long been unavailable as physical books. For ease of access, we have reprinted volumes 2 and 3 as one book. These lectures are excellent supplements to Mr. Yang’s very popular “Fundamental Principles of Go”. Some of the lectures are a bit challenging, but all will repay serious study with a noticeable improvement in your understanding of the tactics that you must master to become a stronger player. On the Amazon page you can see the table of contents that lists the topics he discusses.

Ke Jie vs Park Junghwan: The Battle to be Number One

Recognized as the two best (human) players in the world, Ke Jie 9p of China and Park Junghwan 9p of Korea have played twenty two official games against each other. Each has won eleven of the games, usually with White. They have been trading the number one ranking in the world back and forth for several years. Yuan Zhou provides detailed commentaries on three of their games, emphasizing the differences in their playing styles. Ke Jie is an aggressive fighter, while Park Junghwan prefers a more solid, territorial style. Zhou also includes briefer analyses of several other of their games and points out how both players have adopted AlphaGo moves in their games. A PDF of sample pages is available by request.

Playing AlphaGo’s Early 3-3 Invasion

Prolific author Yuan Zhou analyses the early 3-3 point invasion that has become popular among pro players. After reviewing the various ways in which the invasion can be handled, he reviews a substantial number of pro games in which the invasion is played. As always, his aim is to help you understand this tactic so that you can use it effectively in your own games.

Lessons in Opening Strategy

This book provides a series of problems systematically organized as a study of alternative strategies and tactics for playing the opening in a game of go effectively. Serious study of this book will greatly strengthen your opening play. Yuan Zhou is a master teacher.

Reduction In Common Go Positions

In this companion volume to Iwamoto’s book on invasions, he surveys common positions in the game of go in which invasion is not feasible so the best attack is reduction. How both to make and defend against such reductions is analyzed in detail.

Invasion in Common Go Positions

This book is a classic study of both making and defending against invasions into common positions in the game of go.

Rethinking Opening Strategy: AlphaGo’s Impact on Pro Play

The AI program AlphaGo Zero has introduced several new ideas about how to play in the opening of a game of go. Yuan Zhou, a popular go teacher, discusses several of them and shows their use in several pro games.

AlphaGo vs Ke Jie

The match between AlphaGo and Ke Jie 9P was the last time a human played the computer program. Yuan Zhou gives a thorough and insightful analysis of the three games in the match and reflects on the significance of AlphaGo for the go community.

Fundamental Principles of Go

Fundamental Principles is a clear presentation of the basic guidelines that you should follow in playing the game of go. Yilun Yang is the most famous go teacher in the US and this is an extremely popular book.

MasterPlay: The Style of Iyama Yuta

Iyama Yuta is currently the top professional go player in Japan, having held the top titles for more years than any player in history. Yuan Zhou clarifies his playing style by thoroughly analyzing three recent games.

The New Territorial Style

There are different styles of play for the game of go: traditional territorial style, fighting style, and what can be called “moyo” style, that is, aiming for a large center territory. Recently, professionals have been moving toward a new version of territorial style, which differs from the traditional territorial style by incorporating deliberate center fighting in the middle game. Players with Black have been doing very well with this new style.

The Workshop Lectures, vol.1

These lectures discuss basic principles for guiding your play in the game of go. Yilun Yang is one of the best known teachers of go in the world.

AlphaGO vs Lee Sedol

Zhou gives detailed commentaries on the five game match between the computer program AlphaGo and the top professional go player Lee Sedol. He gives special attention to the strengths and weaknesses of this computer program that is creating a sensation in the go world by winning virtually all its games against the strongest human players.

Single Digit Kyu Game Commentaries

In these very thorough commentaries on go games played by single digit kyu level players Zhou points out common mistakes and misunderstandings and shows how to deal with many common situations correctly.

How Not to Play Go

Yuan Zhou explains the bad habits that prevent weaker players of the game of go from becoming stronger. Many of these are easily overcome.

The Young Chinese Go Masters

Thorough analysis of four games involving eight of the young Chinese go pros currently dominating the world of go.

Deep Thought

This book contains an analysis of two professional games of go in which every move is explained and each game diagram contains only one new move, providing an ideal situation for studying the highest level of playing the game of go.

200 Endgame Problems

Skill in endgame problems in the game of go is a frequent weakness in amateur players. This book will help you strengthen your ability in this crucial part of the game.

Punishing and Correcting Joseki Mistakes

A study of joseki mistakes in playing the game of go and how to correct them or take advantage of them when your opponent makes the mistake.

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