The Endgame

Elementary Go Series #6

by Tomoko Ogawa, James Davies

The endgame tends to be the neglected side of the game of go. This is strange indeed, for it also tends to be where the outcome is decided, and frequently accounts for about half the stones played. This volume, by a Japanese professional go player and a strong American amateur, seeks to rectify this situation by setting forth the basic tactics, strategies and counting techniques needed in the endgame. Everything from the smallest local tesujis to the global macroendgame is covered. With numerous examples and problems, many of them drawn from the Japanese author's professional games. The reader is encouraged to think for himself and, by doing so, will certainly become stronger.

Genres: Go, Games, Nonfiction

211 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1976

Reviews

[Iago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Último libro de la colección "Elementary Go Series", y el de más nivel. Yo diría que demasiado para ser de esta colección, pues siendo un libro de fundamentos me extraña que exija un nivel aproximado de 5 kyu. Por mucho que sea el último número, me sorprende que sea de más nivel que algunos de la serie "Get Strong at Go". En todo caso es buen libro, tiene muchos problemas y las soluciones están muy bien explicadas. Se hace bastante duro, lento y árido, pero así machaca bien esta dimensión del juego.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main thing I took away is that I am terrible at assessing endgame moves.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frequently when I am playing against a stronger player, I notice them making endgame moves before I realize that the game has entered that phase. In other words stronger players have a better sense of when it's time to play endgame. This gains them an advantage.

So that's one thing. This book by Ogawa and Davies also taught me the meaning of 'double sente' and 'reverse sente', terms which I had heard before but didn't really understand. Useful concepts to be sure.

And there's a chapter of endgame tesuji, a welcome relief after the mind-numbing chapter on counting. Not that counting is bad -- far from it. But if you want to slow down my progress through a book, presenting a detailed description of how to count positions is a good tactic.