So You Want to Play Go? Level 1

So You Want to Play Go? #1

by Jonathan Hop

This book is aimed at someone who knows little to nothing about the game of Go.
Go is an ancient strategy game, invented over 4,000 years ago in China, and has spread across the world. With millions of players in Asia, Go is sweeping through the Americas and Europe. "So You Want to Play Go?" offers a lighthearted, relaxed, entertaining introduction to the game and it's long history.

So, do you want to play go?

Genres: Go, Reference, Ebooks, Gaming, Nonfiction

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2008

Reviews

[Coryke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an ok book. It certainly covers the ground. It felt like too much was left for the reader to figure out. The author suggests that leaving things out is for the good of the reader. It will engage him/her as an active learner. In principle, this is ok, but the book advertises itself as one for the brand new beginner (30 kyu - in Go-speak). Consequently, the brand new beginner has little or no context to figure out what has been left out. I think the book would have served its readers better by explaining more and being a little less "cute" about quizzes its readers.

[Ted.cultrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a ddk and was having much trouble improving. This book is great for absolute beginners. Many go books I've seen have many problems, but very little explanation. Phrases like "so black must attach " or "white obviously answers" are not helpful to beginners like me. I appreciated how the author explained and illustrated multiple scenarios of a problem. After reading this book I am just a bit more confident in my understanding of this amazing game. Also this one of the few go books that are available AS an EPUB. For 3.99 you cannot go wrong. I am definitely reading volume 2.

[Mish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think it's the best introductory book to GO I've read so far. I got more from this book in understanding the game than I did from the first 3 books of Janice Kims learn to play go series.

This book is written with character and entertainment, while most other GO books are completely dry and lacking in engagement. As the author states in his book, most people who play GO are introverts, and maybe they would prefer a dry, dull .pdf style document written by a robot. But this book brought some life and fun to the introduction of the game, and for that it warranted 5 stars.

However, I'm not sure if it's just my copy, but 1 star had to be deducted for the extremely poor effort when it came to the diagrams. They are all of different sizes and shapes and don't have a uniform look to them. On some pages the diagrams are squashed or stretched so the stones look like tall skinny ovals or short fat ovals. On other pages with more than 1 diagram, one of the diagrams will look pretty normal, but the other will be enlarged so the stones are 3x bigger and pixelated. I understand it's a self-published book, but I've seen other self published GO books where the diagrams are perfect... so no excuses.Jonathan Hop

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having absolutely no working knowledge of Go prior to reading a book on the subject, I was worried that any book I found would be way over my head. I was pleasantly surprised at Mr. Hop's ability to make an intimidating game both fun and accessible. The writing is very colloquial, and I feel as if the author is right there with me, helping me play. The historical sections offer a nice respite from the complicated lessons. I never felt overwhelmed by the information, and each chapter enriched the prior ones, adding to both my technical knowledge and my understanding of the game's rich history. This is a must for any Go enthusiast, include the complete novice!

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright, humorous and fast-paced introduction to Go. Very entertaining and the author never leaves you bored, but sometimes the continued jokestook up page space that could have been better used to flesh out the content a bit more. Makes for a slightly awkward read on the Kindle (especially diagrams not lining up with the text very well) but definitely not unmanageable. Kudos to the writer for keeping it all fresh and lively, when other boks cam get stifling and incomprehensible very quickly. recommend only for the complete beginner and best supplemented with a set of tsumego from elsewhere.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the whole, I think this is the best introductory Go book available today. It’s not because of the humor, though that is a nice touch, but because the author really gives you a sense of almost all aspects of the game. Hop discusses shape and openings in a much, much better way than I’ve ever seen in an intro book. And it’s a breeze to read.

I wish he included solutions to the Tsumego problems in the back though. But, still, IMO the best intro Go book available today.

[Brian Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made a very complex subject seem simple, and the book was fun to read. I'm glad the author doesn't take himself too seriously, which made what could have been a dry subject in fact an enjoyable one. The book was hard at first, but after you read it two or three times then you get the hang of it. I recommend this to anyone even remotely curious about Go.

[Ivy Reisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this book informative and educational, it's fun. And books about games should be fun. I love the way Mr. Hop writes, and will buy every book he puts out.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for anyone learning how to play go! I really learned a lot from it, and I really like the casual, conversational way in which the lessons are taught.

[Jim Leesch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and enlightening introduction to wequi. The asides and historical context make it eminently readable.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting perspective on the game of Go. Definitely not your typical dry introduction to a lifelong hobby.