“If you want to get stronger, read this book”
I finished reading (actually re-re-re-…-reading) one of my favorite Go books: “Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go” by Toshiro Kageyama. The title of this blog entry is the first sentence from the book.
It was delightful, as it was every times I read it in the past, even if it got me a little depressed when I missed quite a few of the reading problems - so it is time for me to go back to the tsume-go books.
Just one little quote from the book here:
“Black 1 and 3 are wrong. Do they look natural to you? Then you will have to reverse your thought process one hundred eighty degrees if you ever want to play correctly.”
February 13th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Oh, that’s one of my very special favorite books too. I should go back and re-read it again. I love his writing style and I always learn new things when I read this book.
Great review.
Nanny
February 13th, 2007 at 10:28 am
There’s a heck of a lot to digest in Uncle Kageyama’s book. I’ve just started my fourth reading.
Yes, I agree that he sometimes comes across with the finesse and subtlety of an army drill sergeant on too much sugar and caffeine. I had hoped to do a cartoon that featured him; but I was struggling to find a good photo of his face.
February 13th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Hi Nanny,
I am glad you like this book, too - yes, it is the kind of book that one reads again and again and keeps learning from - provided one knows how to read it.
This must be because Kageyama really put his soul into it, I believe.
Quite different from some other books where some pro just signs as the author.
I also read quite negative reviews in some places - people complaining that it’s too much text and too little concrete learning material - too bad for them, I guess.
February 13th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Hi ChiyoDad,
Did you find any photo of him at all? I think I saw one in the past, but don’t remember where.
If you read Japnaese, Nihon Ki-in should have a photo of him *somewhere* on their site: http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/ - from this link I was only able to find photos of either active, or recently deceased pros - Kageyama passed away in 1990 according to gobase.com.