Lessons in the fundamentals of go

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1. arsenideApr 2017
   I highly recommend Kageyama's Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go. It does a great job explaining, with problems, the foundations necessary to become a decent go player. It is better than any other book I have seen on the subject.
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2. awwducksMar 2016
   After reading the first few bits in the "beginner" section, this reminds me of my experience with "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go" by Kageyama Toshiro 7p [0] (Go the game). It's a terrific book where he stresses the fundamentals even if you feel like you're above it. I read the book cover-to-cover many times at different stages of my life as a go player, each time learning something new.

   The book starts on ladders, a pretty basic concept that I teach to beginners within 15 minutes or so of learning the rules. [1]

     Still on ladders?  Ridiculous!  Even looking at this page is beneath me.
   
     Yes, but even if you feel you are being cheated, read on a little further.
     Don't forget the fundamentals.  Our study begins with ladders.
   

   [0]: http://www.gobooks.info/g28.html

   [1]: http://senseis.xmp.net/?Ladders

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3. arsenideMay 2015
   If you talk to any professional or decent amateur of the board game Go, he or she will tell you that mastering the basics is fundamental, and is used at every possible moment in the game. In the same vein, this is how I often view programming: having strong knowledge of the fundamentals allows for immediate and precisely correct planning and action in the moves to come.

   In one of my favorite Go books entitled Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go, the author Kageyama expresses the same sentiments: mastering the basics is fundamental for progression at every point in the player's career. He begins the book with what is very much an exercise taking some time and thought: there were no shortcuts to solve this problem for the beginner this book is aimed for. It is the same in programming: mastering anything (even the fundamentals) involves much time and effort.

   As I become stronger at the game, I am finding new wisdom in the same advice Kageyama gives. I can read the same paragraph a few months apart and get different tangible results out of it. I have often had the same experience programming: I can use certain expressions and programming constructs without knowing the intricacies of them, but as I progress in my programming career, I am also able to understand these constructs, often at a lower level, to my great benefit.

   I frequently go back to this book and always find new wisdom to improve my game. I strive to do the same with programming: just because I know how lambda functions in Python work does not mean I should be ignorant of the possibility that I may not know everything about them and tangentially related concepts.

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4. NhanHNov 2013
   I'd suggest the list here [0]. And I'd add a couple of my own notes:

   - For replaying pro games, it's actually far easier than it sounds. I'd suggest to pick a pro with a "peaceful" playstyle: Shusaku, Shuwa for old go, Lee Chang-Ho or Go Seigen for more modern games. Try not to copy their opening/ joseki blindly, but getting a feeling of the conventional/ good shape in play is always good. Strong players with a aggressive play style and lot of brilliant moves can be a bit hard to follow.

   - There is the smart go apps for iPad, which is very useful for both tsumegos and game replay (it has a large collection of games)

   - I'd suggest the book "Lessons in the fundamentals of Go" by Kageyama Toshiro. I'm not sure if the book is out of print, but it helps a lot to get a sense of the game (ie. all those "fuzzy" criteria as joe_the_user mentioned).

   [0] http://senseis.xmp.net/?BenjaminTeuber%2FGuideToBecomeStrong

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5. gjm11Nov 2013
   > Lessons in the fundamentals of Go

   It's worth noting that, like many books with words like "fundamentals" in the title, that (excellent) book is not really intended for beginners.

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6. taejoApr 2017
   The other recommendations are good, but I think they're higher level than this. The Graded Go Problems series (in this case the "For Beginners" books) are good and cover a lot of the basic tactics.

   Lessons In The Fundamentals Of Go is probably worth reading when you reach your first "plateau" (stop improving despite regular play and problems).

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