Every go player will find this brilliant and well-organized survey of all the important joseki patterns in contemporary go an indispensable study tool and reference work.
The first volume covers all the 3-4 point josekis, including long sections on the avalanche joseki and the Magic Sword. The second volume covers the star point, and the 5-3, 5-4, and 3-3 points. In particular, there has been great innovation in star-point josekis in recent decades, so the coverage has been considerably expanded, compared to the Ishida dictionary. Like the Ishida work, it thoroughly analyses the various components of josekis, such as tesujis and good style and good shape, and focusses in depth on such themes as securing momentum and building influence. Each joseki listed is backed up by numerous diagrams exploring alternative moves and mistakes, to ensure that the reader understands the joseki fully. Consequently, this work is unrivalled as a lucid and comprehensive primer in joseki theory.
The author, Shinji Takao, is a top Japanese professional who has held both the Honinbo and Meijin titles. His book retains the variations from its predecessor that are relevant to contemporary play but also gives countless new variations, reflecting the widespread innovations generated by professional go in the Far East in the last three decades.
