Tesuji Dictionary, Lower Volume (Vol.1), Segoe Kensaku & Go Seigen

This is the old Go Seigen-Segoe Tesuji Dictionary, which was previously published in two-volumes. It has recently been reprinted in a three-volume set.

There are 992 tesuji problems in these three volumes with three levels of difficulty, A, B, and C. There are about 25 sections that present tesujis according to the type of move. For example, attachments, cuts, placements, etc. These problems are rather difficult and most appropriate for dan players.

Some have called this the "Fastest way to Shodan."

Comments & Reviews

This is simply an amazing book, as are the others in the series. I agree that the problems are hard and (as a KGS 1-2k) I can solve the Cs pretty consistently, the Bs with some work, and the As only occasionally and with great effort.

That said, just seeing the A and B level problems, especially when they don’t do what you expect is really an eye-opener and worth it in and of itself. For example, net problems that opt for the tighter net that doesn’t work but lets you squeeze instead of the looser net that does but leaves more aji (all in a 25-move sequence) is very instructive.

Agreed that it’s not for people in the high single-digit kyu range or weaker, but once your 3-4k or so, these books are great resources. They’re also very well put together with two built-in cloth bookmarks, making hte production quality much higher than we’re generally used to in U.S. go books. (I ordered them from amazon.co.jp using the ISBN numbers to search)

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The problems are large, so there’s a lot going on in them, but they give the appearance of situations that might occur in real games. I think they are for training your reading depth more than recognition of basic shapes. The C-level problem solutions are usually a 3-5 moves deep (but you have to find the right ones!) Quite a few of the A level problems are over 25 moves deep!

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This book contains very advanced problems, and the problem discussion is currently only available in Japanese.

It’s an excellent book for increasing already formidible skills, but may have limited use for weaker players. Although it’s been quoted as the “Fastest way to Shodan,” I would limit extensive study of it until 3k or even past shodan. At 3k AGA I find that most of the “C” level problems are solvable, the “B” level problems are very hard, but I can find a possible solution after 10 minutes of study, and most of the “A” problems are not possible for me.

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