Essential Joseki: The Master of Go Series, Naiwei Rui

This is the first volume in a four-volume series published in China between 1990 and 1996. The series is designed for mid-level players, but there is material in all four volumes that will challenge amateur dan level players.

These books are useful both as lesson -books and as references. the authors are some of the strongest players in the world. They are recognized as having special strength in the areas about which they have written.

The present volume is a handy reference to joseki. It is far more comprehensive than elementary works such as 38 Basic Joseki, but much more accessible than any of the multi-volume dictionaries. For each variation, the author provides sage advice on when to choose to play that line based on the whole-board situation. Potential ladders, ko fights, and seki are all explained in detail so the reader can appreciate under what conditions a particular joseki can or cannot be played.

228 pages.

Comments & Reviews

I thought that I’d have a look at this book after someone else had recommended it as a joseki reference. It’s really quite a good dictionary reference I would strongly recommend it over “38 Basic Joseki”.

Where it falls short, of course, is its lack of depth along the lines of Ishida’s “Dictionary of Basic Joseki”. This was to be expected given that “Essential Joseki” is only 228 pages in length; Ishida’s series spans three volumes. You won’t get the deep analysis that Ishida sometimes painstakingly illustrates to explain the value or worthlessness of a move.

If you’re tight on cash and need a good joseki reference, then this book is probably the one that you’re looking for. My guess is that it will serve most players well even up to their early amateur dan levels. When you have enough cash saved-up, I would pair it with Ishida’s dictionary to get more in-depth understanding behind the moves.

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