Good shape is a subject that has received scant attention in Japanese go literature. Although references to shape are made in most books, there is no one book devoted exclusively to this subject. However, understanding and recognizing good shape is important for becoming a strong player and developing intuition that will instantly guide you to find the strongest moves in the opening and the middle-game fighting. Shapes are the building blocks of your groups. They determine whether your stones are working together efficiently or are sitting in each other’s way. Good shape is a source of strength to build on, while bad shape often comes back to haunt you. There are two aspects of shape. One is to make good shape for your own stones; the other is to spoil the shape of your opponent’s stones. However, good shape is more than a static form; it is dynamic in the way it builds eye shape and stays ahead of the opponent in running battles while building up more eye shape. This book provides an extensive theoretical introduction to shape, beginning with the efficient placement of stones. It illustrates various techniques for making good shape and gives its readers practical experience by presenting 245 problems so that they can hone their skills to find the shape move in their games.

About the Author

Richard Bozulich was born in Los Angeles in 1936. From the age of four until 17 he studied to become a concert pianist. He then studied Mathematical Logic at UCLA from 1953 to 1956 under Richard Montague. He transferred to UC Berkeley and graduated in mathematics in 1966. In 1967 he went to Japan to study go. In 1968 he founded Ishi Press Inc. in Japan and published more than 45 books on go. In 1982 he founded Kiseido Publishing Company and has published more than 60 books on go under that company's imprint. He started publishing a go magazine, Go World, in 1977. 129 issues were published until he stopped publishing it in 2013. He is said to be the most prolific writer of English-language go books, having written or translated almost 50 books on the game. He lives in Chigasaki, Japan and is the president of Kiseido Publishing Company. Rob van Zeijst is an ex-insei (apprentice professional) and has won the European championship three times. He has played in a number of international tournaments: The Fujitsu Cup four times; the Chunlan Cup once; the Samsung Cup four times, in which he won two games against Korean professionals. His highest rating in the World Professional ranking system was professional 3-dan.

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