Keshi and Uchikomi: Reduction and Invasion in Go, by Iwamoto Kaoru. Slate & Shell; 2002.

This is a dictionary of reduction and invasion patterns. The first part contains 20 formations of black stones starting from the corner and extending to one or both sides, with white stones in various places nearby, and considers what the vulnerable points are where white could invade. The second part is similar, discussing how white might want to reduce 18 formations.

The book seems well-done. It considers several possibilities for each formation, and shows what happens: whether or not white manages to invade, and whether, by invading, white actually accomplishes something or simply cuts off a small area at the expense of letting black solidify more territory elsewhere. The only reason why I say "seems" is that this sort of book is hard to read straight through: I think it would be great to have as a reference book around to see where I went wrong in my games, but it's not the best thing to read on the bus ride into work.

Most of the material was taken from the American Go Journal, but some of it is new. And none of it is widely-available in book form; the closest match is Enclosure Josekis, but that book doesn't cover reduction, is focused more on the corner and narrow extensions from the corner rather than on broad extensions on the corner, and has been out of print for ages.


david carlton <carlton@bactrian.org>

Last modified: Sun Aug 10 20:57:43 PDT 2003