Learn to Play Go, Vol. 3: The Dragon Style

Janice really could explore more the phillosophy of Go applied in Life. Game for game to me is not so utile, I perceived she changed the previous concepts for new ones for the sake of the game itself. My interest is not to be a well rounded player of Go but to transfer this wisdom to my day. The book is well written I'm a lower level player but I liked a lot the book, for a serious player is highly reccomended. The Authors are very clever and experienced, the analogies are bright,but again I repeat, the focus of the series is to build up your game, so don't expect phillosophy either.

Janice Kim is the master of GO walkthrough. Her book series is a must for those who, like me, have no teacher and play through internet mostly. Great source for improving your skills.

Very good course!!!

great communication! highly recommend.

I've been playing Go for two years, and I used to have weekly lessons from a high-ranking amateur. I read the first two books of Janice Kim's series when I was just beginning, and that was the right time. I should've read this one at that time too. It's very basic. I agree with the reviewer who complained that the content was pretty slim. That's the point of view of a player with a bit of experience. If you're a beginner with a few extra bucks, this should be helpful for you. But if you're clever, or if you have some experience on the 19x19 board, I recommend skipping this one and moving on to "Basic Techniques of Go" or "The Second Book of Go." Those two books cover the same information, plus a lot more. I read this book in one day, without a board, and there are only about two things I want to review later. Tonight I'll start volume four...

Its rather surprising that the authors were able to condense so many useful proverbs into a single volume. The explanations are carefully thought out and explained, and they aren't based off impossible or labyrinthian setups, but positions than can and, as I have seen myself, arise in actual games. The self-testing section at the end of the book is precise and helps to reinforce the lessons presented, and yet simple enough that you don't require a board of your own to lay the problems out on. And even upper level players(10-8 kyus) would find this book useful as refresher. It was quite surprising how many knee-jerk reactions even I had that were brought up at some point. The only problem I had with this book were the games they chose to review to illustrate the points made earlier in the book. While the games were simple and straightforward, thats all they were. Quite honestly, if the author did not say at the beginning that these were professional level games, I would not have believed that they were. But as far as criticisms go, that pales in comparison to how much good this book can do for players.

For the beginners, like myself, the book is fantastic! As a matter of fact, the whole series is brilliant: Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun start with the explanation of the game's rules, and step by step walk you through the principles of its strategy and tactics. In this particular volume, three really-played games are reviewed with dozens of comments 'why-this-play-now-but-not-the-other-one', so after a wile you feel go is not anymore a dark jungle full of white (if you are just playing black) or black (if vice versa) monsters, like it used to be before, but a very logic stream of causes and consequences arising from a particular play. Very useful are the problems at the end of each book or even each chapter, again, with very detailed answers and descriptions why the hell 'A' but never ever 'B'! Absolute must for every beginner getting addicted to the game of go with, perhaps, one remark: when the say after reading all the books in the series you are ~10kyu, they are much too optimistic :-). At least - not on IGS. But never mind! So, enjoy it. It really pays back! Piotr Lewczuk, Erlangen, Germany

I learned(?) how to play Go 45 years ago. I've read all the beginners' books available in English, many in Japanese, and most of the advanced books in English. There is nothing better for learning than a good teacher -- the subtleties are "impossible" to discover by yourself. This series is as close as you can get to having an expert teacher right there with you. This is the book (series) I loan (or give) to friends who are interested in learning Go. Nothing is left out. The style of this series is intended to not be overwhelming to anyone interested. I think that the "Dummy" and "Complere Idiot" books are not really intended for dummies!!! - rather they are intended for people who don't yet have enough relevant background to appreciate books meant for "serious" students. With that understanding, this set of books really fills the bill. Plus lots of stuff to help the serious student understand this very interesting game -- easier to learn than chess, but harder to get good at.

Slowly collecting the full set, great guides to the game, certainly the best currently available for beginners or the "expert". I have been playing Go for many years, and can always use the advice of other players,you never stop learning!

This is the third book in a series of five, starting with the basics of the game in Volume 1, followed by a development of the game in Volume 2, on to more advanced playing styles in this volume. This book, more than the other two, gets into the meat of the game and reveals some of the approaches with which to play a thoughtful, strategic game of Go. There's a ton of illustrations and examples, as well as self-tests to ensure you grasped what's being discussed, as well as quite a few tricks and tips for various situations. This isn't one of those "memorize these plays and you'll do well" books; it's more about the approach and strategy of the game, and how to manipulate it to your advantage. The writing style throughout is readable, and it keeps the analysis of the game interesting. This book teaches you how to develop your game, not how to play the one or two trick plays that crop up once in a blue moon. Like the first two books, I learned a lot from this volume, especially since I'm a relative newcomer to Go and want to not look like it! A great addition to my Go library and a logical third volume in a great series.

I haven't finished reading yet so I will take my time and enjoy it.