The Direction of Play (Intermediate to Advanced Go Books)

This book is a lucid exposition of the basic principles of Kajiwara's go theory and a guide to applying these principles in your own game. Above all else, Kajiwara emphasizes the importance of careful analysis in order to determine the correct direction of play, that is, the direction in which a stone or a group of stones exerts its main influence. He demonstrates that each stone has a life of its own and so expresses the individuality of the player. The key to a powerful game is understanding the relationship between each stone and the overall position, for only then can one realize the full potential of every stone that one plays. Takeo Kajiwara was born in 1923 in Niigata Prefecture in Japan. He studies under Riichi Sekiyama, 9-dan, and reached sho-dan in the autumn of 1937. His promotion 9-dan came in 1965. In 1947 he was one of the eight professionals who left the Nihon Kiin to set up the rival Igo Shinsha organisation, but he returned the fellowing year. In 1964 he was the challenger for the Oza title. A year later he led a delegation of go players to China.His novel go style with its famous "drilling tactics" is highly esteemed and his sharp, intuitive flair in the tactical situtaions is unsurpassed amongst today's professionals. With Shuko Fujisawa, 9-dan, and Toshiro Yamabe, 9-dan, he is known as one of the "three crows" (i.e. triumvirate) of the post-war generation. In 1971 he reached the final of the 8th Pro Best Ten. He also played in the 1976, 1977 and 1978 Meijin leagues and tied for 1st place in the 1977 Gosei league.

!!!No Mirrors below, please! Follow Rules!