How To Study Go
by Tom Obenchain

Go is an elusive game, where mastery, like the stalked deer, seems to bolt away as it senses your approach. But this is one of the great pleasures that Go offers each of us. If mastery of this ancient game were easy prey we might struggle for weeks or months learning the various tricks and methods that would ensure victory, but inevitably, like so many of the offerings of the entertainment industry, we would cast it aside and look for something that would again challenge us -- something that would again give us the thrill of the hunt.

Thankfully, Go is not so easy an intellectual trophy. Those who are drawn to this game (many consider it to be more of an art form) realize that mastery of this game is a real and valuable accomplishment, one that might take years or decades to realize.

So, as we begin our pursuit of Go mastery, this seemingly simple game of yellow wood and dark and light stones begins to reveal its immense complexity, complexity that ensures we will always have another season of good hunting.

The recommendations in this section of the website come in part from the books I have read in my pursuit of Go knowledge, but mostly from my lessons with my sensei (teacher), Mirel Florescu, a 6 dan amateur from Romania, who has shared with me his knowledge gained from his years of study as an insei (student) in Japan. When you are ready for a teacher to guide your progress, you will find Mirel and his internet Go school a welcome and affordable resource. (For more information on Mirel's Go School, click here.