Catalogue
In this book, Abe Yoshiteru 9 dan, a born raconteur, relates fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories of unique and unusual occurrences in the world of professional go, as well as the blunders and misreadings that sometimes arise at even the highest levels of play. Go Seigen, Sakata Eio, Fujisawa Shuko, Rin Kaiho, and many others make their appearance in this volume. (The Index of Players lists 81 names of players who appear in the book.) Amateur players will be amused at the mistakes committed by geniuses and prodigies, and perhaps reassured that even the greatest names in the history of the game sometimes make the same silly blunders that amateurs do.
Two famous games are analyzed by Abe 9 dan from top match play, and he does not spare himself from censure either: he presents some of the worst blunders he has ever made in five of his own games. In all of the positions that are given in the book, the reader can try to beat the professionals at their own game: Abe 9 dan gives the reader hints, which one can use to try to succeed where the professional has blundered, or one can just sit back and enjoy the show, as Abe 9 dan describes the background of the position and the atmosphere in the playing room as the dramatic moment occurred.
Dramatic Moments on the Go Board does for the contemporary go scene what Killer of Go did for the classical go world. It is a book that one can both enjoy and learn from, and which will deepen one's appreciation of the game.
List of Content
003 Foreword
006 Chapter One
006 Dramatic Oversights on the Go Board
006 Go Seigen v Fujisawa Kuranosuke
016 Sakata Eio v Rin Kaiho
029 Chapter Two
029 Tragicomedy in the Endgame
091 Chapter Three
091 Hullabaloo in the Middlegame
157 Chapter Four
157 Turning Points in the Opening
191 Chapter Five
191 Dramatic Moments in My Games
221 Glossary and Indices
Review(s)
For professional go players, whose livelihood depends upon the outcome of their games, every single move is necessarily a matter of crucial importance. However, with external conditions imposed, such as the advent of a large, 5'/2 point komi and time restrictions that regularly lead to harried play in time pressure, unaccountable blunders and otherwise inexplicable upsets, as well as unexpected dramatic moments arise.
In the thirteen years since I became a professional, I have made a deliberate attempt to make a collection of such dramatic moments in the games of my colleagues and elders, and for the past few years I have published them in a series of articles for Igo Club magazine under the title of "Young Abe's Glimpses from the Playing Room". At this point in time, I have been asked to assemble these articles in book form, so I have arranged them into different categories and added additional, new material.
A proverb states that an overturned cart is a warning to other travelers who come along the road later. The various dramatic moments on the go board that are offered here will undoubtedly be valuable to the reader. And the fact that professional players of the elite class can suffer such lapses will perhaps come as solace and consolation to many amateurs and also give a feeling of intimacy with these professional players as well.
Finally, the last chapter is comprised of dramatic moments selected from my own games. They are offered here for the reader's amusement and edification...
Abe Yoshiteru, January 1973, Foreword | 