Reviews►Books

Book Review: 501 Tesuji Problems

Overall Rating: 6 / 10 Ponnuki

Basic Information

  • Title: Mastering the Basics, Volume 4 - Five Hundred and One TesujiProblems
  • Author: Compiled and Written by Richard Bozulich
  • Publisher: Kiseido
  • Publication Date: October 2005
  • Page Length: 292 pages
  • Number of Problems: 501

Synopsis

  • My least favorite of the entire series so far.
  • Lacked the explanations that makes the series so great.
  • Appropriate for 5 kyu and stronger.

What I Expected

  • A section explaining various tesujis along with a few easy problems in each section to get your brain moving.
  • A problem section that consisted of an assortment of the tesujis from the first portion of the book.

What You Can Expect

  • Problems along with their usual solutions, but that is all.

My Thoughts as a 5 Kyu

When I first reviewed this book, I will admit that my initial findings were rather negative since I was really disappointed in the fact that it did not follow the same structure that the other books in the series had. As a result, you will have to forgive me for knocking it down a few pegs.

The book delivers on the promise that you will practice a lot of problems in hopes of training your brain to find tesujis without being told what to do. While I understand the merits in this approach, I still firmly believe that the book would be far more effective if it kept to the format of the Mastering the Basics series.

So if you’re looking for a book that gives explanations and guidance on tesujis, this is definitely not the book for you. On the other hand, if you want a book of pure tesuji problems, then you’ve come to the right place.

Table of Content

  1. Preface
  2. A Glossary of Tesujis Used in this Book
  3. Some Important Terms and Concepts
  4. 501 Tesuji Problems
  1. Kiseido - $21.00 (S&H not included)
  2. SmartGo Books (eBook) - $8.99 (Apple users only)

Last updated June 28th, 2013