Well after taking the quiz I scored at the very top of "Average" which means I must have learned something from this book but the lessons were so subtle and so short (most of this volume is commentary on demonstrative games) that I can't be certain. There are still many tactical concepts mentioned quickly here that I need to either work out for myself or see explained in detail. Overall this book left me feeling less confident about concepts which go beyond basic tactics but it did fill in a poetic aspect to the game, which is part of why I am so enamored. ( )

Well after taking the quiz I scored at the very top of "Average" which means I must have learned something from this book but the lessons were so subtle and so short (most of this volume is commentary on demonstrative games) that I can't be certain. There are still many tactical concepts mentioned quickly here that I need to either work out for myself or see explained in detail. Overall this book left me feeling less confident about concepts which go beyond basic tactics but it did fill in a poetic aspect to the game, which is part of why I am so enamored. ( )

As a relative newcomer to Go, you'll want to take my review with a grain of salt. I just finished Volumes 1 and 2 of this series, and although the contents were excellent, I felt that Volume 3 was significantly more scattered than its predecessors.

The first volume presented the rules of the game and did everything necessary to get the absolute beginner into a position where they could enjoy a game. The second volume tackled specific topics in Go, from opening positions to middle game attack and defense to end game sente.

The third volume did not have the same unifying focus. The first section was essentially a set of dos and don'ts, which were quite helpful and will require further study to fully put into practice. The second section gave us three separate games, and presented a move-by-move commentary. Most useful in this section were the "alternate" moves, where it was shown what the result of different choices would have been at certain critical points. The final section was a self-test, which brought together topics from all three volumes and invited the reader to apply them.

Although this book was excellent, it feels more like the second half of Volume 2 rather than a book that could stand on its own. My recommendation is that 2 and 3 be bought and read together. ( )