Robert Jasiek
2018-08-27 16:05:55 UTC
Review: The Endgame (Ogawa / Davies)
General Specification
* Title: The Endgame
* Author: Tomoko Ogawa, James Davies
* Publisher: Ishi Press (now: Kiseido)
* Edition: 1982 (2nd printing, brown cover)
* Language: English
* Price: EUR 16.50
* Contents: endgame
* ISBN: none (now: [?])
* Printing: good
* Layout: almost good
* Editing: good
* Pages: 211
* Size: 127mm x 181mm
* Diagrams per Page on Average: 3
* Method of Teaching: principles, examples
* Read when EGF: 10k - 3k
* Subjective Rank Improvement: -
* Subjective Topic Coverage: --
* Subjective Aims' Achievement: +
Preface
Although this is an old book first published in English in 1976, it is
still sold because it is well-known and part of the Elementary Go
Series. There are still only a few English endgame books so the book
remains an option to be considered. My impression when I read the book
as circa a 5 kyu is almost the same as when I reread it in 2018, 28
years later, as a 5 dan and endgame researcher, except that then it
was the only English endgame book and now I can better justify my
impression.
Overview
The book has five chapters. Chapter 1 uses one game to introduce the
endgame informally. The game comments are mostly uninteresting
descriptions ("White 38 threatened an invasion of the upper right
corner again, so I defended at 39.") but interludes prepare the reader
softly for the next chapter, show variations of enclosure josekis,
which a reader of expected rank may find useful, or give a sample
illustration of counting territory during the game. For that purpose,
the diagram annotation is a bit strange: for the sake of counting in
pairs, two adjacent intersections carry the same integer.
Chapter 2 is the core of the book. It explains evaluation of moves of
local endgames. First, some theory is explained shortly. Second, nine
problem diagrams each with three local endgames, a few answer diagrams
and one combination diagram per problem train application of the
theory. Apparently, the combination diagrams presume an unshown whole
board context during the early to intermediate endgame, where the
three local endgames must be played first in their correct move order.
Chapter 3 shows a good variety of the most basic endgame tesujis and a
few problems for each type. If you have not seen the monkey jump or
other tesujis of a comparable, basic level before, the chapter should
be useful.
The macroendgame (transition from the late middle game to the early
endgame) is the topic of chapter 4. There are nine whole board
problems each with five moves to choose from. The answers are short.
That is all. Chapter 5 is similar but shows two games during the
intermediate endgame, each with ten problems and multiple choice among
three candidate moves.
Except for the interludes in chapter 1, the chapters 1, 4 and 5 are
mostly filling material trying to compensate the too short theory in
chapter 2. In particular the macroendgame would have deserved general
theory and at least careful approximative calculations of the move
values of the top two candidates. Instead, we mostly get disappointing
informal text, such as "Although tbe continuation is a bit difficult,
there is no question that Black 1 is the right move".
The Theory
Chapter teaches move values of gote, sente, reverse sente and double
sente for traditional endgame theory, where you multiply by two for
playing in sente or reverse sente to compare with playing in gote. The
book compares "Black goes first" and "White goes first" but avoids a
term for the calculated difference value. It compares the two
resulting local positions but avoids terms for them (nowadays we call
them black and white follower) and the counted value (we would call
them the count). It counts locally but does not explain the concept of
locality (which I would call the locale). It studies follow-ups but
avoids this term like the plague. To calculate the impact of a
follow-up on a move value, it sometimes considers the white follower's
white follower or the black follower's black follower but, as we know,
avoids these terms. Instead, it uses various, confusing, informal
descriptions for the same term, concept or value. The reader must
enlighten himself. Likewise, the book describes newly acquired values
by different phrases with a preference for "to gain". As a
consequence, the author herself lacks a clear understanding and
sometimes makes the mistake of adding gote and sente gains without
first calibrating such different values.
Furthermore, the book tries to simplify. It approximates by rounding
to avoid fractions and prune the impact of iterative follow-ups on
move values. Although this works for the simple examples in the book,
this also means that the reader does not learn determination of move
values of local endgames with intermediate to large iterative
follow-up positions. The book speaks of average, mathematical average
or mean (all meaning the same) but does not explain how to calculate
an average. For the simplest calculation, the calculation shown
multiplies a value by 1/2, puts this in brackets and adds this to some
previously calculated value. Otherwise, the book avoids brackets for
arithmetic. It invents, however, a creative alternative use for
brackets to indicate a rounded value as being slightly smaller, such
as "5(-)", or larger, such as "5(+)", than an integer. It also avoids
negative numbers but speaks of White's points. This may work for the
simple examples of the book, but the reader does not learn proper
calculation in general. Funnily, the book cannot quite admit to avoid
negative numbers when writing "the total difference is 1+1=2 points".
If White's points were accounted properly as negative points, we would
indeed have the difference "1 - (-1) = 2". After dissolution of
bracket and minus signs, this becomes the sum stated in the book.
Does the reader profit from all those attempts of simplification?
Hardly. Besides the few principles hidden in ordinary text, he has to
make sense of several different methods of how a gote follow-up is
calculated. Sometimes it is the average of two numbers, the average of
one number (and - not declared by the book - the number zero), derived
from the white follower's white follower and an average, or derived
from the black follower's black follower and an average. Without the
underlying theoretical explanations why each method works and produces
correct move values, it can be hard to understand everything while
overcoming confusion.
At least, the move values in the book are correct if we tolerate
approximations. Sometimes the author was lazy and an approximation is
correct only plus-minus 2 points. The explanation of theory for sente,
reverse sente and double sente is even shorter. The relative value of
sente or reverse sente are explained by an argument fitting modern
endgame theory: points per difference in the numbers of played stones.
Unfortunately, this is the only aspect of modern theory in the book.
More confusion arises when gote and gote (or sente and sente) have
different meanings. Either word might refer to the type of local
endgame or to the kind of sequence but the book never says "gote
sequence" or "sente sequence" when it means such. The reader must
always disambiguate the context, especially when both contexts occur
in the same sentence. Worst of all, we learn that a reverse sente "is
gote". What this means is that a move played in reverse sente starts a
gote sequence. Such problems occur when a book does not properly
introduce the basics and avoids by far too many terms, which would
clarify everything.
Not surprisingly, the book introduces double sente as "either side can
play in sente", means local double sente and is unaware of its
inexistence. As a consequence, the answers to the problems calculate
move values in double sente even when the most obviously the follow-up
threats are too small by far. In the most obvious example, the author
noticed this by herself ("Black 1 is not necessarily sente, either.")
but did not draw the right conclusion. The harm from this conceptual
mistake is limited though because the book offers useful practical
advice for when to play double sente.
From the theory and problems in chapter 2, the reader learns
calculation of move values of gote or sente without follow-up. Hardly
from the theory alone - but from the combination of theory and
problems. Learning reverse sente is made more difficult. Maybe the
bright reader also learns calculation of a move value if the local
endgame has simple, direct follow-ups. However, calculation of a move
value is peculiar in the book: only intersections of either player's
territories with changes are counted by mentally comparing two
diagrams. This works for the simple examples in the book but the
method might fail for more difficult examples.
The Missing Theory
Endgame evaluation in the book misses the following theory: in general
exact move values instead of approximations, move values of local
endgames with iterative follow-ups and larger impact than rounding
approximations, a careful explanation of the basics, basic terms,
basic concepts other than move value, count of an initial local
endgame, counts of followers, evaluation of ordinary kos or ko
threats, gains (when Black's and White's moves gain different amounts
not both described by the move value), net profit, theory relating the
different values, careful study of different kinds of follow-ups,
modern endgame theory, microendgame, area scoring, a clear
distintinction of sente and gote, ambiguous local endgames, evaluation
of long local sequences, value theory for move order during the early
and late endgames, advanced theories.
Conclusion
The book is written for beginners of endgame theory. Apart from the
additional chapters, it only touches the only one aspect of move
value. The unclear, confusing presentation with countless omissions
especially of basic descriptions make good understanding of the
contents unnecessarily hard especially for the intended readership.
Theory and didactics of the book are outdated.
General Specification
* Title: The Endgame
* Author: Tomoko Ogawa, James Davies
* Publisher: Ishi Press (now: Kiseido)
* Edition: 1982 (2nd printing, brown cover)
* Language: English
* Price: EUR 16.50
* Contents: endgame
* ISBN: none (now: [?])
* Printing: good
* Layout: almost good
* Editing: good
* Pages: 211
* Size: 127mm x 181mm
* Diagrams per Page on Average: 3
* Method of Teaching: principles, examples
* Read when EGF: 10k - 3k
* Subjective Rank Improvement: -
* Subjective Topic Coverage: --
* Subjective Aims' Achievement: +
Preface
Although this is an old book first published in English in 1976, it is
still sold because it is well-known and part of the Elementary Go
Series. There are still only a few English endgame books so the book
remains an option to be considered. My impression when I read the book
as circa a 5 kyu is almost the same as when I reread it in 2018, 28
years later, as a 5 dan and endgame researcher, except that then it
was the only English endgame book and now I can better justify my
impression.
Overview
The book has five chapters. Chapter 1 uses one game to introduce the
endgame informally. The game comments are mostly uninteresting
descriptions ("White 38 threatened an invasion of the upper right
corner again, so I defended at 39.") but interludes prepare the reader
softly for the next chapter, show variations of enclosure josekis,
which a reader of expected rank may find useful, or give a sample
illustration of counting territory during the game. For that purpose,
the diagram annotation is a bit strange: for the sake of counting in
pairs, two adjacent intersections carry the same integer.
Chapter 2 is the core of the book. It explains evaluation of moves of
local endgames. First, some theory is explained shortly. Second, nine
problem diagrams each with three local endgames, a few answer diagrams
and one combination diagram per problem train application of the
theory. Apparently, the combination diagrams presume an unshown whole
board context during the early to intermediate endgame, where the
three local endgames must be played first in their correct move order.
Chapter 3 shows a good variety of the most basic endgame tesujis and a
few problems for each type. If you have not seen the monkey jump or
other tesujis of a comparable, basic level before, the chapter should
be useful.
The macroendgame (transition from the late middle game to the early
endgame) is the topic of chapter 4. There are nine whole board
problems each with five moves to choose from. The answers are short.
That is all. Chapter 5 is similar but shows two games during the
intermediate endgame, each with ten problems and multiple choice among
three candidate moves.
Except for the interludes in chapter 1, the chapters 1, 4 and 5 are
mostly filling material trying to compensate the too short theory in
chapter 2. In particular the macroendgame would have deserved general
theory and at least careful approximative calculations of the move
values of the top two candidates. Instead, we mostly get disappointing
informal text, such as "Although tbe continuation is a bit difficult,
there is no question that Black 1 is the right move".
The Theory
Chapter teaches move values of gote, sente, reverse sente and double
sente for traditional endgame theory, where you multiply by two for
playing in sente or reverse sente to compare with playing in gote. The
book compares "Black goes first" and "White goes first" but avoids a
term for the calculated difference value. It compares the two
resulting local positions but avoids terms for them (nowadays we call
them black and white follower) and the counted value (we would call
them the count). It counts locally but does not explain the concept of
locality (which I would call the locale). It studies follow-ups but
avoids this term like the plague. To calculate the impact of a
follow-up on a move value, it sometimes considers the white follower's
white follower or the black follower's black follower but, as we know,
avoids these terms. Instead, it uses various, confusing, informal
descriptions for the same term, concept or value. The reader must
enlighten himself. Likewise, the book describes newly acquired values
by different phrases with a preference for "to gain". As a
consequence, the author herself lacks a clear understanding and
sometimes makes the mistake of adding gote and sente gains without
first calibrating such different values.
Furthermore, the book tries to simplify. It approximates by rounding
to avoid fractions and prune the impact of iterative follow-ups on
move values. Although this works for the simple examples in the book,
this also means that the reader does not learn determination of move
values of local endgames with intermediate to large iterative
follow-up positions. The book speaks of average, mathematical average
or mean (all meaning the same) but does not explain how to calculate
an average. For the simplest calculation, the calculation shown
multiplies a value by 1/2, puts this in brackets and adds this to some
previously calculated value. Otherwise, the book avoids brackets for
arithmetic. It invents, however, a creative alternative use for
brackets to indicate a rounded value as being slightly smaller, such
as "5(-)", or larger, such as "5(+)", than an integer. It also avoids
negative numbers but speaks of White's points. This may work for the
simple examples of the book, but the reader does not learn proper
calculation in general. Funnily, the book cannot quite admit to avoid
negative numbers when writing "the total difference is 1+1=2 points".
If White's points were accounted properly as negative points, we would
indeed have the difference "1 - (-1) = 2". After dissolution of
bracket and minus signs, this becomes the sum stated in the book.
Does the reader profit from all those attempts of simplification?
Hardly. Besides the few principles hidden in ordinary text, he has to
make sense of several different methods of how a gote follow-up is
calculated. Sometimes it is the average of two numbers, the average of
one number (and - not declared by the book - the number zero), derived
from the white follower's white follower and an average, or derived
from the black follower's black follower and an average. Without the
underlying theoretical explanations why each method works and produces
correct move values, it can be hard to understand everything while
overcoming confusion.
At least, the move values in the book are correct if we tolerate
approximations. Sometimes the author was lazy and an approximation is
correct only plus-minus 2 points. The explanation of theory for sente,
reverse sente and double sente is even shorter. The relative value of
sente or reverse sente are explained by an argument fitting modern
endgame theory: points per difference in the numbers of played stones.
Unfortunately, this is the only aspect of modern theory in the book.
More confusion arises when gote and gote (or sente and sente) have
different meanings. Either word might refer to the type of local
endgame or to the kind of sequence but the book never says "gote
sequence" or "sente sequence" when it means such. The reader must
always disambiguate the context, especially when both contexts occur
in the same sentence. Worst of all, we learn that a reverse sente "is
gote". What this means is that a move played in reverse sente starts a
gote sequence. Such problems occur when a book does not properly
introduce the basics and avoids by far too many terms, which would
clarify everything.
Not surprisingly, the book introduces double sente as "either side can
play in sente", means local double sente and is unaware of its
inexistence. As a consequence, the answers to the problems calculate
move values in double sente even when the most obviously the follow-up
threats are too small by far. In the most obvious example, the author
noticed this by herself ("Black 1 is not necessarily sente, either.")
but did not draw the right conclusion. The harm from this conceptual
mistake is limited though because the book offers useful practical
advice for when to play double sente.
From the theory and problems in chapter 2, the reader learns
calculation of move values of gote or sente without follow-up. Hardly
from the theory alone - but from the combination of theory and
problems. Learning reverse sente is made more difficult. Maybe the
bright reader also learns calculation of a move value if the local
endgame has simple, direct follow-ups. However, calculation of a move
value is peculiar in the book: only intersections of either player's
territories with changes are counted by mentally comparing two
diagrams. This works for the simple examples in the book but the
method might fail for more difficult examples.
The Missing Theory
Endgame evaluation in the book misses the following theory: in general
exact move values instead of approximations, move values of local
endgames with iterative follow-ups and larger impact than rounding
approximations, a careful explanation of the basics, basic terms,
basic concepts other than move value, count of an initial local
endgame, counts of followers, evaluation of ordinary kos or ko
threats, gains (when Black's and White's moves gain different amounts
not both described by the move value), net profit, theory relating the
different values, careful study of different kinds of follow-ups,
modern endgame theory, microendgame, area scoring, a clear
distintinction of sente and gote, ambiguous local endgames, evaluation
of long local sequences, value theory for move order during the early
and late endgames, advanced theories.
Conclusion
The book is written for beginners of endgame theory. Apart from the
additional chapters, it only touches the only one aspect of move
value. The unclear, confusing presentation with countless omissions
especially of basic descriptions make good understanding of the
contents unnecessarily hard especially for the intended readership.
Theory and didactics of the book are outdated.