- PriceFree
- CategoryBooks
- First releasedApril 11, 2011
- Versions1 archived
- Installable1 of 1
- AvailabilityStill on the App Store
- SellerSmart Go, Inc.
- Bundle IDcom.smartgo.books
RequirementsCompatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
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Report an issueEnjoy high-quality books about the game of Go on your iPad and iPhone. Replay moves and solve problems directly within diagrams. A better experience than printed books, at half the price.
Features: - Free chapter for each book. - Play and replay moves in diagrams. - Interactive problem diagrams. - Text enhanced with inline diagrams. - Links to pro games in SmartGo Kifu. - Add your own notes anywhere in a book. - Adjustable font and layout. - Some multi-lingual books (Japanese, German, French & Spanish). - Buy once, read on iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
SmartGo Books currently offers more than 130 Go books that you can buy using in-app purchase; more books are in the works. To help you choose, the free “Guide to Go Books” provides clues as to which books might be appropriate for your level.
Getting started: - “Learn to Play Go” (vol. 1-5) by Janice Kim 3 dan & Jeong Soo-hyun 9 dan - “Go: A Complete Introduction to the Game” by Cho Chikun 9 dan - “So You Want to Play Go?” (levels 1-4) by Jonathan Hop
For more than 20 years, the Elementary Go Series books have been the standard texts for Go players who want to get a firm grasp of the fundamentals. Not only is the theory of Go explained clearly and simply, the reader is also given problems to show how these theoretical concepts are applied in actual games. - “In the Beginning” - “38 Basic Joseki” - “Tesuji” - “Life and Death” - “Attack and Defense” - “The Endgame” - “Handicap Go”
Improving your technique: - “How Not to Play Go” (Spanish & French & English) - “Double Digit Kyu Games” - “Single Digit Kyu Game Commentaries” (vol. 1 & 2) - “More Go by example” - “Basic Techniques of Go” - “Fundamental Principles of Go” - “The Workshop Lectures” (vol. 1-5) - “Cho Hun-hyeon’s Lectures on Go Techniques” (vol. 1 & 2) – “Counting Liberties and Winning Capturing Races” - “Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go” (out-of-print) - “Making Good Shape” - “All About Ko” - “Key Concepts in Life and Death” - “How to Destroy and Preserve” (out-of-print) - “Sabaki – How to Manage Weak Stones” (out-of-print) - “Punishing and Correcting Joseki Mistakes” (out-of-print) - “Correct Joseki” - “Vital Points and Skillful Finesse for Sabaki”
Problem books: - “Black to Play! Train the Basics of Go” (German & French & Spanish & English) - “Graded Go Problems for Beginners” (vol. 1-4) - “501 Opening Problems” & “501 Tesuji Problems” - “Rescue and Capture” & “Tricks in Joseki” - “Get Strong at Life and Death” & “Get Strong at the Endgame” - “Shuko: The Only Move” (vol. 1 & 2) – “Gateway to All Marvels: The Xuanxuan Qijing of 1347” - “The most difficult problem ever: Igo Hatsuyôron 120” (German & English)
“Invincible: The Games of Shusaku” by John Power has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece on one of the greatest Go players who ever lived. Enhanced with in-diagram replay, inline diagrams, and links to referenced games, be prepared to experience this classic in a whole new way.
“The Life, Games and Commentaries of Honinbo Shuei” by John Fairbairn provides a full-length biography, detailed commentaries on 79 of Shuei's games tracing the development of Shuei's elusive style, and a collection of Shuei's commentaries. A must-read for every serious Go player and student of Go history.
Pro game analysis: - “Master Play: The Style of Lee Changho / Go Seigen / Takemiya / Kitani Minoru & Cho Chikun” - “The Games of Fujisawa Shuko” - “Modern Master Games: The Dawn of Tournament Go” - “The Go Consultants” - “Patterns of the Sanrensei” (Japanese & English) - “Understanding Pro Games” & “Deep Thought” (vol. 1 & 2) - Books on games by O Rissei, Naoki Hane, Keigo Yamashita, Go Seigen, Takemiya Masaki, and Sakata
Go is a 4000-year-old board game that originated in China. The two players take turns placing stones in an effort to surround territory. The rules can be learned in minutes, yet the complexity of the game provides lifetime enjoyment. Also known as baduk, wéiqí, and igo, it is played by millions of people worldwide.
Chart History
Ratings Over Time
| Date | Version | Rating | Ratings | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2011 | 1.0.1 | — | 16 | Free |
| January 16, 2012 | — | — | 62 | Free |
| June 20, 2013 | — | — | 108 | Free |
From archived App Store listing data, captured by the Wayback Machine.
Archived Reviews
8 of 25I love it for learning Go, but more than that, it makes iPhone/iPad learning exactly how it should be. Wherever I am, I buy a book, read some ideas, apply them in the interactive game diagram, and keep going. Awesome. Also, the book selection has gotten better and better over time, and is now fantastic. Most of my favorites (missing only the Elementary Go series) are there. Plenty for anyone to learn from.
Seldom do we find an imitation that surpasses the original. A better Go book!
The ebook format used in this app was designed with go books in mind. The diagrams, which are key elements of go books, have powerful features. When reviewing a game rather than just studying the numbered stones you have the option of actually stepping through the moves and watching the board evolve. Also, you can play problems out in the app. I had a small library of paper books which I've been replacing with Go Book versions because they're so much better than paper.
HIGHLY recommended!! Read previous reviews for more details. They’re very well written and helpful. This app is a spectacular resource for books to improve at Go. Some of my favorite app highlights include... - Interactive diagrams! Being able to rewind and SEE a sequence as it plays out is vastly superior to simple numbered diagrams in paper books. It’s much easier to really UNDERSTAND the moves. - Syncing and reading books between devices (both iOS and macOS). - Huge book selection in store, readily organized by strength/level, making it easy for a kyu player to select a book good for their level. - Suggested reading lists and other resources. - If there’s a better Go ebook library out there, I haven’t found it. ...and of course, it saves weight and space over paper books 🙂 I really don’t have anything to complain about. There is room for minor improvements... - The interface is not as polished/easy as some other ebook apps. I don’t really mind. Not a hindrance; just a note. - Place in book (and sometimes bookmarks) don’t seem to sync. Not a big deal. - DRM! 😠 While I understand the necessity to try to protect authors’ work, I really, really, REALLY dislike DRM and will choose less convenient apps/stores to avoid DRM’d books whenever possible. At the very least, I like to be able to download and store backup copies just in case (darned shame to lose a whole library under unforeseen circumstances).
It’s so helpful to be able to play through examples. 100 books each with free chapters you can try. Then buy and read them here or in your Mac.
This format is really a revolutionary way of viewing go books. So for that the app is really great. As a book app though the interface is really frustrating. Bookmarks are able to be set but I have no idea how you actually view them again. There is no index of bookmarks or anything to view ones that are set. Adding notes is a cool feature but it displays as if the note is part of the document with a confusing bookmark icon next to it. You can recover purchases on other devices using an email address, but it isn't a synced book. So you don't transfer your progress in a book or any notes or bookmarks. I also wish there was some integration with smartgo kifu where I could send problems from books over to that app so I could track ones that I am having difficulty with all in on place. I think this has a tremendous amount of potential, and there really isn't any other app competing with this. I just hope the overall interface can evolve into something truly amazing.
I’m currently a 5k and member of AYD. I’ve been playing for about 3.5 years. I have found this app invaluable in making Go book more accessible. Being able to play through the diagrams/examples is a very effective way to learn. One suggest, I wish they would make the app compatible with the apple keyboards. Being able to click through the diagrams would be much better than touching the screen all the time or having to reposition the mouse. Thanks for a great app.
The feature where you can play the examples rather than have to mentally visualize them alone is worth several time the price of admission.
Period reviews recovered from Apple's customer-review feeds via the Wayback Machine.