Mathematical Go : Chilling Gets the Last Point

There is a small community of programmers attempting to create Go playing computer programs and this effort has met with some small success. To say the least, this work is in it's infancy - at least if this book is any indication. If you're actually interested in Go, this book is not going to be much help. There are numerous alternative publications suitable for learning about the game. By the authors' own admission, virtually none of the "endgame positions" featured in this book would ever appear in a real game of Go played between humans with reasonable skill. I imagine the material is somewhat interesting, at least in the abstract sense, but I would not recommend it to anyone looking for more than that.

The ancient game of Go is one of the less obvious candidates for mathematical analysis. With the development of new concepts in combinatorial game theory, the authors have been able to analyze Go games and find solutions to real endgame problems that have stumped professional Go players. Go players with an interest in mathematics and mathematicians who work in game theory will not want to miss this book because it describes substantial connections between the two subjects that have been, until now, largely unrecognized.

Since you are reading this book, you are likely to fall into one of three categories: A mathematician interested in the applications of mathematics to games and Go.